Golf
Spain likes its golf. Participation grows rapidly, as does
the number of courses, helped in large part by the
British expats’ love of a round or two. For the spectator
too, Spain has a pleasing golfing pedigree. Severiano
Ballesteros, José María Olazábal and, more recently,
Sergio García, have all reached the peaks of the
men’s game.Basquing in sporting glory
The Basques, always happy to be different, have
invented a whole range of their own sports.
Pelotais the big success; the one Basque sport that
spread throughout Spain, taking on myriad guises as it
went. It’s a bit like breakneck-speed squash but with
rackets replaced by hands, a leather glove, wooden
bats or curved baskets. Players fling a leather or rubber
ball around on a court that contains one or two walls.
As you can gather, the sport has numerous versions.
The Basque Country’s other sports have their roots in
rural graft. The only qualification for participation seems
to be a suitable level of butchness. Events range from
the recognisable, such as sheep dog trials, tugs of
war and rowing regattas, to the downright weird.
Woodcutting, known as aizkolari, sees contestants
competitively chopping away at a log with an axe while
balancing precariously on said log. Its sister-sport,
trontzalaritza, is similar but with saws. From there you
could take in a bit of stone lifting, sheaf tossing or even
a ram fight (known as peleas de carneros).The Costa del Sol has
Europe’s thickest
concentration of golf
courses. There’s even a
24-hour floodlit variant
for the insomniac golfer.342- Identity: the
building blocks of
2. Literature
and philosophy
3. Art and
architecture
4. Performing
arts
5. Cinema
and fashion
6. Media and
communications
7. Food and drink 8. Living culture:
the details of
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