First phase of renovation headlined by one of Europe’s finest closing holes
INFINITUM, the 45-hole resort and real estate development on Spain’s Costa Dorada, has reopened its Hills course at the halfway point of an ambitious refurbishment.
The course’s back nine had been under renovations since January, led by Dave Sampson of European Golf Design, and welcomed back guests on September 22 ahead of DP World Tour Qualifying School Final Stage in November.
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At the heart of this year’s changes is a complete overhaul of the 18th hole, which has become one of the most dramatic in Europe thanks to the introduction of an ‘island green’-style finale. The par-four hole already has one of the DP World Tour’s most recognisable backdrops thanks to its position in a natural quarry and now players will be forced to manoeuvre their ball over water if they want the perfect end to a thrilling round.
Three other key holes have particularly benefitted from the closure: the par-three tenth hole has been lengthened by new tee positions and seen a new green complex added, while the 15th (where a new water feature has created an additional challenge) and 16th holes have had their playing directions reversed in a move geared towards improving the player experience.
Bunkering has been a key focus throughout the renovations, with Zoysia grass implemented around each hazard to cut down on water and chemical consumption; the number of bunkers itself has also been reduced by up to 30 per cent, especially on the formerly sand-heavy 12th hole.
Course conditioning and presentation has also been drastically improved throughout the back nine – including the switch to drought-resistant Bermuda 419 grass - with similar enhancements set to be made on the first half of the course when it receives its own overhaul from December 2025 to September 2026. During that period, the newly reopened back nine of the Hills will be playable as a composite course with Greg Norman’s acclaimed nine-hole, the Ruins.
The details
The first to competitively play the new-look 18th hole – as well as the rest of the Hills’ reinvigorated back nine – will be the 156 hopefuls battling it out at Q-School from November 7-12. With success and failure in that event famously determined by such narrow margins, the 18th’s new island green is already expected to take the competition’s drama to new heights.
Joaquín Mora Bertrán, Deputy General Manager at INFINITUM, said: “At its core, this renovation is about cementing the Hills as one of Europe’s best courses, as well as bringing it up to the standard the Lakes course reached when it underwent a renovation of its own recently.
“Of course, we still have about a year to wait before we can experience the fully renovated course in all its glory, but based on the incredible work done on the back nine we are very much looking forward to seeing the finished product later in 2026. The new 18th hole in particular is simply one of the best closing holes in Europe and I can’t wait to see how the players at Qualifying School tackle it.”
The Hills course renovation follows a major 2024 upgrade to the neighbouring Lakes course, which was also designed by Norman and opened alongside the Hills and Ruins in 2008. The Scandinavia-based ECCO Tour has recently become a fixture of the resort’s events calendar in addition to regular hosting duties for the DP World Tour’s end-of-season showpiece.
Outside of golf, INFINITUM is well known for its award-winning Beach Club and portfolio of high-end real estate.