PGA Catalunya Tour Course

The verdict

PGA Catalunya is best known for its Stadium Course, a Gallardo and Coles design that has hosted the Spanish Open and sits high on every list of the finest courses in continental Europe. The Tour Course is its companion, opened in 2005 by the same architects, and it deserves to be played on its own terms rather than treated as a warm up. It runs through the same handsome estate of umbrella pines, cork oaks and still water at Caldes de Malavella, half an hour inland from the Costa Brava, but it asks the more reasonable questions of the two.

This is the round for the golfer who wants the address without the bruising. Fairways are a touch wider, the forced carries fewer, and the course rewards a steady tee to green game rather than heroics. A buddies group with a spread of handicaps, or a couple wanting a relaxed day before tackling the Stadium, will find it ideal. The conditioning is resort standard, the welcome straightforward, and access far easier than at the marquee course next door. Underrated, walkable and genuinely good fun.

The holes worth the trip

The Tour Course makes its case quietly. Where the Stadium hits you with carries and consequence, this layout flows through the pines with a more natural rhythm, the trees framing each fairway and the occasional lake asking for a sensible line rather than a brave one. The greens are well contoured and true, so the round is decided more by position and putting than by survival, which is exactly why it appeals to a wider range of players.

The water comes into play most memorably on the closing stretch, where lakes edge two of the finishing holes and tempt the bolder player into a gamble that the cautious one can sidestep. It is the kind of finish that produces a few stories in the clubhouse without wrecking a card. Throughout, the elevation changes are gentle and the walking is a pleasure, with the Pyrenees foothills as a backdrop.

Played back to back with the Stadium Course, the Tour Course gives a group two genuinely different days at one address: one a championship examination, the other a handsome, enjoyable round you can swing freely on. Together they make Camiral one of the best two course stops in Spain.

Where to stay nearby

The natural base is the resort itself, where the Camiral hotel sits between the two courses with a spa, restaurants and easy access to both first tees. It makes the property a self contained golf retreat and the simplest way to play 36 holes over a couple of days without moving the car.

For a wider trip, the medieval city of Girona is twenty minutes away with its hotels and dining, while the beaches and seafood towns of the Costa Brava lie half an hour east. Girona airport keeps connections quick, and Barcelona is an easy add on at the start or end of a week.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Girona.