Published: 05.11.2024
Today it's all about golf again. This week, the Golfy Cup with 360 participants is taking place in Catalonia. For this reason, it's not very easy to get tee times.
Today we are playing the red course at Golf Club de Costa Brava.
The red course includes the second part of the green course, as well as the nine holes that were opened in 2014 and designed by Jorge Soler Peix. With water throughout the course, the undulating and fast greens challenge the players' short game. We will play 2 sets of nine holes (8 to 16) since maintenance work is being carried out on the green course, and it is not playable.
This doesn’t dampen our spirits; we are looking forward to these 9 holes since we have already played the other 18. We start in dry weather at 10:56 AM with two gentlemen from Germany.
Due to the rain showers in the last few days, the course is very wet and not very easy to play. We play the first holes under a friendly sky.
However, the sky is increasingly becoming darker; the predicted bad weather in Catalonia is on the way. After the catastrophic floods in the Spanish region of Valencia, Catalonia is now facing heavy rainfall. Just before noon, the airport in the regional capital Barcelona is already underwater. We will not be spared. Upon arriving at hole 14, it is pouring rain. We are not impressed; we are well equipped.
Let's stay positive; a round of golf in pouring rain can be a challenging but also impressive experience. At hole 16, our playing partners give up after 9 holes. We decide to tackle the 2nd round; the rain has stopped.
However, the sky is again increasingly covered with dense, dark clouds, and before we could swing the driver at the second hole, the heavens opened, and pouring rain fell down on us.
The course was already very wet and increasingly turned into a slippery challenge. Every shot had to be chosen with care – wet grips required a firm grasp, the ball often rested unpredictably in puddles, and the fairways transformed into small lakes. We decide to shorten the game and skip two holes.
Our previously quite good performance diminished increasingly; however, we showed determination and perseverance in this adverse situation and played the round to the end. At the end of the round, we were a bit wet, but also filled with pride.
Golf is indeed an outdoor sport. Rounds like this are more than just a competitive sport; they are proof that even in pouring rain, passion prevails.
Due to the moist weather, mushrooms are sprouting on the golf course. Many “Parasol” mushrooms, which grow about 30cm high, thrive under the pines.
Catalonia's rich tradition in craftsmanship, including ceramics, can be seen on the tiles in the golf course toilets.