Add two more jewels to The Iberian Peninsula's golfing crown

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Considering the wealth of excellent golf courses already existing in Spain and Portugal, both countries could be excused for relaxing a little and easing up on golf development, but neither has done so. Sticking rigidly to their shared philosophy of restricting themselves to only quality golf development and always with a keen sensitivity to the preservation of the environment, Spain and Portugal have soldiered on, only confirming The Iberian Peninsula's position as the true headquarters of European golf.

Monte Rei Golf Club is Jack Nicklaus's first design in Portugal.

Unique bunkering and mature trees only complicate an already demanding layout.

Water comes into play on 11 holes.

A winner since opening day, Monte Rei is destined for a great future.

Arcos Gardens - a stunning new arrival just 10 minutes from the most alluring of Los Pueblos Blancos.

Arcos Gardens - a chance for the big hitters to spread their shoulders.

Playing golf in the shadow of historic, Arcos de la Frontera.

Stunning scenery and magnificent golf - Arcos has it all.

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The remarkable achievement is not so much Spain's more than 300 courses, nor the 80 or so to be found in tiny Portugal, the real accomplishment is in the outstanding and consistent quality of these layouts, many ranked among Europe's very best. The standard of golf courses on The Iberian Peninsula is astoundingly high throughout and as impossible as it may seem, the bar seems to be raised a notch or two, every time a new course is added.

The world's most prominent golf architects continue to be attracted to this pair of golfing Meccas, all eager to leave their mark and be a part of the golf history that is being written for not only today's golfers, but also for the generations that will follow.

Among the more recent arrivals in Portugal was our own Jack Nicklaus, whose Monte Rei Golf & Country Club opened on the beautifully unspoiled, Eastern Algarve in mid-2007. This is Nicklaus' entrée into Portuguese golf course design, but what a grand entrance it has proved to be with the finished product immediately acknowledged as a masterpiece, bound for future glories on the international scene -- chalk up another top European layout for Portugal.

Located only a brief 30-minute drive east of The Algarve's regional capital of Faro and an hour west of Spain's iconic city of Seville, capital of Andalucia, this was once the forgotten Algarve, filled with natural beauty, but overlooked by visitors. Slowly things are changing and golf is gently leading the way, but with a sensitive respect for Mother Nature's handiwork. This concern for nature is exemplified at Monte Rei where Nicklaus has captured the natural charm and character of a picture-perfect region.

Occupying over a thousand acres of stunning Algarvean countryside, Monte Rei is an eye-dazzler to behold. There are spectacular mountain views and sea-scapes to take your breath away and a course that will beguile with its handsome good looks, but still demand you prove your worth with golfing skills that extend way beyond the average if approached from the back tees. Fortunately, with a selection of tee boxes, those of more modest abilities can still enjoy an exhilarating though testing round - Monte Rei is anything but a walk in the park.

Measuring 7,200 yards from the tips, this is a big hitters delight, but only if accuracy comes as a part of your attack arsenal. The undulating fairways are generously wide, but five different lakes bring water into play on 11 of the 18 holes and the ingeniously sculpted bunkers are strategically, if not sometimes cunningly placed. There are mature trees to contend with and the immaculately maintained greens are filled with subtle nuances that demand skills with the short stick.

Monte Rei is one for the memory book and a uniquely imaginative design that calls out to be played more than once. Above all perhaps it's the sheer beauty of the course, it's surroundings and the air of totally tranquility it evokes, a situation made all the more enjoyable by the 15 minute intervals between tee times.

For any with an appreciation of fine golf and true style, a few hours wiled away in the impressive clubhouse complete with a top class restaurant, you will only be assured you may have at last found that perfect golf escape. And if you are still hungry for more quality golf, it's waiting just a couple of miles away. Castro Marim Golf Club is another pedigreed layout, this time from the great Seve Ballesteros and just like Jack, this is also Seve's first foray as a course designer into Portugal, so it's only fair to experience both.

But the Spanish border is less than a 15-minute drive away and once you have crossed it, you are in the magical region of Andalucia and the quintessential Spain. Flamenco, bull-fighting, delicious tapas, sherry, orange groves, history -- it's all here, including the heaviest concentration of some of Europe's most famous golf courses, world renowned Valderrama among them.

One of the most impressive of the newer courses is the magnificent, Arcos Gardens Golf Club, a dream layout enjoying superb views across to the ancient town of Arcos de la Frontera, one of the most alluring of Andalucia's fabled Pueblos Blancos, sitting just a couple of miles away.

The layout is uncommonly handsome and despite the tough examination it provides from the back tees, it's a course that never forgets that golf is a game. Scratch golfers and Tour Pros may salivate at thoughts of playing Arcos Gardens' full 7,382 yards from the back tees, but for mere mortals such a monstrous length is to say the least, intimidating. Thankfully, five tee positions conveniently shrink the length to more human proportions.

Setting out over a rolling landscape with wide, forgiving fairways, Arcos offers a gentlemanly introduction, slowly easing into the demands that lie ahead. By the third hole the indoctrination is over, the challenge ratchets up and things become serious.

The fourth is a testing par 5 and a true 3 shot hole with hungry fairway bunkers along the way, eager to snap up any wayward shots. Wind becomes a factor on the fifth and then its onto the glorious 6th, a beauty of a par 3 that will take your breath away. Making par here will be an accomplishment. Closing out the front in style, the par 5 ninth is a true risk/reward hole. A meandering stream wanders back and forth across the fairway and a lake to the right rear and a bunker to the left, protect the green.

And so the test continues as Arcos Gardens flows seamlessly and so naturally, yet this is a course filled with variety and constantly changing challenges. No need here for deep vicious rough instead, the shrewd bunkering and carefully positioned trees present the test of accuracy and club selection. The demands of the back 9 continue to build, coming to a crescendo on the closing sequence, one of the most dramatic to be found in all of Spain.

The signature sixteenth, marks the beginning of this grand finale. Magnificent views attempt to distract the concentration, but this is the time to re-focus and make the most of this fabulous downhill par 5. With a protective lake jealously guarding the green, do you really want to try to make it in two? The seventeenth is a terrific short hole, demanding every last ounce of skill you can muster and the green, filled with subtle slopes and contours, is tricky to read.

Finally the closing hole, pretty to look at but oh so testing -- this one is likely to live in your memory for years to come. It's another risk/reward test and for any fearful of water, the large lake, literally wrapping itself around the green and stretching well into the fairway, will make life no simpler. It's a brilliant ending to an exceptional round of golf.

Whether your choice is Spain, Portugal or perhaps a combination of the two, excellent golf is guaranteed, non-golfing activities are plentiful, the history and culture fascinating, the food and wines superb and the golf season lasts all year long. It would be hard to imagine a more perfect escape.

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©2009 David Brice / Golf International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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