El Prat (Yellow) - North East Spain - Spain

Almost half a century after it was established in 1954, the Real Club de Golf El Prat was forced to decamp from its location to the south of Barcelona due to the enlargement of the city airport.

A new site was selected further north, between Terressa and Sabadell, and such was the acreage available, the Greg Norman Design team was able to lay out an impressive 45-hole complex.

Although the five loops of 9-holes (Abajo, Arriba, Piscina, Bosque and Valles) can be configured into many different 18-hole combinations, they are usually set up as the Pink (comprising the Bosque and Arriba nines), the Yellow (Piscina and Abajo nines) and the Green (Abajo and Vallés nines).

The Yellow – like the Pink course – was originally constructed with tournament play in mind and is more open than the Pink layout although a few holes are occasionally routed through tall pine trees which are a predominant feature of the new El Prat site. Precision rather that length are essential to carding a decent score on the Yellow course where the deep fairway bunkers once made shots disappear far too quickly.

Lavishly bunkered greensites represented a fearsome challenge, so you needed your ‘A’ game intact to conquer El Prat’s Yellow course. However, in 2021 a newly renovated and softened Yellow course was unveiled whereby 56 bunkers were removed and 31 others modified as part of a “Sustainability Plan” aimed at "reducing economic and environmental impact".

According to the club’s PR release: “This plan does not only deliver a more eco-friendly course with an improved playability, but also offering members and visitors of Real Club de Golf El Prat a more varied golf club. Especially, those playing multiple rounds will benefit from the variety of layouts with a demanding Pink course or the easier Yellow making sure they make the most of their experience.”