European Renaissance

Over the past decade, Europe has thrived from a golf course architecture point of view, with a number of high quality layouts coming online. The well-travelled Andrew Marshall picks six of the best

Praia D'El Rey

Atlantic Links

Atlantic LinksPortugal has always been one of Europe’s most popular golfing destinations and although the southern Algarve may have the lion’s share of the courses, for the travelling golfer looking for something a little quieter and off-the-beaten-track, the Oeste region is an interesting option. Star billing here must go to the Praia D’El Rey Golf & Beach Resort, which is situated along a beautiful sandy beach in a rural landscape of rolling sand dunes and pine tree forests within an hour of Lisbon.

The centerpiece of this luxury resort is Cabell B.Robinson’s wild and wonderful Praia D’El Rey course – a marvellous combination of a parkland front nine and a links-like back nine that follows the coast with spectacular views over the Atlantic and the Berlenga Islands beyond. When he first viewed the site Robinson said: “This is the kind of landscape we architects try to create, but at Praia d’El Rey it’s all here, naturally. Now it’s my responsibility to protect it.”

After the tighter pine-lined fairways of the opening nine, the layout opens up and heads towards the ocean, offering all the elements of a Scottish or Irish links, but one which is played in rather more comfortable temperatures. Bold deep bunkers, undulating greens, and natural sand areas contrast sharply with lush green fairways. The signature stretch of holes is from 12 to 15 that runs parallel to the coast, although mention must also go to the 17th, a gigantic uphill par-five measuring in excess of 600 yards.

Contact: praia-del-rey.com

Pages

Click here to see the published article.