A busy schedule of prestigious golf tournaments and events is now in full swing in the Costa Brava as the region begins to welcome professional and amateur golfers from across Europe once again.
The region’s eight outstanding golf venues are very much back in business following the various closures over the past year where travel restrictions and local lockdowns have forced many competitions to be postponed or cancelled.
But the tournaments are now coming thick and fast and the competitive action has returned to the world-class golf destination, set within one of the most scenic and unspoilt natural environments in Spain and Southern Europe.
June saw the outstanding PGA Catalunya, the unmistakable jewel in the Costa Brava’s crown, host the PGA XPROAM, followed by the European Amateur Team Championship in July.
As a regular haunt for European Tour professionals and international competitions, as well as previously hosting the annual battle for European Tour cards at the final stage of Qualifying School, PGA Catalunya is renowned as the best golf resort in Spain.
Players competing in the PGA XPROAM were lucky enough to play two rounds on each of its exceptional courses – the famous Stadium Course, which has featured in Europe’s top 10 since it opened in 1999, and the Tour Course.
Nine teams, consisting of six amateurs and one professional, teed it up across four days for the chance to win a number of great prizes offered by the event’s partners – Srixon Europe, Lacoste and Air France.
As part of their entry to the tournament, each participant received four Lacoste polo shirts, a dozen Z-Star golf balls on each day of the competition, and a Flying Blue Gold Card from Air France which entitles all holders to discounted fares, priority access at the airport, free seat selection and hold baggage free of charge.
Golfers then got to unwind and relax on each evening in the resort’s five-star Camiral Hotel. A perfect combination between contemporary, luxury and comfortable accommodation, they could enjoy the spa facilities and exceptional dining experiences in the gastronomic restaurant, 1477, where the award-winning chef would delight their tastebuds with his local culinary specialties and Catalan cuisine.
Originally scheduled for Vasatorp Golf Club in Sweden, The European Amateur Team Championship was moved to Spain due to travel restriction concerns and took place on PGA Catalunya's Stadium Course.
This is the first time the resort has hosted a European Golf Association event and it saw 13 teams of six players from across Europe battle it out for the coveted crown.
Germany entered the week as defending champions, having claimed the title for the first time at Hilversumsche Golf Club last year, but couldn’t make it back-to-back victories, with Denmark taking the honours.
Playing on home soil, the Spanish team hoped for their first title since 2017, but fell at one of the final hurdles, narrowly losing their semi-final to France.
Torremirona, a spectacular 18-hole course and spa hotel nestled between the Mediterranean and the Pyrenees, recently hosted the Mediterranean Golf Championship, a scoring event for the male and female World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).
A local elite player from Barcelona, Alisa Khokhlova, was crowned champion in the women’s competition with impressive rounds of 73, 69 and 73 for a total of only 215 shots – the only player to finish under par. Khokhlova posted a remarkable 13 birdies during the three days, with seven of them being in the second round.
The men’s event was won by Joel Ramirez with a fantastic score of 209 through 36 holes, leaving him finishing seven-under-par and narrowly edging out Jaime Jaume, who finished just one shot behind at six-under. The rest of the field struggled to keep up with the impressive golf of Ramirez and Jaume – with third place finishing two-over-par.
Another esteemed club in the Costa Brava, Empordà, welcomed the Cat Pro Tour earlier in the year. The event saw some of the best professional golfers from the Catalonia region go head-to-head, culminating in Carlos Pigem being crowned champion with an impressive 64 around the challenging Empordà Links course.
Peralada – a five-star hotel with a wine spa, winery, casino, castle and stunning 18-hole golf course – is also looking ahead to the autumn where it will host the final of the Lady Circuito Golf XV, one of Spain’s biggest female golf tournaments.
The competition, which is open to any female golfer over the age of 18 with a handicap, will culminate at Peralada for the grand final, taking place from Wednesday, October 13, 2021, to Sunday, October 17, 2021, following eight qualifying events that have taken place at golf clubs across Spain in Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona, Granada, Soria, Cantabria and Álava.
A spokesperson for Golf Costa Brava said: “It’s fantastic to see the return of these events and to welcome golfers back from across Europe to compete. The clubs and resorts have done an amazing job to prepare and adapt over the past year – and the fact that they are now hosting these competitions shows how far they, and Spain as a country, have come.
“We’re hoping that people will see how successful these events have been and how they have been put on safely and efficiently in the times we find ourselves in, and that will give people confidence to travel to our destination for future competitions or holidays.”
Alongside the outstanding golf courses, wealth of accommodation options, diverse nightlife, easy travel links, great weather and value for money, there is plenty more to discover about the region. Golfers can enjoy fabulous culture, superb gastronomy, dazzling beaches, blissful nature, rejuvenating wellness and even the possibility of snow sports with the Pyrenees in the backyard.
Follow the Costa Brava on Instagram at @costabravagolf or to learn more about playing golf in the Costa Brava, visit golf.costabrava.org
COMPETITIVE GOLF SWINGS INTO ACTION IN THE COSTA BRAVA