It is traditionally believed that golf was first played in Sitges in 1922, but, in fact, there is no evidence to prove this. Unfortunately, all prior documentation about the club was lost or destroyed during the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), but its early history has been reconstructed thanks to the collaboration of some of the founding members who have provided documentary material and to the local press.

The club was formally founded on 1st January 1927 by a group of enthusiasts, led by Mr. Salvador Casacuberta Vinyals, proprietor of the land, and Mr. Alfonso Macaya Sanmartí, the first President. The site had previously been an air-strip, but, in view of its limited success as such, a golf course appeared as a more viable alternative. Thus, a nine-hole course was constructed, with greens made of sand.  Initially, the Terramar Park Hotel that had been inaugurated in 1919 (located on a site just behind the present Hotel Terramar) served as the club house. Sometime later, a small adjoining building destined as locker rooms was constructed. This building, together with the planting of about one thousand trees and the installation of an irrigation system based on pumps, was financed by Mr. Salvador Casacuberta.

At the end of 1931 work to improve the course was begun, in order to convert it into a course that would “attract more interest and provide one of the best playing surfaces  in the province of Barcelona”. In April 1933, the new Hotel Terramar Palace (the present Hotel Terramar) was inaugurated, having taken almost ten years to construct since work had begun in September 1923. Important personalities attended the inaugural ceremony, including Mr. Carles Pi i Suñer, representing the President of the Catalan Government (Generalitat de Catalunya), Mr. Bonaventura Gasol, Minister of Culture and Mr. Lluís Companys, President of the Catalan Parliament.

From July 1936 until November 1939, club activities were totally suspended due to the Civil War. The club reopened, albeit with fewer members and an arduous reconstruction task ahead. Most of the thousand trees planted originally had disappeared as the land had been used for cereal cultivation during the war. Moreover the Terramar Park Hotel was closed for most of the year, so the little locker room building was turned into a club house (and, in fact, served this function until 1986). At this time a footbridge over the flood river was also built.

In 1946, the course was extended to include an additional area along the shore (comprising what are now holes 4, 18 and the practice ground). The new holes were designed by Mr. Simpson, considered one of the best course architects at that time. Work was completed in 1947 and that same year, it was decided to replace the sand greens with grass. The club house was extended to include locker rooms, hot-water showers and central heating.

In 1951 the first four grass greens were completed and work began on another five, completed the following year. This new project was financed by individual members, who were rewarded with lifetime honorary membership status and a green named after each of them.

In 1952, a new society –“Inmobiliaria Golf Terramar, S.L.”- was constituted and acquired its first plot of land with a view to extending the course. This plot is now the site of the present club-house and putting green. In 1953, another plot on the inland side of the railway line was bought (now the site of holes 5 to with a view to extending the course to 18 holes. In 1954 the Club was transformed into a “Sports Society”. In 1955 the club began to consider the purchase of additional land, the construction of three new holes, a club-house and a swimming-pool.

In 1959 Mr. José Noguer Suñol was awarded Honorary Membership status, in recognition of his gift of 50.000 pesetas for the purchase of new irrigation equipment and in 1960 he was named President. In 1960 the installation of the watering system –a combination of portable pipes and sprinklers- was successfully completed.

In 1965 a solid suspension bridge over the river substituted the former walkway that got washed away every time river floods occurred.

In 1970 a new society –“Instalaciones del Golf de Sitges, S.A.” (“Ingolfisa”)- was set up and work was begun on nine new holes, designed by Mr. F. H. Hawtree, on the inland side of the railway line. In 1973 the 18 hole course was inaugurated and the reclassification of the site as a “Coastal Park and Infrastructure”, made it possible to reactive the project for the construction of a club house, swimming-pool, crèche and tennis courts.

In 1977 work on the new club house began under the direction of four architects: Mr. Claudio Martínez, Mr. Eduardo Pérez-Ullivarri, Mr. Esteban Pomés and Mr. Neil C. Minto, but had to be suspended one year later due to financial difficulties.

In 1980 three sand tennis courts were constructed.

In 1983, the architects Mr. Carlos Costa and Mr. Neil C. Minto were appointed to design the project for the new club-house and swimming pool, which was finally completed in 1986. In 1987 a large number of pine trees were planted on the “new course” (the area “behind” the railway line). In 1991 holes 1, 2, 17 and 18 were lost to construction, the old club house was demolished, and the dovecote –Terramar’s traditional entrance signpost and landmark- was relocated beside the current putting green. In 1992 the holes replacing those lost to construction, known as “the lakes” area and designed by Mr. Manuel Piñero, were inauagurated, thus completing the present course. At the same time, the prestigious designer, Mr. Jim Fazio, remodelled the old greens.

In 1997 the architect Mr. Carlos Costa redesigned the car park and it was resurfaced with tarmac. Since 2003 various additions to the facilities have been undertaken, including a new glass-walled paddle tennis court, a mini-football pitch, a mini-basketball court, three pitch-and-putt holes, a new putting-green and improvements to the driving range.

Between 2008 and 2009, an extension to the club-house was completed, comprising a new buggy garage and golf-bag storage area, a gym, crèche, children and juniors’ quarters, refurbishing and enlargement of the locker rooms, incorporating spa facilities, enlargement of the restaurant and refurbishment of the swimming pools.

Club Presidents

Highlights and anecdotes

• The Spanish Championship was held at Terramar  in 1941 and again in 1943.
• In 1946, due to the scarcity of balls, the Catalan Federation bought a stock from the English firm, Dunlop, with the objective of distributing them among their members on the basis the results of the previous season’s competitions. The price of balls at this time was so exorbitant that caddies’ main task was to avoid their loss. In fact, at Sitges, a local rule allowed balls to be dropped on the other side of the river, rather than play over it.
• An international exhibition match was played in 1950, including renowned players such as: Faulkner and Adams (England), Van Donck (Belgium), Cerdá (Argentine) and Casera and Graspasoni (Italy).
• In 1972, a team made up of members of the club won the 6^th edition of the Gran Premio de Cataluña (Hexagonal): Carlos Llonch Capella, Carlos Noguer Figuerol, Araceli Carroggio Albiol and Francisco García-Munté Freixa.
• In 1986 several competitions were held to celebrate the completion of the new club-house,  including a Pro-Am “Francisco García-Munté Trophy”, with the participation of some of the top professionals of the time, including Manuel Piñero, Joan Anglada, Antonio Garrido, José María Cañizares and Manuel Calero.
• In 1987, club administration moved into the computer era, with the purchase of an IBM S/36 computer (104 mega capacity, 2 screens and a printer).
• 1991 was a year of numerous sporting successes, including winning the XXXIII Spanish Interclub Championship (Felipe García, Juan Manuel Leach, Francisco Valera and Javier Viladomiu) and the XVII European Clubs Cup Trophy (Felipe García, Juan Manuel Leach and Francisco Valera). Francisco Valera won the British Boys Amateur Championship and was runner-up to an American boy called Tiger Woods in the Orange Bowl!
• The new tennis courts were inaugurated in 1980 with an exhibition match between two of the current top players: Andrés Gimeno and José María Gisbert.
• In 1999, there were two candidates for the Presidency for the first time in the club’s history. Mr. José Blasi Rialp won the election.
• In 2002, the club celebrated its 75th anniversary with various events, including a public presentation in the Saló d’Or of the Palau del Maricel in Sitges, a visit by the President of the Generalitat de Catalunya, M.H.Sr. Jordi Pujol, a gala dinner and the publication of a book on the history of the club “75 años de historia del Club de Golf Terramar”.
• During the resurfacing work on the car park in 1997, Mr. George Bush, ex-President of the USA, visited the club, but had to abandon his car quite far away from the club house and make his way through the rubble on foot.
• In 2001 the Tourism Departament of the Generalitat (Catalan Government) awarded the Tourist Diploma of Catalonia to the Club.