Isla de la Toja
O Grove, Spain
Real Club de Golf La Toja — also known as Clube de Golf A Toxa — is a nine-hole course occupying approximately 25 hectares on the northern part of the Illa de Toxa, a small island connected to the town of O Grove by a bridge in the Ría de Arousa estuary, in the province of Pontevedra, Galicia. The club was founded in 1968, with the current course layout designed in 1976 by Ramón Espinosa García-Bermúdez. The course plays to a par of 36 over just under 3,000 metres, and two sets of tees are provided on every hole to allow an 18-hole round to be completed. The course rating is 71.9 and the slope is 137, figures that reflect a considerably greater challenge than the course's modest length might suggest.
The layout was constructed with minimal earthmoving, following the natural topography of the island closely and respecting its original contours. Five of the nine holes run directly alongside the waters of the Ría de Arousa, where the tidal estuary itself functions as a water hazard; depending on the state of the tide, players may face shots over open water or over exposed shoreline. The course is heavily wooded in parts, with stands of mature pine framing several fairways and adding to the sense of enclosure. The signature feature is the green at Punta Cabreira, a promontory setting that places the putting surface jutting into the estuary with water on multiple sides. The course was reportedly ranked by Golf Digest in the 1980s as the most beautiful nine-hole course in the world, a description that has since become closely associated with its reputation.
The island of A Toxa itself is one of the most well-known leisure destinations in Galicia, historically valued for its thermal mud and medicinal waters since the 19th century, and home to luxury hotels, a casino, spa facilities, and a chapel famously covered in scallop shells. The golf course sits within this context as part of a broader resort island, accessible year-round to visitors with a valid handicap certificate up to a limit of 28 for men and 36 for women.
