The announcement that the 2031 Ryder Cup is to be held at the Camiral golf resort in Spain brought me particular delight.
Back in the late 1980s, when I was the consultant golf course architect to the European Tour, I prepared the overall masterplan for Golf de Caldas (which became PGA Catalunya and then Camiral), including its two courses and overall resort development. I co-designed both layouts with signatory designers Neil Coles and Angel Gallardo, who at the time were respectively the chairman and vice chairman of the European Tour.
The main layout, now known as the Stadium course, was initially designed to host the 1997 Ryder Cup, which was to be the first time that the event was to be held in mainland Europe. But a combination of planning and funding issues delayed construction and the event was instead held at Valderrama in Andalucia. However, the quality of the Catalan course, together with its spectator-friendly slopes, was soon recognised and the Stadium course was chosen to host the Spanish Open three times during its early years.
David Williams’ original plan for the 36-hole resort (Image: David Williams)
The Stadium’s sister layout, now known as the Tour course, was constructed in the early 2000s and both were used for over 10 years as venues for the Final Qualifying (Q School) for the European Tour.
Situated near the town of Caldes de Malavella in the Spanish region of Catalonia, 10 miles south of Girona, the resort was known as PGA Golf de Catalunya before being renamed Camiral in 2022.
The site for the course was approximately 250 hectares (620 acres) and very undulating, with many valleys and ridges running through a landscape that was almost totally covered by trees. It had originally been purchased by the Royal Automobile Club of Catalunya (RACC) to construct a new Grand Prix track. But planning issues prevented that development and the track was finally constructed at Montmeló, nearer to Barcelona, where the Spanish Grand Prix continues to this day.
The RACC was very keen to explore alternative – ideally sporting – uses for the land and fortunately Angel, a Barcelona resident, saw the possibilities of a major golf development.
At that same time, the European Tour was exploring the possibility of constructing their own golf courses to hold major tournaments, rather than renting them (at considerable cost) from leading clubs. As consultant golf architect to the European Tour, I was sent, along with tour pro Brian Huggett, to inspect the equivalent courses being built by the PGA of America, then designated as ‘Stadium courses’. They included those at Sawgrass, venue of the unofficial fifth major every year since its construction, and Eagle Trace in Florida.
The Caldas site provided an ideal opportunity to produce an outstanding tournament course. Many of its holes run along valley floors and are separated by high ridges, making them perfect for spectator viewing and providing excellent sites for housing.
Williams on the Catalonia site with the European Tour’s Neil Coles and Angel Gallardo in 1998 (Photo: David Williams)
I am very pleased that the overall effect, on both courses, is of playing along tree-lined avenues, with very few buildings in sight from tees and fairways – unlike many resort golf developments, where you often get the impression that you’re playing golf through a housing estate. I am also very satisfied with the overall routing of the courses: four nine-hole loops, each starting and finishing at the central clubhouse and with only one uphill tee shot – on the sixth of the Stadium course – out of the 36 holes.
The extensive practice facilities – with a full-length driving range and many practice putting and chipping greens – are also centrally located, close to the clubhouse, the first tees of both courses and the resort’s two excellent hotels.
I remember inspecting the site with Angel in the early days, well before construction started. There were over 250 hectares of dense woodland to explore, but in the days before mobile phones, GPS and computer-based drawings, we were armed only with large paper plans. Sometimes the only way to figure out where we were was to stumble through the trees until we came across the track that had been cut through the forest for the Grand Prix course!
The third hole on the Stadium course (Photo: Camiral)
The quality of the courses and overall resort development has been recognised by it receiving many tournaments and awards. The resort has frequently been named among the top five golf resorts in Europe, while the Stadium course was named the third-best course in Europe by Golf Monthly magazine and the second-best course in Spain by Golf World.
I am very much looking forward to the 2031 Ryder Cup being held there – even if it is 34 years later than originally intended!