Golf

Weekday golf outings to one of the 22 golf courses within an hour of Barcelona are a good way to exercise and see the Catalonian countryside. Midweek greens fees range from €50 to €85; prices double on weekends. Midweek availability is excellent except during Easter vacation and August. Call ahead to confirm a tee time, and remember to bring proof of your USGA handicap or membership in a golf club or you may have trouble playing.

Club de Golf de Sant Cugat. This hilly 18-hole course, in the upscale Barcelona satellite of Sant Cugat, is one of the oldest—and most challenging—in the area, and the nearest to the city. Laid out by renowned course architect Harry S. Holt, the fairways are relatively short for the most part, but bunkers and water hazards make for tricky play. Former world No. 1 Seve Ballesteros made his professional debut here in 1974. Calle Villa 79, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Catalonia, 08173. 936/743908; www.golfsantcugat.cat. Oct.--May, €90 weekdays, €125 weekends; June, July, and Sept., €70 weekdays, €100 weekends; Aug. €45 every day.

Club de Golf Terramar. This breezy seaside course has fine views of the Mediterranean from the early and final holes (the toughest to play), and lots of water hazards and woods to challenge your game. Essentially flat, it's an easy course to walk; book online 48 hours in advance for a course-savvy caddy to walk it with you. Ctra. del Golf s/n, Sitges, Catalonia, 08870. 938/940580; www.golfterramar.com. Weekdays €85, weekends €140.

Club de Golf Vallromanes. Thirty km (19 miles) north of Barcelona, between Masnou and Granollers, this challenging course designed by H. W. Hawtree in 1971 requires a handicap of 28 or less to play. Players have been known to weep over the fiendish water hazards, woods, and bunkers guarding the short par-3 12th hole. The club is closed Tuesday. Passeig de la Torre Tavernera s/n, Vallromanes, Catalonia, 08188. 935/729064; www.clubdegolfvallromanes.com. Weekdays €60, weekends €75.

Real Club de Golf El Prat. Located roughly between the towns of Terrassa and Sabadell, about 30 km (19 miles) north of Barcelona, Real Club de Golf El Prat is a lovely but extremely difficult course—actually five 9-hole courses that can be combined in different ways—designed by Greg Norman. Long fairways (some 300 yards or more) favor the power hitters, but a range of highly technical holes, through pine forests, call for accuracy, strategy, and a command of all the clubs in your bag. Plans de Bonvilar 17, Terrassa, Catalonia, 08227. 937/281000; www.realclubdegolfelprat.com. Dec.--Feb., Jul., and Aug., €80 (18 holes) and €50 (9 holes); Jun. and Nov., €95 (18 holes) and €60 (9 holes); Mar., late May, and Sept., €105 (18 holes) and €65 (9 holes); Apr.--mid May and Oct., €114 (18 holes) and €70 (9 holes). Weekends and public holidays from 8 am--11:30 am (except Aug.), €228 (18 holes) and €135 (9 holes).

Farther Afield

Club de Golf Costa Brava. Hedged in by forests, this pretty club has five courses, a pink, blue, open, yellow and a green, each 18 holes (choose from the club's three 9-hole layouts). The Open Course is the more difficult; the front nine on Green Course is quite technical, and the back nine opens out to gentler, wider fairways. Urbanizació Golf Costa Brava "La Masía", Santa Cristina d'Aro, Catalonia, 17246. 972/837150; www.golfcostabrava.com. Easter wk. and Oct €114 (18 holes) and €70 (9 holes); Mar., late May and Sept. €105 (18 holes) and €65 (9 holes); Dec.--Feb., Jul., and Aug., €80 (18 holes) and €50 (9 holes). Weekends and public holidays (except Aug.) from 8 am--11:30 am €228 (9 holes).

Golf Platja de Pals. This windswept seaside course, about an hour north of Barcelona, was built over the dunes of a huge pine forest on the Costa Brava, much of it left intact. Designed by British links architect Fred Hawtree, Platja de Pals dates as a regulation 18-hole course to 1966. Fairways are tight until the 13th hole, when vistas open up to the north as far as the Castle of Montgri in nearby Torroella. Carrer del Golf 64, Pals, Catalonia, 17256. 972/667739; www.golfplatjadepals.com. Nov.-- Feb., €89 (18 holes) and €59 (9 holes); Mar.--Jun., Sept., and Oct., €95 (18 holes) and €64 (9 holes); weekends and public holidays Mar.--Oct., €105 (18 holes) and €66 (9 holes).

Golf Peralada. This relatively flat course is notable for its broad fairways and greens, but beware: the back nine—especially the par-3 12th hole, with the green surrounded by bunkers, and the water hazards on the par-4 16th—can test even a scratch player's skills and concentration. Carrer Rocaberti s/n, Peralada, Catalonia, 17491. 972/538287; www.golfperalada.com. Varies by season: from €69 to €90 (18 holes) and €45 to €59 (9 holes).

PGA Catalunya. A mountainous marvel an hour from Barcelona (or 35 minutes by high-speed train), PGA Catalunya is ranked one of Europe's top 10 golfing venues. Even seasoned pros come to grief here on the Stadium Course, beset with bunkers, lakes and uphill greens; the Tour Course is a bit shorter and more forgiving, but water hazards abound. Carretera N–II Km 701, Caldes de Malavella, Catalonia, 17445. 972/472577; www.pgacatalunya.com. €89–€121, depending on season.

TorreMirona Golf & Spa Resort. This 18-hole rolling inland course is in the town of Navata, an hour north of Barcelona, between the medieval fortified town of Besalú and Figueres. The front nine is technically challenging (the green on the par-3 5th hole is entirely surrounded by water); the back nine is easier, with broad fairways and greens and spectacular views of the Pyrenees in the distance. Ctra. N–260 Km 46, Navata, Catalonia, 17744. 972/553737; www.golftorremirona.com. Dec.–Mar., weekdays €86 (18 holes) and €50 (9 holes), weekends and holidays €92 (18 holes) and €54 (9 holes); Apr.–Nov., weekdays €94 (18 holes) and €56 (9 holes), weekends and holidays €101 (18 holes) and €59 (9 holes) .