Real Club de Golf La Peñaza

Real Club de Golf La Peñaza is in Zaragoza, in the Spanish region of Aragón. Its 18-hole, par-72 course brings a striking patch of green to an otherwise arid setting. Alongside the course, the club has a golf academy, practice facilities, a clubhouse restaurant and a club shop, as well as a croquet ground.

The course and its origins

The club's history dates back to 1969, and the course opened in April 1973. Designer F. W. Hawtree used the existing topography to route the fairways through the natural hollows, keeping earthmoving to a minimum. The layout is therefore closely tied to the shape of the land, an important part of its identity alongside the contrast with the surrounding landscape.

La Peñaza is described as a course of moderate difficulty, but accuracy is a significant part of its character. In 1999, the greens were remodelled by José María Olazábal's Integral Golf Design. That work gave the course a more technical emphasis, rewarding precision.

For a visiting golfer, those two aspects provide a useful picture of the round: an overall level of moderate difficulty, with a technical element strengthened by the later work on the greens. Hawtree's routing and the subsequent remodelling are both part of the course played today.

Practice facilities and academy

The practice areas comprise a driving range, putting green and chipping green. Together, they provide space to work on long shots, putting and the short game, separately from the 18-hole round. The club also has a golf academy as part of its facilities.

These practice areas are worth noting when considering what the club offers beyond the course itself: the range and the two dedicated greens cover distinct parts of the game.

Food and other facilities

The restaurant is in the clubhouse. It offers quick, attentive service, with broad kitchen hours geared towards golfers and club activities. This makes its approach to dining part of the club's provision for players, rather than separate from the golfing day.

A club shop completes the golf-related services listed at La Peñaza. There is also a croquet ground, adding another sporting facility to the course, academy and practice areas. The clubhouse and restaurant round out the facilities available alongside the golf.