Portugal - The Golf

8 days, 7 nights, 6 rounds of golf and 4 hotels stayed in (plus another 6 visited) - a whirlwind week in Portugal for me, but what a week! 

Portugal is an amazing country with world class golf, a wide variety of accommodations from good 3* hotels right through to some of the most luxurious 5*+ hotels you will ever visit and the hospitality and culture of Portugal will inspire anyone to say "when can I come back here again?".

​I was only able to see a small portion of Portugal, really even only a small portion of the regions I was in, during my trip but it was beautiful and below I will share the journey with you and give some thoughts on the properties, courses and cities/ towns I visited.

​After a very comfortable flight, I landed in Lisbon ready to quickly go through the airport and get to my first round of golf – I was mistaken! There was a pretty long line at customs, and it was going to (and did) take quite a bit of time to get through to the other side, but thankfully our partner in Portugal was ready to get my tee time changed so no stress, no worries.

​Once through customs, a quick luggage pick-up, a greeting from our local rep who took me directly to my car, and within minutes I was on the road, then taking a ferry across the bay, to play my first of what would ended up being 5 round of golf (sadly, Monte Rei was rained out ☹) trip. 

Troia Golf Club

​Troia Golf Club is a classic Robert Trent Jones Sr layout about 1.5 hours outside Lisbon (including a really scenic ferry ride from Setubal to the course) and is a challenging / beautiful layout that runs alongside the Atlantic Ocean. 

​The ocean and its beach are present on about half a dozen of the holes but influences the course on almost all the holes with the ever-present wind and sand. The sand is in all the rough and tree making it hard to lose a ball (there is hardly any underbrush) but makes it important you stay on the fairway. As the director of golf told me before playing, if you go into the bush, just get back to the fairway. Hero shots won’t work with the combination of dense trees and sand that will face you.

​​The bunkering at the course is absolutely amazing, framing virtually all the greens beautifully. As visually stunning as they are, they are also most definitely in play and will swallow up even a slightly mishit shot – bring your sand game when you play Trioa!

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Highlight holes for me were virtually all the par 3’s (they were a great and diverse set of 3 shotters) and the par 4 3rd hole, the first hole that runs beside the sea and considered by Robert Trent Jones Senior as one of the best he has ever designed. It was chosen by the architect as part of his ideal 18-hole course.

​Trioa is a great course to play on arrival day on the way to the Algarve or on the way back to Lisbon. It offers an interesting challenge, great views and bunkering and very good greens, not to mention a well stocked proshop and great patio to grab a beer and some food before, or after, your round.

​Monte Rei

Unfortunely, the only rain of the entire trip was overnight during my stay at Monte Rei and it was so intense that the course flooded and by the time the maintenance crew had it ready to play again, another string of showers was coming in so it was not possible to play the course which is a shame because it is consistently ranked as the #1 course in Portugal by virtually any publication that does rankings.

​Fortunately for me, the Head Professional and Director of Golf at Monte Rei, Neil Hurley, was gracious with his time and took me on a tour of the course.

​​The course is a Nicklaus design (he was there recently to review a few proposed changes to the course) and you can see it in the wide fairways, a definite bias for a fade off the tee and well guarded, beautifully designed green complexes.

​Despite the wide fairways, the course plays very tight as each basically its own self-contained hole completely surrounded by the forest. In fact, a local rule is that the entre course plays as a lateral water hazard in order to keep place of play up – bring a few extra balls!!

​​It really is a shame I didn’t get to play the course but it was obvious from my tour that it is a perfectly maintained course with a wide variety of interesting holes that is a must play for any trip to Portugal (in fact, we always recommend to our clients they play it) and based on the enthusiasm and pride Neil had during the tour, I have no doubt it will be that way for years to come. 

​​One final note. Construction is expected to start early next year on a second course at Monte Rei that the hope to open at the end of 2023 or early 2024. This will be another Nicklaus design (another reason he was at Monte Rei recently) and is expected to be of the same quality and challenge of existing 18 – I definitely plan to get back to Monte Rei to play both courses!

​Quinta Do Lago – South

​QDL South is one of three courses in the Quinto Do Lago resort and recently underwent a major renovation to return it to its full glory. QDL South has hosted the Portuguese Open on 8 occasions and is perennially ranked in Golf Worlds Top 100 courses in the world and playing it, you can see why when playing this wonderfully conditioned course (probably the best conditioned course of all I played in Portugal!).

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​QDL featured a mix of tight pine lined holes, water hazards and elevation changes that not only made the course a challenge for players of all caliber's, but a real visual treat as well. 

​​The signature hole amongst a series of great holes is probably the Par 3 15th hole. Measuring 200 yards from the regular tee, and up to 225 from the back tees, the shot is all carry, albeit slightly downhill. There is a bail out to the right of the hole (guess where I ended up?) giving you some relief but overall, it is just a strong par 3 that is Instagram worthy.

​Great hole after great hole awaits you on this course and be sure to take the time to enjoy the scenery. It is so beautifully conditioned that you may think you are at a sort of famous course in Georgia at some points!

​Palmares

​The most visually spectacular course I played in Portugal is, without a doubt, Palmares Golf Club.
 
Hard by the Bay of Palmares, this Robert Trent Jones Jr course features 3 nines that will take you on a journey though challenging parkland style golf all the way to the shores of Scotland with its link style holes by the water.

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​The Alvor 9 features a parkland character with mature trees and lovely views of the Monchique hills. Changes in elevation are a key to this nine as several dramatic tee shots into intimate valleys and the views include a look at the dunes to come when you play the beautiful 6th and 7th holes.

​The Lagos nine is also predominantly parkland, including a couple of challenging lakes to add an extra bit of interest to the 3rd and 6ths holes of the nine, although the 7th and 8th holes are links to the core and 2 wonderful examples of what is to be found on the third none.

​The third nine at Palmares is the Praia and features a seaside landscape with dunes exposed to the elements. The course opens by descending from a parkland setting with the dunes character continuing through the remainder of the Praia Golf Course with the closing hole, a strong uphill par 5, rising up out of the dunes through a deep valley to an amphitheater just below the clubhouse.

​The clubhouse was recently completed and provides not only great food, drinks and service, but stunning views of the course and the bay. A bit out of the way Palmares is well worth the trip, and I would recommend trying to fit on a 27-hole day when there – you will not regret it!

​Amendoeira Golf Resort – Faldo Course

​Another multi course resort featuring 36 holes, I played the Faldo Course (the second course is the O’Connor Course) and safe to say Sir Nick did not want people finishing the round with any shortage of memories of great holes (or an overly low score!).

​The front nine is very reminiscent of golf in Arizona with hard and fast fairways leading to large greens that are well protected by bunkers. Just to add to the challenge, because it wasn’t tough enough already, water comes into play on 5 of the holes so keep the ball in the fairway. The nine is in a sort of valley that is surrounded on all sides by mountain terrain making it visually much like Scottsdale.

​This all changes on the second nine though. After a tough par 4 (475yrds from my tees, up to 510yrds from the back tees – more of a par 5 than 4 in my books!) you cross the road to hillier art of the course from 11-17. These holes feature dramatic elevation changes, and a few blind shots (so it was good I was playing with a local!) but is a tonne of fun to play. 

​​My favourite was the shortish par 4, 14th hole. A fluky drive to the right (exactly where the locals told me to drive it, hence the fluky part!) left a fun approach over a small chasm to a well protected green. A good approach shot, another 3 putt and off to the next hole with another bogey! 

​Back over the road you go for the 18th hole and this reachable par 5 ends your round directly under the clubhouse which is perched on top of a tall cliff. A dramatic end to a great round of golf and a course well worth adding to any golf itinerary.

​Oitavos Dunes

​About 45 minutes from Lisbon lies Cascais and the Oitavos Dunes Resort and Golf Course and to say the course is memorable would be an understatement.

​​A round at Oitavos starts with a few “warm up” holes as holes 1 though 4 wind through tall pines to small greens. Hardly just a warmup, these holes offer great challenge and force you to keep the ball on the fairway (unless you like a nice walk through the pine needles!).

​Hole 5 is where the course starts to show it true character though as you tee off sheltered in the pines only to hit your second shot (and in my case 3rd and 4th shots) to the exposed green as the course opens up and it links style design shows itself. From there on you play hole after hole of some of the best links style golf you will ever play!!

​In a common theme for the course I played, 3 of the best holes on the course are par 3’s. The 9th hole may be the best of the lot as you play the 165yrd downhill par 3 hard into the wind with mountains and the ocean in the background. Visually stunning and more than a bit of a challenge. The back to back par 3 14th and 15th holes offer equally spectacular challenges with one going uphill into the wind and the other offer a slightly shorter hole (and actually sheltered from the wind) but with the green tucked into a dramatic dune setting.

​Once you finish off the tough 18th that runs parallel to the hotel, be sure to take a well deserved rest in the clubhouse with a cold drink (and try the sashimi appetizer – outstanding!) to reflect on a round you will not soon forget.

What an amazing experience! 5 great rounds of golf, 1 tour of a course I need to get back to and non stop sun made this a golf trip I will not soon forget. Every course I played was world class and each offered a different experience - everything from desert style to parkland to links golf, you have no chance of getting bored as every course, and hole, offers a different and exciting challenge.

When you throw in the superb accommodations, great food, warm weather, beaches, diverse nightlife, unbelievable hospitality and the city of Lisbon (now one of my favourite cities in the world!) you have the making of a trip that will be remembered by any golfer who makes the journey as one of the great golf travel experiences they ever had.