A golf trip to Madrid: Golf, culture & nightlife in the Spanish capital

When you think of golf breaks to Spain, your mind jumps to sun drenched holidays on the Costa Del Sol or winter trips to the Canary Islands to provide respite from the UK winter. But this European giant is not all beaches and mainstream tourist destinations, some of the biggest cities in the country offer a superb alternative style of trip.

Valencia, Barcelona and Seville all provide the opportunity to combine siteseeing and culture with superb golfing experiences and some of the team recently took the chance to explore golf and culture in the capital city, Madrid!

Where some of the more obvious Spanish destinations offer exactly what you expect (sunshine, convenience and value) of a golf holiday, Madrid offers a more rounded set of experiences. It really is a beautiful city full of elegant boulevards with a number of gorgeous parks to explore (the Buen Retiro being the most obvious). Combine that with shopping, flamenco dancing and a couple of the World’s biggest football teams and there’s something for everyone.

With a population of well over 3 million people, the buzz in the city is palpable and nightlife unrivalled from other golfing trips I’ve been on. The locals head out late, starting in restaurants before moving to swanky bars (check out the rooftop bar at the Riu Plaza Espana; not the cheapest place to find your evening refreshments but views from the 27th floor over the Palace and city make it worth it) and finishing the evening in vibrant nightclubs, some not closing until 8am the following morning. I’m thinking more about a coffee and croissant at that kind of hour but some of my colleagues “sampled” the festivities.

There’s so much to do and see you could easily spend a couple of days in Madrid without even touching a golf club, but you would be ignoring some of the best courses in Spain. There are well over 15 courses within striking distance of the city, ranging from public facilities to some of the most private courses in Europe. In recent years we’ve seen more of the courses around Madrid as they have regularly hosted DP World Tour events and the like.

So, here’s the low down on the courses we saw over our long weekend…

El Encin was a real surprise package for me. Its easy to judge a book by its cover, and the relatively low cost and fact that it is a public course could make it easy to overlook. The reality is that the course was originally designed with ambitions to host a Ryder Cup and has potential to really climb the rankings in Spain if they so wished.

It has an inland links feel to it and some of the green complexes are devilish. It is definitely a “2nd shot course” as the fairways are generous (great for holiday golf) but scoring well will depend on avoiding the run-offs, hitting greens and avoiding water hazards in the scoring zone.

Those familiar with course designers will recognise the Robert Van Hagge influence with some creative features and distinctive style. A great terrace and practice facilities make this a strong all-rounder and can really help with overall budget on the trip as it doesn’t break the bank. Its worth noting that El Encin is located North East of the city and is close to the airport making this a superb option on day of arrival or departure.

This was the course we had to travel the furthest to, located between 45 minutes to an hour from the city centre depending on traffic and location of hotel. That said, you are rewarded with the most interesting and diverse plot of all of the courses we played. A much more traditional, members style course set in woodland just to the south of the Guadarrama Mountain range.

The course is tight and tree lined so accuracy is ESSENTIAL! The opening few holes really test you and the 18th is a beast. Less than 400 yards but a hard dog leg left, playing uphill with a large tree in the middle of the fairway protecting the green. Trees in fairways always raise an eyebrow for me but one thing that can’t be disputed is the quality of the greens. Bear in mind we visited on the first weekend of December they were quicker than anything I’ve played in the UK all year.

The selling point of La Herreria are the views with mountains one side and the magnificent Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escoria on the other. Truly unique and certainly one to consider.

Named the “house of Spanish golf” and for good reason. Centro Nacional De Golf is located no more than 20 minutes from the city centre makes this a must visit on any trip to Madrid. The golf course here is only one part of the equation as the venue plays headquarters to the Spanish golf federation, has one of the most impressive fitting/performance centres I’ve seen and is soon to see “Casa Del Golf (a selection of stylish rooms onsite) open in 2025.

The course itself has hosted the Spanish Open twice and you can see why. It’s a long, modern course but is fairly open which again makes for fun holiday golf. The back 9 feature a number of lakes and the finishing stretch of 16, 17 and 18 is as dramatic as they come.

The facilities are catered to the general public and there is a real feel that the Spanish golf federation are trying to provide golf to the masses here. With that in mind, its another great value course to have on your itinerary. If you don’t quite get enough of a golf fix in the day the two-tiered driving range is equipped with TopTracer technology and from Thursday to Saturday they put on their “Gourmet Golf Experience” for 3 hours from 9pm. Music, competitions and fun to finish off the day in style.

Another really unique experience located 15/20 minutes from the city centre; I’ve got to say having my ID checked going into a golf course was a first for me and the security checks at the entrance might not be for everyone. I can see how that would be difficult with a large group but once you are in the facility, you are in for a treat.

The course was opened in 2005 to give the staff of the Santander group a world class golf facility, and they’ve certainly done that. This was my favourite of the courses we played, I felt it had a feeling of Quinta Do Lago Laranjal mixed with the Stadium course at Camiral golf and wellness.

It is an absolute beast at 7,500 yards off the backs so make sure you choose the right tees for your ability then tee it high and let it fly. Umbrella pines line the fairways but in honesty its hard to lose a ball, it is the relentless length and subtle breaks on the greens that provide the challenge here. There are a number of standout holes (7,10,12 are all brilliant holes) but 17 and 18 are real treats.

The 17th is a mid-length par 3 across a lake, anything short, right or left is wet. With 17 negotiated you can then lick your lips at 18, a par 5 playing slightly downhill from the tee with an angled green sat behind a stone walled pond. Do you go for the hero shot or play it safe? A superb course, I can see why its ranked 23rd in Spain and one I’d love to go back to.

Designed by Jose Maria Olazabal and host to numerous LET events, this course is great fun. The course has the feel of traditional “holiday” golf and although its not easy it certainly doesn’t beat you up. Retamares is located about 45 mins north of the city but again that does afford you more space and better views than some of the courses closer to the city.

The course is set in rolling farmland and makes use of some nice natural elevation changes whilst adding a couple of huge manmade lakes to add to the challenge. The front 9 in particular has some excellent holes; the short par 3 2nd, set in a natural amphitheatre and then the drivable 5th spring to mind. My favourite holes on the course however were the 6th and 15th, both downhill par 4s offering excellent birdie chances. Playing sensibly, a score could be made at Retamares. I will also add, the lunch was superb here with a selection of tapas bits and delicious teaks being served.

In terms of reputation, we saved the best till last. Real Club La Moraleja has 4 courses, set across two sites and all designed by Jack Nicklaus. A good start! Courses 3 and 4 share a plot approximately 25 minutes from the city centre and only 15 minutes from the airport so this is another venue suited for days of arrival or departure.

Moraleja 3 is the jewel in the crown and falls under the Jack Nicklaus “signature” banner. A combination of length, bunkering and immaculate condition make this the 7th ranked course in Spain. Unfortunately, it was closed for maintenance during our visit so we played Moraleja 4. The quality of all the courses and facilities in general here are simply outstanding, with a high-end membership this is to be expected but we were impressed non the less.

Where course 3 is a long and uncompromising test, course 4 is much more about strategy and is another “2nd shot” course. I really enjoyed the layout, the green complexes and run offs are genuinely some of the best I’ve played. There is definitely a conscious effort to create a more rustic, almost inland links feel here, with tufty grass surrounding tee boxes and subtle undulations across the course.

A thoroughly enjoyable day but I couldn’t help but feel if only you could lift this course and put it in a slightly prettier location you would have something really special. You pay a higher green fee to play here but it’s certainly a treat!

A simply outstanding city. I can see couples, nightlife seekers or those looking for a slightly different experience loving a trip to Madrid. My recommendation would be to keep one day free of golf to explore and to enjoy another experience in the city. I would also opt for early afternoon tee times to take the pressure off those late nights, you can’t help but enjoy the buzz in the evenings so embrace it, stay out late and do as the locals do!