Montealegre Golf Course

Montealegre Golf Course began in 1991, when a group of Ourense golfers tired of travelling elsewhere built a 9-hole course at Caracochas, designed by José A. Núñez Sal and opened in 1993. The club expanded to a full 18 holes in December 2007, this time designed by siblings Ana and Jorge Canal Montes, and now sits about five kilometres from Ourense, framed by green hills on all sides.

The layout runs 18 holes, par 71, across 5,576 metres, and asks a lot physically as well as technically: elevation changes shape the round, greens are defended by two or more bunkers apiece, and streams cross the fairways on the way to a lake that comes into view partway round. Strategy shifts hole to hole — there's no settling into a rhythm here.

Beyond the main course, there's a 9-hole par-3 course, two putting greens, a driving range and a practice bunker to sharpen your short game. The clubhouse has a restaurant, café, changing rooms, a gym and a terrace looking straight down the fairways, plus an outdoor pool for afterward. Book Montealegre through Tee Times if you want a proper physical test in a quiet corner of inland Galicia.