Camiral Stadium Course: A Ryder Cup Stage Built for Spectators
Opened with the Ryder Cup in mind, Camiral’s Stadium Course combines a wooded Girona setting with natural spectator banks, water-framed holes and a demanding championship finish. It is now the venue selected for the 2031 Ryder Cup.
The Stadium Course at Camiral was conceived as a championship venue from the outset. Its setting in the Girona countryside brings together woodland, rolling terrain and broad playing corridors, while shaped banks and open viewing areas give the course a scale suited to large events. The design is not simply a scenic resort route; it was planned to test strong players and remain legible to spectators following the competition.
A Girona course shaped for championship golf
The Stadium Course opened in 1999 under the guidance of European Tour figures Neil Coles and Ángel Gallardo. The spacious holes and spectator banking were designed to accommodate large crowds, with the club describing capacity for around 30,000 spectators. Wooded slopes and open corridors create a visual rhythm that is quite different from the links courses of northern Europe.
The course has been lengthened and refined over time. Its current championship layout reaches 7,333 yards, with several key holes strengthened to keep the test relevant to elite competition. Water, bunkering and changes in elevation are used to create risk and reward without making the routing feel artificial.
Water at the green and precision under pressure
The third hole is one of the clearest examples of the Stadium Course’s strategic character. It is a par five that longer hitters may consider reaching in two, but the green sits hard against a lake, making an aggressive second shot a genuine decision rather than an automatic play. The safest target may be the centre of the putting surface, regardless of the flag.
The par-three eleventh is another memorable test. Its significant drop in elevation changes the effective distance, while slopes around the green punish a shot that misses the wrong side. The closing holes continue that demand for judgement: fairway position and approach angle matter, and the final green is framed for the kind of spectator theatre the course was designed to deliver.
From the Spanish Open to the 2031 Ryder Cup
Camiral, formerly known as PGA Catalunya Resort, has hosted the Spanish Open three times and the DP World Tour’s Catalunya Championship in 2022. The Stadium Course has been central to that tournament record, building a reputation as one of Spain’s leading championship layouts.
The Ryder Cup has confirmed Camiral as the host venue for the 2031 contest, bringing the biennial match between Europe and the United States back to Spain for the first time since 1997. The official event dates have not yet been announced. The venue is the host course; ticketing and event operations are handled by the Ryder Cup organisation, not by the resort.
