Real Golf Club de Zarauz

Overview: Real Golf Club de Zarauz is a nine-hole links course on the beach at Zarautz, overlooking the Cantabrian Sea. The compact par-68 layout is played twice, with the official Spanish Golf Federation scorecard listing 3,224 metres for the two loops, approximately 3,525 yards. Sandy coastal ground, exposed wind and the absence of conventional water hazards apart from the sea give the course a character unlike a typical inland parkland. José María Olazábal was responsible for a partial redesign, while most of the historic routing remains rooted in the same dunes and beachside setting.

History: The club was founded and officially inaugurated in 1916, with Alfonso XIII and Queen Maria Cristina present for the opening. The club describes Zarauz as the oldest Spanish course still playing on its original site, and its history reflects the early popularity of seaside golf among Madrid's summer society. Later work has adjusted parts of the course without replacing its basic links identity. The 2016 centenary account records Olazábal's role in redesigning part of the routing, allowing the old course to continue adapting to coastal pressures.

Did You Know? Basque tourism describes Zarauz as the only golf course in Spain built entirely on sand. The sea is the only conventional water hazard, so wind and the changing firmness of the ground carry unusual strategic weight. Playing the same holes again does not make the second loop repetitive: the direction of the breeze can change the correct line and the safe side of every green.