La Moraleja Golf Course I

La Moraleja I Golf Course holds a claim few courses can match: it was the first course Jack Nicklaus ever designed in Europe, opened in the mid-1970s at what's now Real Club La Moraleja in Alcobendas, just outside Madrid. The club marked the occasion with an exhibition featuring Nicklaus himself alongside Sam Snead and Tom Weiskopf, and the course has carried that pedigree ever since. As with the rest of the club, advance booking is essential.

This is golf reduced to its essentials: narrow fairways, small and fast greens, and lakes bordering all but one hole, demanding accuracy over power from the first tee to the last. The par-five 18th sums up the challenge, out of bounds tight on both sides and a lake guarding the green for anyone tempted to go for it in two. It's also a course with history attached — Bing Crosby played his final round here in October 1977, collapsing near the clubhouse shortly after finishing.

Facilities include a driving range, academy, and locker rooms, all built around a club that has hosted major professional events over five decades. This is a rare chance to play the course where Nicklaus's European design career began — book ahead and take it on.