One of the flagships of the Spanish golf courses is the Stadium Course at the PGA Catalunya Resort near the charming town of Girona. I had the Stadium Course for a long time on my bucket list and was therefore super happy about the possibility to play my ball right into the rough on the first tee shot.

To put it straight away, the course is an absolute must for every golfer!

Built in 1987 as a Ryder Cup golf course, the Stadium Course demands real golfing skills and you are challenged with each hole. The greens are heavily undulated, defended by deep and difficult bunkers, fast and of course on European Tour level. And so, a lot of my birdie possibilities with a one meter putt, died annoyingly. But it could also be due to my occasional “green reading dyslexia”.

So this course is the right thing for everyone who really wants to know it. The old tree population, beautifully integrated into the architecture of the course, really comes into play at every hole. Small doglegs left or right or tapering fairways in the landing zone don’t make it easy for the long hitter, so you better stay on the fairway.

Generally it’s more than difficult if you don’t score the really smooth and nice undulating fairways.

The thick rough is merciless and eats every ball. Personally, I had a bad start and the first holes were really a disaster but I fell in love with the many elevated tees of the Stadium Course. But as already said, straight or dead.

In between I rediscovered my “golfer mojo” again and played several pars with birdie chances. Particularly sexy for me was No. 13 the signature hole of the PGA Catalunya Stadium Course. From the tee you have an excellent view over the whole area up to the Pyrenees. A really epic tee shot from up there. Despite of all the beauty, you should play the hole with a plan.

The green is a kind of island green and too short or too long doesn’t work here. A very impressive hole for me was No. 18 where I ruined my score because of my miserable short game and the really nasty rough.

Next to No. 18 is the clubhouse which has an excellent kitchen. My Goodsundays.com recommendation is the Angus burger and the beetroot salad with tuna. Visually beautiful is the fact, that the many villas built on the fairways of the PGA Catalunya Resort hardly came into play optically.

All in all, I have to quote a colleague: “The Stadium Course has many unique holes to remember” and it’s an absolute must, really recommended and fits perfectly to the overall picture of the PGA Catalunya Resort.