Club de Golf Vallromanes

Club de Golf Vallromanes was founded in 1972 and sits in the Valles Oriental, 25 minutes north of Barcelona and close to the Maresme coast. The course was designed by F.W. Hawtree, the English architect from one of the most influential families in 20th-century golf course design - his father F.G. Hawtree and son Martin Hawtree together worked on over 700 courses worldwide, including Royal Birkdale and Lahinch. F.W. Hawtree also designed Golf de Pals on the Costa Brava, making Vallromanes and Pals rare examples of Hawtree's work in Catalonia.

The clubhouse is arguably the most historic of any golf club in Catalonia. Torre Tabernera, the mansion that houses the club facilities, was built in 1718 on the site of the former Castell Vell dels Montornes, a medieval castle. The building predates the golf course by over 250 years and gives Vallromanes an atmosphere that modern resort courses cannot replicate.

The 18-hole parkland layout plays through mature pine and holm oak forests with gentle elevation changes and mountain views to the north. Hawtree's routing follows the natural contours of the terrain, with strategic bunkering and well-conditioned greens that reward positional play. At par 72 the course is not particularly long, but the tree-lined corridors demand accuracy off the tee.

Vallromanes hosts the International Mid Amateur Championship and several FCG-sanctioned events throughout the year. The club has a strong junior programme, multiple adult instruction levels, and an active social calendar. It is one of the few traditional members' clubs in the Barcelona area, genuinely functioning as a social hub rather than a resort. Visitors are welcome but the atmosphere is that of a real club, not a hotel amenity.