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Golf guide • Spain • Community of Madrid

Golf in Madrid: Arana's fairways in the morning, the Prado in the afternoon

Madrid has first-rate courses less than forty minutes from the Puerta del Sol: the Negro course at Real Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, laid out by Javier Arana in 1956 and home of the Spanish Open, the wooded parkland of Lomas-Bosque, and Robert von Hagge's two courses at the Real Sociedad Hípica Española. Come to combine golf with a great capital of art, ideally in spring and autumn.

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Madrid lacks the seaside reputation of the Costa del Sol, and that is precisely its appeal: you play in the morning on historic club courses, then head back into the city for the Prado, a siesta and a late dinner. Golf in Madrid is a matter of private and social clubs, born around the capital's high society, and most are only twenty to forty minutes from your hotel by motorway.

The terrain is that of the Castilian plateau, more than six hundred metres above sea level: rolling ground, holm oaks, stone pines and grasses turned blond in summer. Real Club de Campo Villa de Madrid has hosted the Spanish Open almost every year since 2015, Lomas-Bosque plays between pine woods and a lake to the south-west, and the Real Sociedad Hípica Española lines up two courses to the north, along the Burgos motorway.

These clubs exist first and foremost for their members: visitor access needs preparing, with more availability on weekdays. In return, the city offers what no resort can: the Prado within walking distance, taverns three centuries old and dinners that start late. Three to five nights allow two or three courses and a proper discovery of the city.

The courses

Green guarded by a pond and pale-sand bunkers, stone pines reflected in the water

Real Club de Campo Villa de Madrid (Negro)

  • Architect: Javier Arana
  • Opened 1956
  • 18 holes
  • Par 71

Javier Arana, Spain's most respected golf architect, designed the Negro, opened in 1956 in the hills of the Casa de Campo, a quarter of an hour from the centre. A par 71 of 6,374 metres, it winds between holm oaks and pines in a wooded setting that is surprisingly peaceful for a capital city. It hosted the 1965 Canada Cup, eleven Spanish Opens according to the club and nine Madrid Opens; Jon Rahm won here in 2018, 2019 and 2022. The club publishes a green fee for non-members.

Official website

Real Club de Golf Lomas-Bosque

  • Architect: Robert Dean Putman
  • Opened 1973
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

In Villaviciosa de Odón, about thirty-five minutes south-west of the centre, Lomas-Bosque is a Robert Dean Putman course opened in 1973. A par 72 of 6,141 metres from the black tees, it plays in two movements: a technical, hilly front nine between pines, oaks and ravines, then a flatter back nine arranged around a large lake. The narrow, tree-lined fairways favour accuracy. It is a private club that mainly welcomes members and their guests: tee-time requests need preparing in advance.

Signature hole. The 14th, a par 3 of about 155 metres, plays over the lake to a green ringed by bunkers; the 2nd, barely 85 metres, is the shortest hole on the course and does not forgive a loose tee shot.

Official website

Real Sociedad Hípica Española Club de Campo (Norte)

  • Architect: Robert von Hagge
  • Opened 1997
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Founded in 1901, the Real Sociedad Hípica Española set up its country club at kilometre 26 of the Burgos motorway, in San Sebastián de los Reyes, half an hour from the centre and twenty minutes from the airport. Robert von Hagge designed two 18-hole courses here: the Norte, opened in 1997, a par 72 of 6,464 metres, and the Sur, opened in 2001. Tree-planted fairways, lakes and views over holm-oak hills make for well-groomed parkland golf, complemented by a par-3 course. Visitors are welcome preferably on weekdays, by reservation.

Official website

Where to stay

CoolRooms Palacio de Atocha

An 1852 casa palacio on Calle de Atocha, in the Barrio de las Letras, turned into a hotel of 34 rooms and suites of 34 to 110 square metres. The inner garden hides a pool sheltered from the street, and the El Patio de Atocha restaurant serves brunch and cocktails. The Prado is about ten minutes' walk away. Awarded a Michelin Key.

URSO Hotel & Spa

The URSO occupies a 1915 building with turrets and bay windows, the former headquarters of the Papelera Española, on Calle Mejía Lequerica, between Chamberí, Chueca and Salesas. Ask for a Junior Suite Terraza, set in the turrets, with its terrace over the rooftops and the Barceló market, or, for quiet, a Vista Palacio room over the gardens of the Villagonzalo palace. Every evening from 7 to 10pm, a pianist plays in the lobby bar.

Courtyard of a mansion with wrought-iron balconies, a small pool, potted palms and jasmine at dusk

Where to dine

Desborre

A stone's throw from the Teatro Real, Rioja-born chef Lucía Grávalos, who trained in the kitchens of Martín Berasategui and Dani García, cooks seasonal produce from small producers. The menu reads in five parts, Bar, Huerta, Mar, Pasto and Postre, with house-made preserves, cured meats and ferments. A lively table for dinner after the opera.

Desde 1911

The restaurant of Pescaderías Coruñesas, Madrid's great seafood house, set in Moncloa in a former electrical-coil workshop, holds one Michelin star. The fish of the day is shown to you before it is cooked, and every menu includes a raw dish, a marinated one and a spoon dish. Closed on Sundays and Mondays; at lunchtime, it follows a morning at the Club de Campo nicely.

Restaurante Botín

Founded in 1725 on Calle de Cuchilleros, near the Plaza Mayor, Botín is recognised by Guinness as the oldest restaurant in the world still in operation. Come for suckling pig and lamb roasted in its centuries-old oven, traditional Madrid cooking that has never tried to modernise. Book a few days ahead.

Brick-vaulted dining room of a Castilian tavern, roast lamb in an earthenware dish and a lit wood-fired oven

Beyond golf

The Prado and the Retiro

The Paseo del Prado and Retiro Park have been jointly listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2021. The Prado, opened in 1819, holds Velázquez's Las Meninas and the largest collection of Goya. After your visit, cross over to the 142 hectares of the Retiro, its great pond and the 1887 Crystal Palace, a glass pavilion inspired by London's.

Habsburg Madrid on foot

Between the Plaza Mayor, the Royal Palace and the Teatro Real, the Madrid of the Habsburgs, the Madrid de los Austrias, is best explored on foot, ideally late in the day as the terraces fill up. The lanes around Cuchilleros and the Cava Baja are lined with tapas bars and old taverns; dinner is late, rarely before half past nine, as the Madrileños do it.

A day in Toledo

Less than thirty minutes by high-speed train from Atocha station, Toledo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986, makes a fine end to a trip. The city of three cultures towers over the Tagus; follow in El Greco's footsteps to the church of Santo Tomé, where The Burial of the Count of Orgaz still hangs.

When to go

Spring and autumn are the best seasons: from mid-March to June and from September to November, highs range from 16 to 27 °C and the courses are in good condition. July and August often exceed 32 °C in the afternoon, which means teeing off at dawn. Winter is dry and sunny but cool, with frosty mornings that sometimes delay tee times.

Getting there

Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport (MAD) is thirteen kilometres from the Puerta del Sol, twenty-five minutes by taxi; metro line 8 also links it to the city. La Hípica is twenty minutes from the airport, the Club de Campo a quarter of an hour from the centre, Lomas-Bosque about thirty-five minutes. From Barcelona or Seville, the high-speed train arrives at Atocha or Chamartín.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course in Madrid?

The Negro course at Real Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, designed by Javier Arana and opened in 1956. It has hosted the Spanish Open almost every year since 2015.

Can you play golf in Madrid without being a club member?

Yes, but it takes organising: Madrid's major clubs are private or social clubs and keep weekends for their members. The Club de Campo publishes a green fee for non-members, and the other clubs welcome visitors on request, mainly on weekdays.

When is the best time to play golf in Madrid?

From mid-March to June and from September to November. Summer often exceeds 32 °C in the afternoon, and the sunny winter brings frosty mornings.

How many days do you need for a golf trip to Madrid?

Three to five nights: two or three courses in the mornings, the Prado and the Retiro in the afternoons, and a day in Toledo if time allows.

Which airport should I fly into for a golf trip to Madrid?

Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport (MAD), twenty-five minutes from the centre by taxi and twenty minutes from the Real Sociedad Hípica Española.

Tailor-made

Your golf trip: Madrid

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Palm-lined fairway and small lake at sunset, ochre cliffs and the Mediterranean on the horizon
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