Spain and Portugal set new standards for European golf

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The most important questions confronting anyone considering an international golf trip, is what country to visit, where to stay and what courses to play? Add a non-golfer or two to the equation and these questions can quickly become monumental headaches.

Oitavos Dunes, pride and joy of The Lisbon Coast, is a regular host for The Portuguese Open

Oitavos has many links-like qualities, including a serious wind

A never ending variety of challenges makes Oitavos Dunes a complex test for even low handicappers

Troia is another outstanding course on The Lisbon Coast

PGA Catalunya is ranked No. 2 in Spain and among Europe's Top Ten

Mature trees, shrewd bunkering and ingeniously positioned water hazards - PGA Catalunya is no walk in the park

PGA Catalunya is tough, but totally fair from start to finish

PGA Catalunya is one of the most important additions to Spanish golf of the last decade

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Take heart, there's no need to run for the aspirin if you head to Spain or Portugal, or perhaps a combination of both. These are two of Europe's most appealing countries that not only cater far better than others to both golfers as well as those who have no love for the game at all - they do so magnificently and with absolutely no compromises necessary. Even better, perfect weather is all but guaranteed and in the southern parts of both countries, where most of the courses are located, clear blue skies and warm temperatures are a year round thing. If you weren't thinking of Spain or Portugal for your trip, it's time to think again.

Their golf ranks alongside the world's very best and the top courses are located in convenient clusters. There is simply no need to waste valuable vacation time driving all over the countryside, constantly checking into and out of hotels, as you chase a wish list of courses that must be played. Better yet, as impressive as the golf is, it's only one attraction on a long menu of irresistible temptations.

If intriguing European cities have an appeal, you couldn't choose a more enchanting base than Portugal's capital, Lisbon. Stay in a hotel in the very heart of this absorbing city and you will have a selection of two dozen world class courses, literally within a half hour's drive of the hotel lobby. While the non-golfers are exploring the wonders of Lisbon's colorful past, best done on foot and the public trams that trundle up and down the city's hills, the golfers can slip away for a half day or two and discover some enchantment of their own.

Penha Longa, Troia, Belas and Aroeira are just a few of the top courses in the immediate area and perhaps the best of all, Oitavos Dunes, is equally as close. Located just outside of Cascais, a charming fishing village cum beach resort, Oitavos Golf Club, is a relative newcomer that sky-rocketed to the uppermost reaches of Portugal's golf rankings, immediately after it opened in 2002. In 2003 it was voted The Best New Course in Europe and by 2005 had become a permanent fixture on The European Tour.

Enjoying a spectacular cliff-top setting, wedged between the Atlantic Ocean and the Sintra Mountains, this is the first European endeavor for American designer, Arthur Hill, a challenge he has carried out with style and aplomb. The course already has the maturity and feeling of a wise old centenarian that has always occupied this panoramic site, a sentiment evidently shared by the European Tour, when they gave Oitavos the honor of hosting the 2005 Portuguese Open. Never before had such a prestigious event been given to a layout so young. In 2009 this charmer will be hosting The Portuguese Open for the fourth time -- and it's just 7 years old.

For all of its good looks and charm, this is not a layout for the novice. Stretching to almost 7,000 yards from the tips, Oitavos offers a links-style challenge, tough enough to test even the scratch golfer to the extreme and from the forward tees, still a stern examination for the mid to high handicapper. If you are looking for holiday golf, Oitavos may not be for you -- despite being one of Portugal's most handsome layouts, this is serious golf with a sense of sobriety reminding us all that although golf may be a game, it's a game of skill and at this level, perhaps not the place for beginners.

Though not a true links course, the very open design has many links-like characteristics, not the least of which is its exposure to sea breezes. This is the Atlantic Ocean where sea breezes can quickly become cantankerous and turn into gusting winds and when the wind blows, it packs a punch, adding another degree of excitement to the round. In true links style, Oitavos also boasts a good selection of sand dunes, especially along the middle holes where it plays through a stunningly natural dunescape, bringing with it even more links challenges.

But this is a course filled with variety, sometimes running through stands of Iberian Umbrella Pines, then through the dunes to rugged outcroppings of rock, then dunes again. Yet for all of the variety Oitavos contains, it's a design that flows in such a natural way, everything makes perfect sense. Excellent and imaginative design, faultless maintenance and spectacular views of ocean and mountains from every hole, makes it easy to understand how Oitavos has reached stardom so quickly. This is a layout to be added to every serious golfer's, must play list.

Barcelona, capital of Spain's Catalonia region, is an irresistible city that manages to find its way into the heart of every visitor. Filled with a never-ending array of over 50 museums, including some of Europe's finest, unbeatable shopping, the wonderfully whimsical architecture of Antoni Gaudi, leader of Catalonia's Modernisme Movement at the end of the 19th century, and so much more. Barcelona is vibrant, alive and bursting with everything that city lovers adore. You could spend a month here and still not have time enough to see all that calls for your attention and for golfers; the game is never far away.

There are half a dozen excellent courses in the immediate vicinity, but for a very special treat, put PGA de Catalunya at the top of your must play list. It's a drive of about 45 minutes from Barcelona, but worth the effort to experience not only one of Spain's most distinguished courses, but one acknowledged as being among the finest in Europe.

Built by the PGA European Tour after ten years of planning, the time and effort that went into PGA Golf de Catalunya has resulted in a thoroughly handsome layout that presents a true test, yet remains totally fair from start to finish -- everything you would expect from its designers, perhaps even more.

The setting is impressive with wide rolling fairways that rise and fall within thick natural scrubland, peppered with pine and cork oak trees. It's an uncompromising rough that looks nothing less than fearful, motivation enough to ensure you stay well clear and focus on accuracy rather than succumbing to the temptation to go for distance.

Adding to the challenge is the ingenious use of water through an assortment of lakes and ponds that come into play on 8 holes. This is sometimes done in an obvious and unavoidable way and at other times, in a more subtle manner, when water is used very effectively to check the credibility of those who may be feeling overly confident.

The greens, always closely guarded by well placed bunkers, water and sloping terrain, are absolutely immaculate and provide added interest for those with a putting ability. Fast and well contoured, the master putter has the opportunity to recoup strokes lost on the lengthy fairways.

PGA Catalunya is one of those layouts that senses its superiority and possesses a determination to thoroughly examine all, regardless of skill level. Thankfully, it's also considerate enough to offer a selection of tee boxes and there is no shame in playing from the forward tees whenever you realize how lengthy many of these holes are. Despite the hilly nature of the course, an intelligent design allows for almost a dozen downhill drives with only a single tee shot requiring any significant climb back.

Measuring a shade over 7,200 yards of hilly Catalonian landscape, the course presents a noble challenge to the best of players, with some magnificent views of the Pyrenees Mountains along the way. For those of lesser skills, play from the front tees, try not to be intimidated and you will be in for a true thriller of a round, just forget your score. There's no denying that PGA Catalunya is a spectacular layout and perhaps one of the most important additions of the past 10 years to an already impressive collection of top-drawer courses.

Spain and Portugal have become essential playing for any golfer with an appreciation of the game. Not only do they offer excellent golf in abundance, they have set a new standard for world-class golf -- better get to experience it personally, soon. For a few ideas on how, click here.

©2008 David Brice / Golf International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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