Real Club de Golf El Prat

The former Real Club de Golf El Prat beside Barcelona airport was one of Spain’s defining twentieth-century courses. Designed by Javier Arana and opened in 1955, the site hosted eight Spanish Opens before airport expansion forced the club to relocate. It is distinct from Greg Norman’s present Bonvilar complex.

Founded in Barcelona in 1912, the club moved to El Prat de Llobregat in 1954. Arana’s new course was operating by late 1955 and hosted the Spanish Open the following year. The facility later expanded beyond 18 holes. Airport expansion announced in 1997 led to the move to Bonvilar and a new 45-hole complex.

Arana’s design used diagonal greens, restrained but strategic bunkering and constant changes of direction on the flat coastal site. A later nine by Dave Thomas enlarged the facility. Exact tournament routings varied, so the historical site record should support year-by-year routing review.

The airport course no longer exists and is non-bookable. Spanish Opens from 1956 through 1999 belong to this historical site; the 2011 and 2015 editions belong to the current Bonvilar courses.

Open de España — 1956, 1959, 1963, 1971, 1978, 1981, 1998, 1999 Vainqueurs : Peter Alliss, Peter Thomson, Guy Wolstenholme, Dale Hayes, Brian Barnes, Severiano Ballesteros, Thomas Bjørn, Jarmo Sandelin.