Real Club La Moraleja (Course 1)

Overview: Course 1 at Real Club La Moraleja is an 18-hole parkland layout in Alcobendas and the first Jack Nicklaus design in Europe. It is a relatively compact but demanding course, built around narrow tree-lined corridors, small quick greens and a strategic network of lakes and out-of-bounds boundaries. The official club describes only one hole as free of out-of-bounds influence, which gives the routing a precise, target-oriented character. Rather than rewarding a single style of play, the course asks for a controlled tee shot, a clear understanding of the next angle and a confident short game. The setting has matured into a calm, wooded environment, but the original design remains technical and direct. Small changes in position can alter the safest side of a fairway or the amount of green available for the approach.

History: The club acquired the land for Course 1 in 1974, and the course was built during 1974 and 1975 under Jack Nicklaus's design and direction. Golf began on the new layout in November 1975, before the clubhouse was finished. The official opening took place in June 1976 with a competition involving Nicklaus, Valentín Barrios, Sam Snead and Tom Weiskopf. Course 1 established the club's original identity and became the foundation for the later Course 2, followed much later by Courses 3 and 4. Its history is therefore closely tied to the arrival of Nicklaus design in Europe.

Did You Know? The club's official description says that only one of the eighteen holes has no out-of-bounds area influencing play. That unusual statistic captures the character of Course 1 better than a generic label: the course is not defined only by trees and lakes, but by how precisely the player must manage the edges of every hole.