Real Club Valderrama, Sotogrande, Cádiz, Spain

At a Glance

• Ranked among the top courses in the world, Real Club Valderrama has hosted numerous professional events, including LIV Golf Andalucía in 2023 and 2024, along with the 1997 Ryder Cup – the first time the event had been held in Continental Europe
• Valderrama was originally designed by famed golf architect Robert Trent Jones in 1974. Jones was brought back to work on the course when Jaime Ortiz-Patiño bought the course in the mid-1980s
• Valderrama is widely considered to be the “Augusta of Europe” for its championship pedigree and immaculate maintenance
• The golf club is one of two in Europe to be awarded the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program Certification for its commitment to conserve and restore natural ecosystems
• The course will have four par-4 holes under 400 yards; the longest par 3 is 225 yards, the longest par 4 is 490 yards and the longest par 5 is 564 yards
• The 564-yard par-5 fourth, known as La Cascada, has a pond to the right of a two-tiered green
• The memorable 536-yard par-5 17th provides a natural amphitheater for fans
• Sergio Garcia (2024) and Talor Gooch (2023) have won individual LIV Golf titles at Valderrama, while Fireballs GC (2024) and Torque GC (2023) have team wins
• In 2024, the hardest hole was the par-4 18th with a stroke average of 4.340; the easiest hole was the par-5 11th (4.716)
• The 212-yard par-3 12th was the hardest hole in 2023 and the second-hardest in 2024
• Green types: Bermuda Tifway 419 on fairways and rough; T1 Creeping Bentgrass on greens

About the Course

This is the one they all want to win. The course that breaks hearts and makes greatness, where every single hole is a signature in itself.

Valderrama is known as the ‘Augusta of Europe’ and if you’ve ever strolled beneath its famous cork trees, you’ll understand why. But even if you know Valderrama like the back of your hand, come take a tour with us anyway. Who knows... maybe you'll discover something new along the way.

What happened before we got here?

Valderrama isn’t as old as you might think. In fact, it’s only just turned 50. But boy, has it packed a lot into its first half-century.

The course was built for championship golf, having been designed by the legendary Robert Trent Jones (whose signature course in Virginia also features on this year’s LIV Golf schedule). Then, in 1984, it was taken over by Spanish magnate Jaime Ortiz-Patiño, who called Jones back to southern Spain and asked him to make it even better.

The pro tournaments began to roll in the late 1980s, and then, in 1997, came that Ryder Cup showdown, arguably the greatest of all time. No one who saw that epic duel, either on the course or on TV, will forget the US charge on Sunday, with a young Phil Mickelson in the lineup.

The US couldn’t quite pull off the heist that day, but their heroic comeback set the tone. Valderrama became a place of miracles, a place that brought the best from the best. Just ask our Smash GC star Graeme McDowell, who produced an albatross here in 2007.

But no one, no one, is bound to Valderrama more closely than Sergio García. Our Fireballs GC captain has turned this corner of Andalucía into his own personal kingdom, with four (yep, four!) victories beneath the cork trees. And at LIV Golf Andalucía 2024, he produced arguably his greatest feat yet.

In front of an electric home crowd shouting 'Vamos Sergio!' and waving red and yellow flags, García roared back on Sunday to pip Anirban Lahiri to the individual title in a play-off. And to top things off, his Fireballs claimed the team title, again in a play-off - the first and only time golf has witnessed two tie-breakers on the same day.

How will it play?

As Jon Rahm, who has suffered an agonising string of near-misses at Valderrama says, there’s no luck at Valderrama. This is a course with no gimme holes, and you have to really think your way around the course rather than just bashing the rubber out the ball.

Perhaps that’s why García, a player whose game is built on brains over brawn, has done so well here. Perhaps that’s why Lahiri, one of the smaller guys in LIV Golf, did so well in 2024.

Who will it favor?

Expect García and his Fireballs to feature strongly again, not least because they’ll have the home crowd behind them. But, when it comes to the other big-name Spaniard, fortunes are harder to predict.

Jon Rahm’s journey began at Valderrama (his family used to make an annual pilgrimage to Sotogrande) and he should have the perfect game for this place. He's LIV Golf’s Mr Consistent, the king of birdies, master of making the green in regulation. Whatever the conditions, he finds a way. But at Valderrama, victory has always eluded him. Up to now. 

This year he arrives as the LIV Golf Individual Champion, and he’ll be right in the groove after the three US Majors. Could this be the year he finally beats the Valderrama voodoo? Soon, very soon, we'll know the answer.

What have they said about Valderrama?

“I just love the way the golf course plays. It’s not a long course, but it makes you think on every single tee shot, every single shot into the greens. It’s probably one of the few courses that probably makes you use every single club you have in the bag. We don’t get to see that that often in some of the newer designs. In my personal opinion, that’s what makes a great golf course,” Sergio García.

“One of the many exciting things about joining LIV was being able to play here. It is an iconic golf course that has a lot of history and it would be incredible to join the great list of Spanish champions that have been able to perform well here.” Jon Rahm.

How can I be there?

Whether you want an afternoon of tapas and sangria on Valderrama’s iconic 17th hole, all-day gourmet on the famous 18th, or a grounds pass that lets you roam the course in the paths of the players, we’ve got you. Get your tickets here.