El Robledal Golf Course

El Robledal Golf Course sits on 65 hectares of holm oak and gall oak woodland in Villalbilla, near Alcalá de Henares, with several lakes worked into the terrain. Founded in 1975, the course grew from an original nine holes into today's full eighteen, with the additional nine designed by Francisco López-Segalés of Segalés Golf, whose work also appears at Raimat and Guara.

This is a course of genuine contrasts. Several holes run high on elevated tees before dropping into the valley below, and the walk between green and the next tee varies wildly, from a couple of minutes to a genuine trek, a legacy of the course's patchwork growth over the decades. The par-four 1st sets the tone early: short, but its green is ringed by water on nearly every side. Steep changes in elevation on several holes call for real course management rather than raw power, and wildlife sharing the fairways is a regular feature of a round here.

Facilities include a driving range, academy, and locker rooms, set within one of the more naturally striking corners of Madrid's golf scene. This is a course that rewards patience and local knowledge in equal measure — well worth the drive out from the city.