Set in a private estate of almost a thousand hectares, where the ecosystem has been carefully respected, La Zagaleta really feels like it is in a nature reserve. Zagaleta New Course, the second course on this residential estate, was designed in 2005 by Gaunt & Marnoch, who took care of every detail to create a space where leisure merges with nature in an 18-hole course. To the untrained eye, it is almost impossible to see how a golf course could have been built so successfully into such a landscape.
The wildlife on this part of the estate, where you can spot red and fallow deer and mouflon, and the breathtaking views make it a unique experience. Although Zagaleta New Course was not open to visitors, in 2021 the property and club decided to open the course for three hours a day, only 200 days a year. thanks to this new agreement, the estate has invested a large sum of money in the complete renovation of the clubhouse and its car park and in improvements to the golf course.
The first thing that stands out as you approach is the beauty of its surroundings. A beauty based on a hillside setting that gifts Zagaleta New Course a real range of heights. These changes in elevation mean that from the highest points there are spectacular views looking out not only over most of the holes on the course, but also over a large part of La Zagaleta and its impressive residences.
With a business model based on exclusivity, privacy and low building density, it’s possible to see La Zagaleta as a form of nature reserve. Red and fallow deer and mouflon are just some of the wildlife that visitors will almost certainly come across during their round on Zagaleta New Course.
Zagaleta New Course is a shorter but technically challenging round where accuracy off the tee is essential for a good score. In general, the greens are wide and undulating, the surface is in perfect shape and their normal speed gives a very similar experience to what the professionals are used to on their big tour circuits.
It is a course where you must do a lot of strategic thinking. The difference in score between a good day and a bad day can be considerable, but a player always has at the top of their mind that they could shoot a great round.