Journey overview
Quinta do Lago has three championship golf courses, South Course, North Course and the newest, Laranjal. Each has been expertly designed to complement its natural surroundings and each offers its own set of unique challenges.
Wide lakes, undulating fairways and strategic bunkers characterise the terrain, along with carefully tended greens, considered some of the best in Portugal. Framed by a distinctive canopy of umbrella pines, the fairways wind their way past wild flowers, broom and heather, offering tantalizing views of the Ria Formosa National Park on one side and the Atlantic coastline on the other.
This lush, green landscape is interrupted only by the white sand of the bunkers and the deep blue of the many lakes and water features. While enhancing the beauty of the setting, they also serve as a constant reminder of the accuracy and aptitude that is required on courses of this caliber.
All three courses feature first-class practice facilities, a golf academy, practice greens and bunkers, buggies, pro-shops and clubhouses with outdoor dining terraces.
Laranjal
Voted Best Golf Course at the Portuguese 2011 Travel Awards, Laranjal opened in 2009 as the newest course in Quinta do Lago.
Originally an orange grove, this beautiful par 72 championship course is situated in the Ludo valley, just 2km east of the resort. Boasting some spectacular fairways and well-defined greens, Laranjal is renowned for its five beautiful lakes and its abundance of umbrella pines, cork and orange trees.
At 6,480 meters in length, the course is challenging and it demands the highest levels of concentration and accuracy. Its distinctive rolling terrain has been expertly designed and manicured to provide a world class golfing experience.
Comprising five par 5s, eight par 4s and five par 3s, the course is sown with Bermuda grass on the fairways and Penn A4 on the greens, guaranteeing excellent putting surfaces throughout the year.
North
The beautiful North Course (formerly known as the Ria Formosa Course) challenges golfers of all standards in a natural woodland setting of pine, gorse, heather and wild flowers.
American architect William Mitchell designed nine holes (one to five and fifteen to eighteen) back in 1974. Holes six to fourteen, which opened in 1989, were designed by Joseph Lee with the collaboration of Rocky Roquemore.
The terrain is superb; sandy and strewn with umbrella pines, while in the spring, the rough is covered with a blanket of wild flowers. Greens are sown with Penn Bent Grass, guaranteeing excellent putting surfaces throughout the year, while the fairways and tees are kept in prime condition with theBermuda 419 hybrid seed.
At 6,126 metres, it is slightly shorter than the South Course, yet it is also a par 72. Golfers will be challenged by a combination of undulating greens, well-positioned bunkers and water hazards, while driving skills will be tested by four magnificent par 5 holes.
South
The jewel in the Quinta do Lago crown, the South Course has played host to the Portuguese Open no less than eight times. Designed in 1974 by William Mitchell, who raised the bar by introducing American-standard greens, tees and bunkers to the Algarve, it soon gained a reputation as one of the foremost courses in Europe and remains to this day one of the flagship European Tour Courses.
The favourite course of many European tour players, it is a 6,500 metre par 72 set amongst umbrella pines, lakes and wild flowers, overlooking the spectacular scenery of the Ria Formosa National Park.
The course hosted the Portuguese Open in 1976, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990 and 2001, the most memorable, perhaps, being in 1989 when Colin Montgomerie won the title with an incredible 24 under par. He finished 11 strokes ahead and broke the course record with a round of 63.
Its championship status does not deter the amateur golfer. Indeed, while the 8th, 15th, and 18th are testing holes for low handicap players, the course provides interest and challenge to golfers of all levels and abilities.
Accurate tee shots are essential in order to reach many of the greens in regulation and the course is made more challenging by a good variety of doglegs and strategically located hazards. The front nine holes, which wind their way through parkland, favour a draw, while the back nine, which loop around the lake, favour a fade from the tee.