Real Club de la Puerta de Hierro

Real Club de la Puerta de Hierro (Spanish pronunciation: [reˈal ˈklu ðe la ˈpweɾta ðe ˈʝero]), commonly known as Puerta de Hierro, is a private country club based in Madrid, Spain. It owes its name to the nearby iron memorial arch. Well known for being associated with the royal families of Europe and the long-established elite. American president Gerald Ford called it "the club of kings and the king of clubs". It was established in 1895 as a polo club by a group of prominent noblemen led by the 16th Duke of Alba, with avid support from the then young king of Spain, Alfonso XIII. Along with the Ritz Hotel, it was founded in an effort to overtake the most luxurious venues of London and Paris. In 1904, Harry Colt and Tom Simpson designed in the club what was to become mainland Spain's first golf course, "el de arriba" (the upper). In 1966, Robert Trent Jones Jr. and John Harris designed the second course, "el de abajo" (the lower), while Kyle Phillips was the architect of a third short nine-hole links. The golf courses at Puerta de Hierro have hosted the Spain Open, Madrid Open, the 1970 Eisenhower Trophy, the 1981 Vagliano Trophy and the 2025 St Andrews Trophy, and are considered "one of the finest and most classic courses in continental Europe". Besides golf, the club has a long-recorded history and sections in the fields of equestrianism, polo, tennis, padel and croquet. Puer

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