Watching the Solheim Cup matches being played this past week at the Finca Cortesín resort in southern Spain, I could not help but reflect on past golf trips to that nation. The touring was always something to behold, whether wandering the streets of Seville, which is said to have been founded by Hercules and boasts architectural elements from past conquerors as wide-ranging as the Romans and the Moors, or visiting the old silk exchange in the stylish city of Valencia and the cathedral where the chalice reportedly used in the Last Supper, aka the Holy Grail, is displayed.
Another allure is the weather, with minimal rain and lots of sun. And I never tire of the views of the Mediterranean Sea or the sights of the olive and orange groves that fill so many of the fields.
To be fair, I never fell all that hard for the layouts themselves, many of which are routed across hilly terrain and require golfers to hit far too many uphill approach shots. But the joy of just being in that country more than made up for the architectural shortcomings of its tracks. So did the 19th holes at which I tarried with my golf mates.
Spain is famous for its superb food and drink, and that includes what is served in many of its clubhouses. My post-round repasts there invariably started with a glass of wine, maybe a citrusy and well-chilled Albariño from northwest Spain or an earthy Rioja, made from the Tempranillo grape just south of the Basque region. Then came plates of spicy goat cheese called manchego and after that, jamón serrano, a slightly salty Spanish mountain ham made from free-range pigs who feast exclusively on wild acorns.
Watching bartenders carve slices of the ham off on an actual leg that is held onto a wooden stand by a clamp just above the hoof known as a jamonera is as much a treat as the meat itself. And savoring bites of the ham and cheese between sips of wine is as evocative of that lovely Iberian land as, say, a tour of the bullring in Ronda or a visit to the Dali museum in Barcelona.
And the fare is a lot more interesting than the draft beer and bowl of peanuts I find in most 19th holes back home.
John Steinbreder
E-MAIL JOHN
Carlos Castilla, Getty Images