How to Plan a Golf Holiday in Spain: A Step-by-Step Guide

When you’re looking for a great golfing destination in Europe, you’ll not find a better country than Spain. 

With over 400 golf courses, 300 days of sunshine, a rich culture, amazing cuisine and a thriving nightlife, much of Spain’s most popular tourist destinations are also incredible for those looking for some incredible golf. 

But where in Spain do you go? We’re of course a big fan of playing golf in Barcelona, but the entire country has much to offer in the golfing department. 

And how long do you need to make the most out of your journey? 

For those looking to organise a comprehensive golfing trip with their golf friends or just needing a quick weekend getaway on the Spanish fairways, this guide will tell you all you need to know to have a smooth Spanish holiday. 

Step 1 – Choose a Region

Like we mentioned earlier, we are of course very interested in the Catalonian golf courses, especially around the beautiful Barcelona. We adore the region for the championship-level courses like Camiral and the rich golfing history the area has to offer. It has plenty of opportunities for some city breaks as well, allowing you to enjoy the culture and nightlife in the city after your day on the course. 

But it is not the only region in Spain ideal for golfing. Most of the country is well-suited for a group golf break. 

The Costa Del Sol is another amazing region for fans of the sport. It’s not called the Costa Del Golf for nothing! With more than 70 courses, it has an incredible offering for golfers, while also sporting constant great weather, many luxurious resorts and an exciting nightlife. 

The Costa Blanca is great for golf as well with many world-class golf courses, a varied landscape of coastlines and mountains and a healthy dose of Mediterranean culture. 

There are more areas in Spain that offer a lot for those after a round of golf. Murcia and Almería are great destinations as well. Almería especially has a unique set dry climate and a desert-style golf course, which is unique for European standards. 

Even the island of Mallorca has something to offer for golfers of all skill levels, offering an amazing set of championship golf courses. 

Every region has its own qualities of course, but they are all great choices for golfers. However, some smaller groups or solo travellers wanting to try the courses by themselves might find that quieter regions like Murcia and Mallorca are better suited for them. 

Meanwhile, larger groups who want to enjoy some group activities and nightlife might be more interested in Catalonia or Costa del Sol. 

Step 2 – Determine the budget and duration

Wherever you decide to go, unless you have decided to migrate on the spot, you will eventually need to travel back! 

Before you set out on your trip, you will need to determine how many rounds you are wanting to play, and where in the region. 

Once you know roughly which courses you want to play and how many rounds of golf you’re hoping to get through, you can choose how long you will need to stay. Will 2 nights suffice? Or are you going to need a whole week to play those rounds you wanted? 

In this part of the process, it also helps if you and the people you’re travelling with think about if you’d rather stay at a more luxurious resort, or if you would be alright staying in an apartment or hotel in a bigger city or town in the region. This can help decide if you need a car or van or if you can get around in some other way. 

Step 3 – Book Flights

Once you know roughly what you’re after, it’s time to pin down the date! 

We recommend doing this sooner rather than later to lock them down well in advance and avoid issues with rising costs or busy flights. 

As you’re probably aware, Spain has many airports that are being serviced from across the entirety of Europe. As it is a very popular holiday destination, this means that you can get a flight directly to some key cities in each of the regions mentioned earlier. 

As an example, you can get a flight from London to: 

• Barcelona
• Valencia 
• Palma 
• Alicante 
• Granada 
• Madrid

So wherever in Spain you end up going, travel should be relatively smooth sailing if you get the tickets locked down in advance!

Step 4 – Choose where to stay

Depending on the size of your group and what they’re after out of their holidays. 

Some groups might want to simply lounge at a resort, use the on-site courses and enjoy an all-inclusive experience. 

Others might be in the mood for some city tours and late-night parties after they round out their games. For these, a simple hotel room in a city like Barcelona or Alicante might be preferable. 

Another option is to rent a villa outside of the city if you have a larger group that wants to have a great shared living experience with some barbecues, late-night laughs and likely a swimming pool! 

Before booking the accommodation, make sure you know what configuration the bedrooms and beds need to be in to make sure awkward room-sharing issues are avoided.

Step 5 – Book your courses & tee times

When booking your trip, it is important that you lock in your tee times at your desired courses as soon as possible, as courses can be booked quickly, especially during the peak months. 

Get in touch with your travel group to make sure that you’ve got your rounds booked in a sensible way. If you’re looking at going into town one night, better avoid booking an early start on a course the next day! 

You might also want to look at travel times and where you’re booking rounds, since you cannot be everywhere at once.

Step 6 – Organise transport

Now that you know where you’re playing, you need to get there. 

For some groups, it might make sense to hire a car or van and drive yourselves around. This is often the cheaper solution, since the costs can be split between the group, bringing down the costs and renting a car or van is relatively cost-effective. 

You can also make use of private transport services to bring you to your destinations. This is of course more hassle-free and means you don’t have to worry about the drive there and back. 

There is no real obvious choice, but as with anything, make sure you’ve checked in with the group for the best decision that suits everybody. 

Step 7 – Finetune the details

While golf might be at the centre of the trip, it often is the little details around the edges that make it a trip to remember. 

When you’re in Spain with a group of good friends or even with 1 or 2 others, it’d be a waste to not make the most out of the trip. 

We recommend you look at:

• Going on a city trip
• Booking a lovely spa/resort day
• Taking a tour of the wineries and vineyards
• Explore the amazing food and enjoy Spain’s iconic cuisine
• Spectate a Spanish football match
• Go out for a night on the town in one of Spain’s many bustling cities

It is also a good idea to consider things like insurance in this stage. You’d want to have a decent travel insurance that covers you in case of loss or damage to your equipment, and medical treatment. 

Golf equipment is expensive as you are aware, and if any of it gets lost or damaged, you’ll want to be compensated. The same is true if you manage to sprain, twist or otherwise hurt something on the course and need medical attention.

How Barcelona Golf can help

Here at Barcelona Golf, we can take some of the heavy lifting. Not only do we have a great courses and experiences available, but our golf packages and itineraries can be tweaked or made bespoke to fit your needs. 

So, if you’re looking for an amazing golf holiday in Catalonia, Costa Brava or Costa Daurada, get in touch with us and let’s discuss your options!