Real Sevilla - Southern Spain - Spain

Seville is the capital of Andalucia and it has a long and rich history reaching back more than a thousand years. There’s plenty going on in this wonderful city where you can dance the flamenco or even fight a bull depending on your disposition. But if you fancy a strategic test of the golfing kind, head over to José Maria Olazábal’s Real Sevilla.

Real Club de Golf de Sevilla (or Royal Seville Golf Club) opened for play in 1991 and, as we have already alluded, Ollie designed it and, in 2004, it was the host venue for the World Golf Championships (formerly the World Cup of Golf). The 2004 event saw England’s Paul Casey and Luke Donald emerge victorious. More recently Sevilla hosted the 2008 Spanish Open where Ireland’s Peter Lawrie beat Ignacio Garrido at the second play-off hole to claim the title. The Open de Espana returned to Royal Seville in 2010 with a €2,000,000 prize fund and Spain’s Alvaro Quiros emerged victorious after tying with England’s James Morrison after 72 holes, forcing a sudden-death play-off, which Quiros won at the first play-off hole.

Sevilla is a testing layout, which belies its initial flat and open aspect. If you can get close to the pins on these smallish greens then you might card a decent score. In fact, this easy walking and understated course is all about a sharp short game but naturally you’ll need to find the fairways in order to give yourself a chance with your approach shots.

Presumably King Juan Carlos I of Spain granted Real Club de Golf de Sevilla royal title fairly recently? We do not know the precise details but we’d love to hear from anyone in the know.

The Open de Espana dates back to 1912 and, in April 1972 at Platja de Pals, it was the first tournament ever played on the PGA European Tour. The 2012 staging of the Spanish Open commemorated the 100th anniversary of the tournament and 40 years since the first European Tour Event. Real Club de Golf de Sevilla were proud hosts for this historic occasion, which also marked the third time the club hosted the Spanish Open. Italy’s Francesco Molinari won the 100th Spanish Open after firing a final round of 65.