Montrecastillo Hotel Golf Resort - Spain

Montecastillo Hotel Golf Resort is located just outside Jerez de la Frontera, in the heart of Spain's sherry country between Cadiz and Seville, an area also known for its equestrian heritage. Montecastillo is the centerpiece of golf in western Andalucia, as golf spreads to the Atlantic coast, opening up a new frontier for golfers playing the boatload of glamorous courses along the Costa del Sol. Designed by Jack Nicklaus and opened in 1992, the course runs through ridges dotted with olive trees and the oversized, cookie-cutter shaped bunkers that line the fairways are filled with Marmolada sand. From 1997 to 2001, Montecastillo hosted the Volvo Masters, one of the top events on the European tour. The luxurious hotel with its castellated walls overlooks the course.

Real Sociedad Hipica Espanola Club De Campo - Spain

The grandiloquently named Real Sociedad Hipica Espanola Club de Campo or Royal Spanish Equestrian Society Club de Campo is located some 15 miles north of Madrid, next to the Jarama auto race track and the Spanish Royal Automobile Club's course, There are actually two golf clubs named Club de Campo near Madrid, the other being the well known Club de Campo Villa Madrid, which is located on the outskirts of Madrid, just across the valley and in clear sight of another championship course, Puerta de Hierro Golf Club. Hipica was founded separately from Villa Madrid in 1929, but when the equestrians based their stables at Villa Madrid, the two clubs merged in the 1940s. After Villa Madrid was purchased by the city of Madrid and became a municipal facility, the equestrians decided to demerge, and bought their own land for a new club. The result is two 18-hole courses, the North and the South, both designed by the American architect Robert von Hagge. The North Course, one of the highest rated in Spain, runs though puffy pines with fairways layered around four ponds.