ESP - Barceló Montecastillo
After staying on the Tarifa coastline for a few days, we took the trip north towards Cadiz. We stopped for lunch in Jerez, the original home of Spanish Sherry, and explored the old town and fortress. What an incredible moorish history - buildings, architecture and art.
Luckily (maybe un-) it was a Monday, so we didn’t try any sherry whilst we were there. Instead we drove the final 20 minutes to Barceló Castillo Golf Course, where we checked in for a round on their Jack Nickaus designed course. Our tee-time was 3pm, it was sunny (as was the norm on our Spanish trip), a bit warmer than down south, with a little wind.
Condition
The course, like all the ones we played in Spain, was in "buena condición", though fairways were a bit rough as it was quite dry.
Biodiversity
Lots and lots and lots of birds! The region is known for its bird life, and every few holes has a information sign about the local birds to keep an eye out for. This helped identification, and we were able to see (and hear!) many of the different species on each hole. No doubt the birds loved all the native trees surrounding each hole.
Vistas
Lovely internal vistas with quite a lot of water and birds, only the occasional house on the back nine. Located in a relatively rural area, you could catch the occasional vista of surrounding hills. Behind the hotel there are some abandoned buildings, which slightly detract from the natural feel of the place, but you don’t really catch sight of this on the course.
Avian spectators on the 18th with the clubhouse castle in the background
Organisation
We were warmly welcomed at reception when we checked in (advice: check in at the golf course reception, don't drive further or you go too far to the actual hotel). There is a large bar and outdoor terrace section, buzzying with golfers after their rounds. Had room service (not great) but apparently the restaurant is very good with beautiful views. We did yoga in the lovely garden overlooking the course the next morning next to a swimming pool!
Didn’t try the practice facilities them as we were running late - but could see the driving range on the right of the first tee. The clubhouse is part of the hotel and all its facilities - very unique, looks like a great Spanish orange castle!
Good pace of play, moved along at reasonable pace. As hotel run golf course, very well organized, seems to be a hit amongst English tourists.
Booking was easy and reasonably priced to stay and play. Hotel was elegant and stylish, with a Spanish flair and great artwork.
Challenge
We found the course a delight to play, each hole was different and definitely challenged you to think about how to play it. A lot of water to hit into (and the wind helped!) The course flowed with natural environment abut you did get the feel like there had been a fair amount of earth moving to get it into the shape it was, and the water courses were created with rocks.
One surprise: all the birdies
One birdie: mmm, sooo many!
Biggest challenge: keeping out of the water … think I lost about 4 balls!
Something the course taught you: line up hitting out of flat bunkers, adjust for playing wind,
Favourite hole: 18th as you tee off the cliff down towards the clubhouse, hit over water to get to the green
Some advice: worthwhile staying and playing, there's long distances between holes so buggies are highly recommended.
Overall 74/100: our subjective review on this day.
