Close your eyes and try to imagine what a golf course on Ibiza would be like. Open them again and you will see the reality is probably not far from your imagination - with green, undulating fairways, shady pine trees, dry-stone walls, bright flowers and typical Ibizan style architecture, Golf Ibiza blends seamlessly into its surroundings.
The club boasts two challenging courses, a nine and an 18 hole, both with picturesque views over Cala Llonga to the sea and the countryside, plus a high quality restaurant, Hoyo 19 (The 19th Hole), the perfect location to unwind for some post-golf dining.
One pack to rule them all
Golf Ibiza offer a comprehensive and very convenient VIP pack to golf lovers who wish to travel light and leave their clubs at home. For €250 two people can play all day, have all their equipment, get the use of a golf cart and enjoy a three-course lunch. It is such great value, we had to check it out.
After a quick warm up on the driving range, the 18-hole course was looking very green and inviting for the beginning of June, considering how little rain the island had experienced this spring. The course can be very tricky and unforgiving off the fairways, so probably isn't best suited for novices. Nevertheless it presents a pleasurable challenge for experienced golfers who will especially love some of the longer holes.
We found the Calloway Warbird clubs that come with the deal to be a great all-round set, with responsive graphite shafts. A hybrid 4 wood - considered to be the essential “get you out of trouble” club for this course, completed each set and lived up to its fame on a couple of occasions. the heavy-headed putter did take a little bit of adjusting to on the immaculately tended, though very fast greens. We recommend therefore a quick round on the practice green to get familiarised before setting off.
Electric dreams
Golf Ibiza is a hilly course so, after years of dragging my golf bag along, it was a true pleasure to finally use an electric golf cart. Also, the digital scorecard, with exact yardages from your current position to the hole, added another modern dimension to the game that really contributed to the fun. It all added up to making our round of golf feel like a deluxe experience.
Back at the clubhouse for a refreshing cold beer, our thoughts turned to lunch. Hoyo 19 restaurant is set in beautiful, peaceful surroundings and anyone can drop in for lunch, whether golfing or not, to sample chef Isabel Ribeiro's delicious Mediterranean cuisine. Outside, under the shade of a dense canopy of leafy trees, the dining terrace is cool, fresh and relaxing and the perfect setting to enjoy lunch, washed down with a few more cold beers.
In the mood for food
Fine ribbons of courgette carpaccio
To give a taste of some of the delights of the Hoyo 19 a-la-carte menu, my hungry golf partner and I tucked in with gusto to a very healthy courgette carpaccio with honey mustard dressing, fennel, pine nuts, sun dried tomatoes, basil and parmesan, and a perfectly-balanced sea bass ceviche, with cubes of mango and perfectly sour leche de tigre.
Our main course was a Chinese-inspired duck breast with sweet potato puree, shaved fennel and hoi sin sauce. With the duck nice and pink inside, the dish was the perfect example of the variety and quality of cuisine available on the Hoyo 19 menu.
In the pink: tender slices of duck
If a full lunch is too much, the restaurant's famous Club Sandwich is huge favourite with members and it is easy to see why. This triple-decker beauty is created with the same finesse as any of the dishes on the menu, with finely chopped chicken, mayonnaise, bacon, egg and melted cheese – the ideal snack after a demanding round of golf.
We finished our excellent lunch with a popular Spanish dessert, Torrijas – a sweet cross between French toast and bread pudding, served with dulce de leche ice cream and a crispy crumb.
Torrija with dulce de leche ice-cream
Overall the VIP experience at Golf Ibiza delivers exactly what it promises - a super round of golf and excellent cuisine, wrapped up in a luxury package. So, next time you're on Ibiza, all you need are some flat shoes and a collared shirt and you are good to go!
