Castillo de Gorraiz

Cabell B Robinson, the well respected American golf architect, is better known for his more recent Spanish courses – the likes of La Reserva, Santana and Finca Cortesin – but it must be remembered that he’s been constructing courses on the Iberian peninsula and beyond for over twenty years (his work at La Cala dates back to 1990) and the course at Castillo de Gorraiz is one of his creations from 1995.

Situated just to the north of Pamplona, in the Navarre region, the golf course of Castillo de Gorraiz is an integral part of the city’s leisure facilities, with a swimming pool and tennis courts also sharing the same complex.

The 18 holes are parkland in nature, with wide, open fairways (six of which are doglegged) winding their way round a residential development. The four par threes on the card are not exactly short, varying between 175 and 220 yards in length and one of these, hole number 8, is the second of three consecutive holes where water comes into play. The round ends with a 450-yard par four that is rated stroke index 1... a tough hole to end any match.