Meaztegi (pronounced May-f-tegi) Golf Club is a 27-hole municipal complex owned and run by the local Bizkaia principality (Council). It feels and plays more like an American resort course and is set amongst the rolling countryside that is a feature of this part of Spain. It is so good that we believe it would be right up there with the very best public courses in Europe. Yes, we know that’s a big statement and hopefully, we can back it up in this article.
It is located about 30 minutes northwest of Bilbao and is part of the “Land of Legends” area in Costa Verde Golf’s portfolio. The course was designed by Masters and Open Champion Severiano Ballesteros and is less than 20 years old, officially opening in 2006.
The Championship Course
View over the course from the 2nd green
Meaztegi’s championship course is a par 72. There are four sets of tees to choose from, the shortest being 5895 yards and the longest being 6880 yards. We chose to play mainly from the yellow tees at 6670 yards but on a couple of holes, played from the whites. Meaztegi will test every facet of your golf game, and we would recommend playing from the tees that give you the best opportunity to enjoy your round.
When it came to picking our favourite holes on the front nine for this article, we had a really difficult decision to make. We honestly could have selected eight of the front nine, the holes are that good. But in the end, we have chosen three of the first four, leaving out the third, which is the cracking par 3 you see in the photo below.
The 3rd hole
What a Start!
The Opening Hole
The first hole is a strong par 4 of 435 yards. Although the tee is elevated, once you are on the fairway, the hole plays slightly uphill. The fairway is undulating so you can easily have a downhill lie when the shot you are facing is uphill. Your second shot will probably be upwards of 180 yards to a green protected by a large bunker short and right. If you can feed your ball in from the left that will give you the best chance of making an opening par, although making a bogey is not a disaster.
The 2nd hole
Hole number 2 is a 510-yard par 5 which again plays slightly uphill. There are bunkers both left and right in the landing area for your tee shot. The second shot is all carry to the green. For us, this was a three-shot hole. After a decent drive, we had just over 260 yards to the green. The layup isn’t straightforward as the is a bunker across the fairway about 75 yards short of the putting surface. You can either lay up short of that or try and carry it. The lie you have will make that decision for you. If you manage a par here you should feel pleased with yourself. It’s a lovely-looking but challenging hole.
Avoid the Sand
The 4th hole
The fourth hole is our final choice for the front nine although as we said earlier, we could have chosen any of the others. It’s another challenging par 4 of 422 yards. The tee shot is uphill and it’s a dogleg from right to left. You have to avoid the bunkers up the left side if you have any hope of making a par. The second shot is also uphill so take enough club to get you at least to the centre of the green. As you can see it’s a long green so somewhere around the middle will not leave you too long a putt.
On the front nine, only the 6th hole has water on it. That all changes on the back nine where six of the last seven holes have water hazards!
The Back Nine
Again, choosing our favourites on the back nine was difficult. We have chosen to feature the 10th, the 12th and the 18th holes. Two of these holes are par 5’s, with the 12th hole being the signature hole, the hardest hole and a card wrecker all rolled into one difficult hole.
The 10th hole
At 187 yards from the yellow tees, the 10th is challenging par 3. The green is wide but narrow so picking the right club is a challenge. It is all carry to the green as there is a false front to the left of the bunker. If the pin is over the bunker on the right, we advise you to play left as going right of the green is not an option. This is a cracking par 3. Make a par and you are off and running on your back nine.
The Signature Hole from Hell..
The 12th hole is one of THE most difficult holes we have ever played. The hole is shaped like a hook, with a water hazard in the round bit at the top. We played this hole from the yellow tees, at 535 yards. Even from these tees, this hole is a challenge.
The line off both tees is down the left as the fairway slopes from left to right. Any tee shot that goes down the right side of the fairway has a good chance of kicking further right into the bushes. The flaw or genius (you choose) of this hole is there is a tree in the centre of the fairway which can block out your second shot to where the fairway is further down the hole. If you are blocked out you have a choice, either take on the carry to the green or you have to face the possibility of playing around or under the tree and taking four shots to get to the putting surface.
The video above explains the choices you face
Now, we know that you will want to see how we played this hole. First of all, you should note that there were 5 months between the video above when the weather was great and the one below when the weather was not. This made the hole play even longer than the yardage.
Can we make par? Watch the video above to find out
Note: we had no choice on our second shot as we were too close to the tree in the fairway to play over it and would have been further away from the green if we played left and under it. We said the design was flawed or genius, what do you think?
The Closing Hole
The uphill approach to the 18th green
As closing holes go, the 18th at Meaztegi is a long one. At 558 yards from the yellows, it’s a long par 5 especially as the second half of the hole is uphill. For us, it will take three good shots to reach the green, especially as you can’t cut the corner due to the water hazard on the right-hand side. Play it conservatively, as a three-shot hole and maybe, just maybe you will have a short putt for birdie.
In Our Opinion
We think that Meaztegi is one of Seve Ballesteros’s best-designed courses. There are so many great holes on this course. With the possible exception of the 8th, an uphill par 3 where you can’t see the green, and the 13th, a short claustrophobic par 3, the other 16 holes are superb.
Rumour has it that Meaztegi is on the shortlist for the Ryder Cup in 2031 when it returns to Spain. We can see why although significant investment in the infrastructure would be required. We are led to believe that money is available if Meaztegi is selected. The issue is that the other course on the shortlist is PGA Catalunya, now known as Camiral Golf and Wellness, which has already been established as a tour venue.
Thank you to Carlos Roca, General Manager at Meaztegi for courtesy of the course. Also thank you to Tony Fuller Melia and the team at Costa Verde Golf for transporting us around the clubs in their portfolio. If you want to learn more about golf in this region, email [email protected] for all the info.
Next week’s article will feature Nestares Golf Course, another excellent municipal course in the Cantabrian Mountains.
At a Glance:
- 18-hole championship course
- 9-hole short course
- Driving range and practice putting green
- Lovely clubhouse with great views of the first and eighteenth holes
- Excellent food, locally sourced
- 30 minutes from Bilbao, one hour from Santander
- Go to the Meaztegi website by clicking here
- For more info on Costa Verde Golf, click here