La Moraleja Golf Course IV

La Moraleja IV Golf Course shares its Algete home and clubhouse with La Moraleja III, both opened in 2013 as Real Club La Moraleja expanded beyond its original Alcobendas site. Where its sibling plays as a polished parkland test, Nicklaus Design took IV in a more rustic direction, routing tees through native fescue grasses and shrubs that twist like a ribbon across the terrain. As with the rest of the club, advance booking is essential rather than a formality.

This is a shorter, more thoughtful course than III, built to reward creativity over raw power. Three lakes and sixty-three bunkers are placed to make you think through each shot rather than simply reach for more club, and the linksy, rolling fairways and greens give it a different character to anything else in Nicklaus's Madrid portfolio. Islands of vegetation and gentle mounding break up the sightlines hole to hole, and multiple tee options let the same layout play very differently from one round to the next.

Facilities include a driving range, academy, and locker rooms, shared with La Moraleja III next door. This is a genuine chance to play a second private Nicklaus design in the same visit — book ahead and pair it with III for a proper look at what Algete offers.