Emporda (Forest) - North East Spain - Spain

On Emporda you got 2 courses. Forest and Links. Forest is, yes, a forest course, and links – not a really links, but close. Flat and open with loads of bunkers. A real von Hagge/Rick Baril course. I have played Emporda many times. I prefer to play the Forest, but then it also depend of the weather. If no wind Links is a great course. If wind, I chose the Forest. Here you are sheltered by tall pine trees and it is a golf course with many great holes.

I like courses where “what you see is what you get”. That is, when you are standing on the tee, you know exactly what is in front of you. You can see the ideal landing area – for you, and you can foresee how the ball will bounce and roll. No hided bunkers, water, streams or the like.

I also value holes with 2 different routes to the green. Either from the tee or, for the second shot, that is where to place the ball to get the optimal position for the approach shot to the green.

And I value holes offering risk – reward decisions. That is, if I chose to cut the corner, go over the lake, make a draw or fade to curb the bunker, then I either win a shot or can add one extra to the card.

Next. I like contoured green, but not too contoured, just enough to test the reading skill and just enough to make the position of the hole important for where to land the approach shot.

I can mention more factors that, to mee, constitute a great golf course. But here, just one more. I like to walk my golf and – in that context – the possibility of flow. What promotes flow? You can find your ball if in the rough, you are not in doubt of the route to the next tee and you don’t have a long walk from green to next tee.

In my opinion the Forest course give you all these options and challenges. It is not a very difficult course. That is, if you play it in accordance to your factual skills. The low handicapper will have a lot of challenges suited to his/hers skill and the high handicapper to his/hers.

Only negative is that the maintenance is not always in top. Part of some tee areas, paths, green and fairway areas are kind of worn down. Playing the Forest course is a great walk in the forest, but here and there the greatness is impaired by this.

One of two courses at Emporda Golf Resort near Girona. This course is a classic parkland course with narrow tree lined fairways. Some really beautiful holes, but the condition of the course was not as perfect as for example at PGA Catalunya resort which is not far away.

Given the chance to play one round at Emporda, I would choose the Forest over the Links every time. For me it is a better looking course with so many tree line holes that frame them in a way that I like. Conditioning like the Links course is a little bit of a problem on the course but not to the same degree. As early as the 2nd you have a quality hole, a mid-range par-3 with great bunkering at the green on the right. Holes 3-5 are one of each par through umbrella pine lined avenues and are all good looking holes; take it from me as you arrive on the 6th tee you are in for a treat – this is one of the very best short par-4’s that I have played. It measures between 200 and 292 metres from the six tee options and you have to make a choice from the tee; a shorter shot of around 190 metres straight to a semi-island landing area will leave around 80 metres over water to the green but from this angle the green is not that deep plus there is a bunker directly behind. If your tee shot choice is a longer shot to left side of the fairway, the approach can be around 60 metres but the green is now longer from this side and there is no water to cross – this hole is a real highlight. The 9th hole, a par-5 is another decent hole using water and sand very well; a huge horseshoe bunker on the right of the fairway and then a large lake on the left from around 150 metres out, then all the way to the lakeside green – great looking hole. The back nine is solid without having the stand-out holes of the front nine – my pick would be the closing hole; a par-5 with more water in play but it is the 10 bunkers by the green that are the biggest problem when completing your round. The Forest course has a good chance to be a 5-ball ranking but not this time due to some of the cosmetic conditioning issues, if the resort can fix these then I would return in a shot.

This is a "sister" course to the Links at the same resort. As the name suggets it is mainly tree lined with little water (as opposed to the Links Course). It is inevitable that it should be compared with the Links. It was in better condition and is not as tight and I found it more enjoyable. It was in great condition with fast true greens. A pleasure to play.

Nice course - requires tactical playing. In windy weather, this is the place to be.

Whole-hearted agreement among our toursits that Forest is a top-notch course. We played the Links in a Force 9 wind (that may be an under-estimate) and frankly it was not well-received. But I think this is down to the weather. We are back again shortly when I expect the Emporda package coupled with the PGA Catalunya Green/Stadium Course, to provide golf of outstanding quality and value.

I love this area of Spain, and this is my second favourite course in the area behind PGA Catalunya Green. I have played this course about 10 times, and never seen it in bad condition, the other reviewer must have been unlucky. A good test of golf, but if you hit it well from the tee, it is scoreable. Nice friendly club house and staff, and a good restaurant in the clubhouse.

I played Emporda Links in 2005 and found the place and course fantastic the club house was still being built but could not wait to return and play the Forest. Which i played in 2007 and found it a massive disapointment the course looked tatty and tired the greens were patchy the tee's were bare in places. The course has far to many people playing it when i arrived there must have been 50 people on the putting green! They just seemed to want your cash of you. The design of the course is fantastic but to see it in this condition is a real shame.

I played both the Forest and Links last summer and couldnt choose which was better. Both are very tough and long, especially off the back tees. Greens were true and quick and the countryside is beautiful. Both courses were not very expensive to play and well worth the money. Go for yourself and see which course you prefer!