La Peñaza Golf Course

Mónia Bernardo 2012-04-22
Penãza Golf Course

Penãza Golf club is located about 20 minutes drive from Zaragoza city centre and is the home club of Raquel Carriedo, Spain's professional female golfer.

Peñaza is a Par-72 course of moderate difficulty. I would say one of the biggest challenges one faces when playing there is the strong wind, which apparently blows 350 out of 365 days in the year. It is somewhat hilly, with quite narrow fairways and although it is not a long course it does require quite a good game strategy on your part, meaning the ball has to be correctly placed in order for you to get the right shots onto the green. The most challenging hole is, unquestionably, the 17th, which is a slightly uphill Par-4 and Peñaza's longest, made more difficult by the fact that is almost often hit with a strong wind from the left.
So as to even things out, you will find two Par-5 holes (5th and 16th) where you will easily reach the green with 2 shots with the added bonus that you will almost always find the wind blowing in your favour here. The greens are in extremely good condition and it is quite the aesthetically pleasant course.

If you plan to play at Peñaza, a good place to stay in is the 4 star Diagonal Plaza Hotel, only 10 minutes away from the golf course, 10km from the centre of Zaragoza and 8 km from major transportation facilities such as the bus terminal and the AVE (highspeed train) station, not to mention the airport only 2 km away.

With regards to restaurants, please make sure to try the Palomeque Restaurant in the centre of Zaragoza. It is one of the city's best and well-known for its excellent food, namely the wonderful Tapas. If you can, don't miss the opportunity to try this great restaurant. You may also want to look into all the more informal tapas bars in the old town, for a more relaxed night out with the party you are with.