The Costa Brava squeezes Spain's top-ranked course into a short run of pine forest and coastline north of Barcelona. Camiral's Stadium Course (the old PGA Catalunya) heads nearly every national ranking, and it shares the region with the country's oldest seaside layout, a pair of Robert von Hagge
This guide ranks the courses that matter, sets out where to base yourself across Girona, Pals and Platja d’Aro, and explains when the weather is on your side. For the full picture of resorts, transfers and hand-built options priced around your dates, start with our Costa Brava golf holidays hub.
The best Costa Brava golf courses at a glance
| Course | Designer | Par | Notable for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camiral Stadium (PGA Catalunya) | Angel Gallardo & Neil Coles MBE | 72 | Ranked Spain’s No.1; semi-island greens carved from large lakes; over 6,500 m off the tips |
| Camiral Tour Course | Neil Coles MBE & Angel Gallardo | 73 | Wider, more forgiving sister to the Stadium; strategic bunkering and water |
| Empordà Links | Robert von Hagge | 71 | Open links feel; dune-like mounding, heavy bunkering, large fast greens; 6,304 m |
| Empordà Forest | Robert von Hagge | 72 | Sheltered, technical companion winding through Mediterranean pine |
| Golf Platja de Pals | F. W. Hawtree | 73 | Oldest course on the Costa Brava (1966); umbrella-pine forest near the sea |
| Club de Golf d’Aro Mas Nou | Ramon Espinosa | 72 | Only Costa Brava course with sea views; 300 m above the Med, ~6,793 yards |
| Peralada | Jordi Soler Peix | 71 | ~6,070 m Empordà setting; hosted European and Challenge Tour qualifying |
Golf Girona, a Fred Hawtree parkland from 1992, rounds out the cluster a few miles from the city centre. Hawtree rated it among his best work for its old-fashioned, isolated feel. One steer from us: if your handicap is in single figures, put the Empordà Links ahead of Platja de Pals on the card. The von Hagge mounding and quick greens ask harder questions, and the open ground gives the wind something to work with.
Camiral and the Stadium Course: the one you plan around
“PGA Catalunya retained top spot as Spain’s No.1 ranked golf resort and placed in the Golf World Top 100 Resorts of Continental Europe.” Golf Business News, 27 October 2022
The pedigree is real. The Stadium has staged the Spanish Open on multiple occasions and the 1999 Sarazen World Open, and for years it hosted the Final Stage of European Tour Qualifying School. The gentler Tour Course (par 73, opened 2005) shares the same designers but gives you wider fairways, which is what makes the resort work for a group of mixed handicaps. The obvious base is the five-star Camiral Hotel, from
Where our specialists would stay in Costa Brava
Where to base yourself
| Base | Best for | Nearest marquee courses | Transfer from Girona Airport |
|---|---|---|---|
| Girona / Camiral | Championship golf, short transfers, city dining | Camiral Stadium & Tour, Golf Girona | ~15 min (Camiral) |
| Pals / Begur | Coast, classic pine-forest golf | Golf Platja de Pals, Empordà | ~30-40 min |
| Platja d’Aro | Sea views, beach-side resort feel | Club de Golf d’Aro Mas Nou | ~30 min |
| Barcelona | City break, flight frequency, southern resorts | Day trips north to the cluster | BCN base; ~1h 15m drive to Girona |
If the group is torn, base in Girona or at Camiral itself rather than Barcelona. A city base sounds appealing until you have done the hour-and-a-quarter drive north before an 8am tee time twice. In Girona, the Ciutat de Girona Hotel, from
Best time to play
Girona’s monthly highs run from about 13-14C in January, through 17C in March and 20-23C in May, peaking at 28-31C in July and August before easing back through 25-27C in September, 21-22C in October and 16-17C in November. July and August are the months to be careful with. Book early-morning or late-afternoon tee times in high summer and leave the middle of the day for the pool.
One honest warning. October is the wettest month, averaging roughly 82-95mm of rain, so an autumn trip trades comfortable temperatures for the highest chance of a wet round. July is the driest month at about 38mm, though it brings the peak heat with it. Winter (December to February) stays mild and playable at around 13-14C and is the quietest, cheapest season, but it is also when the Tramuntana, the cold dry wind off the Pyrenees, blows hardest and can last for days. April is the windiest month overall, worth knowing if the exposed Empordà Links is on your card.
Getting there
Golf Planet Holidays is a ground-only operator. Your package covers hotel and green fees, hand-built around your dates, and flights are an optional ATOL-protected add-on rather than part of the price. From Girona Airport, typical resort transfers are short: about 25 minutes to Lloret de Mar, 35 to Tossa de Mar and around 40 to Palamós. From Barcelona, the southern resorts are roughly 1 to 1.5 hours by road.
A few practicalities. Spain runs one hour ahead of the UK all year, uses the euro, and UK passport holders travel visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180. Your passport must be less than 10 years old on arrival and valid for at least 3 months after you leave. From late 2026 UK travellers will also need an ETIAS travel authorisation, a visa waiver rather than a visa.
Who it suits
Low handicaps come for Spain’s No.1 course. Mixed-ability groups pair the Stadium with the forgiving Tour Course from a base at the Camiral Hotel, while couples and four-balls get coast, dining and short transfers in a single week, with the Hotel Terraverda a strong-value way in at
Where to stay on the Costa Brava
What our golfers say
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What a golf break here costs by month, Spain
| 0.82 | 0.86 | 0.96 | 1.01 | 1.01 | 1.00 | 1.12 | 1.20 | 1.07 | 1.00 | 0.90 | 0.81 |
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
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Frequently asked questions
What is the best golf course on the Costa Brava?
Camiral’s Stadium Course (formerly PGA Catalunya) is widely ranked the No.1 course in Spain. Designed by Angel Gallardo and Neil Coles MBE and opened at the end of 1998, it plays to par 72 at over 6,500 metres and has hosted the Spanish Open and European Tour Qualifying School Final Stage.
How many golf courses are there on the Costa Brava?
Official tourism lists around eleven courses, while most operators focus on seven core 18-hole layouts: Camiral’s Stadium and Tour Courses, Empordà’s Links and Forest, Golf Platja de Pals, Club de Golf d’Aro Mas Nou and Peralada, plus Golf Girona and several pitch-and-putt sites.
Which Costa Brava golf course has sea views?
Club de Golf d’Aro Mas Nou at Platja d’Aro is the only Costa Brava course with sea views. Designed by Ramon Espinosa and opened in 1990, it plays to par 72 over roughly 6,793 yards, sitting more than 300 metres above sea level overlooking the Mediterranean and the Gavarres hills.
What is the oldest golf course on the Costa Brava?
Golf Platja de Pals, designed by British architect F. W. Hawtree and built in 1966, is the oldest course on the Costa Brava. It is a par-73 layout routed through umbrella-pine forest near the sea on the Pals coast.
Should I fly to Girona or Barcelona for Costa Brava golf?
Girona-Costa Brava Airport is closest and cuts the transfer to most golf hotels, with direct London flights of about 2 hours. Barcelona-El Prat is a similar 2-hour flight with far more frequent UK services and suits the southern resorts. With Golf Planet Holidays flights are an optional ATOL-protected add-on, never included in the ground package.
Come and play with us
Wherever you're travelling from, you're welcome on a Golf Planet hosted tour — a small group, a host with you from the first tee to the last, and every round, transfer and dinner taken care of. You just bring the clubs.
