Ryder Cup 2031 Heads to Spain: Camiral Golf Resort
All Square 4min read •
2 Sep
For the first time since Seve Ballesteros captained Europe to glory at Valderrama in 1997, the Ryder Cup is coming back to Spain — this time to the Costa Brava. Ryder Cup Europe confirmed that Camiral Golf & Wellness (formerly PGA Catalunya) near Girona, just north of Barcelona, will host the 2031 edition of golf’s most compelling team event. It’s a landmark moment for Spanish golf and for a resort that has been quietly building a world-class résumé for more than two decades.
Why Camiral — and why now
Camiral’s selection is the culmination of years of investment and a tournament pedigree that belies its resort setting. The property features two acclaimed layouts — the Stadium Course and the Tour Course — but it’s the Stadium that has long screamed “Ryder Cup.” Conceived with big-event sightlines and amphitheatre mounding, it has staged the Open de España three times (2000, 2009, 2014), the Gene Sarazen World Open in 1999, and most recently the DP World Tour’s Catalunya Championship in 2022. It also hosted the European Tour’s Final Stage Qualifying School from 2008 to 2016. Those reps matter when you’re preparing for a global broadcast and the cauldron of match play.
The announcement also fits the Ryder Cup’s current cadence: after Bethpage Black (2025), Adare Manor (2027), and Hazeltine National (2029), Europe returns in 2031 to a venue with both star power and logistical muscle — proximity to Barcelona’s international gateway, and a region accustomed to hosting major sport.
A course built for theater
The Stadium Course’s identity has always mixed beauty with bite: pine-lined corridors that tighten at driving zones, elevated greens with demanding surrounds, and water features that force decisions — perfect for match play, where momentum swings on one swing. Designers Ángel Gallardo and Neil Coles envisioned a championship stage from day one, and the resort has continually refined it, including a seven-figure upgrade ahead of its 2022 DP World Tour return. Expect drivable par 4 temptation, risk-reward par 5s, and a closing stretch that can flip a session in minutes.
Spain’s Ryder Cup legacy, renewed
Spain becomes the first continental European country to host the Ryder Cup twice, a nod to its outsized influence on the modern European team — from Ballesteros and Olazábal to the current generation. The Camiral staging is widely seen as both a celebration of that legacy and a catalyst for the game’s growth across Iberia. Local organisers and Ryder Cup Europe have highlighted the anticipated tourism and economic impact for Girona, Costa Brava, and Barcelona.
What we know (and what’s next)
Ryder Cup Europe has confirmed Camiral as host; specific event dates will be announced in due course. In the run-up, the DP World Tour will deepen the venue’s familiarity with fans by bringing high-profile competition back to the Stadium Course through the Estrella Damm Catalunya Championship in selected seasons, ensuring the agronomy, infrastructure, and routing are battle-tested ahead of 2031.
Setting the scene: where golf meets the Costa Brava
Camiral sits in Caldes de Malavella, wrapped in Mediterranean forest and threaded by the ancient “Camí Ral” (the “Royal Way”) — the Roman route that inspired the resort’s name after its 2022 rebrand. With Barcelona an easy drive and Girona even closer, visiting supporters will find a blend of coastal coves, Catalan cuisine, and medieval towns that turn a three-day match into a weeklong pilgrimage.
The fan experience
Match play thrives on vantage points, and Camiral’s amphitheater shaping should produce natural viewing pockets around pivotal holes. The resort’s 36-hole footprint and modern practice hub — replete with advanced tech — also help accommodate the scale of a Ryder Cup build, from corporate hospitality to fan villages. Expect a course setup that invites aggression in fourballs and precision in foursomes, with the Stadium’s water-guarded greens and contouring rewarding the bold — and punishing the careless.
Spain’s second Ryder Cup: the story to watch
Beyond shot-by-shot drama, 2031 will be a narrative of home-soil pride. The last Spanish staging ended with Europe hoisting the trophy at Valderrama; a generation later, Camiral offers a new chapter for a country that helped forge Europe’s modern Ryder Cup identity. Whether you’re travelling from Barcelona or following from afar, circle 2031 — the Costa Brava’s pine-scented fairways are about to echo with the loudest chants in golf.
