Algarve courses

[MB200]

Hi all,

I’m going to be staying in Quinta Do Lago for a few days next year, not on a golf trip. However I’ll be able to sneak out for 1 round and wondered if there was one course that was a must play I should aim for? I’ve previously played the Royal at VDL and the Dom Pedro Victoria so will avoid those but I don’t know too much about the rest of them so any suggestions very welcome!

Obviously I can go off rankings, but also wanted to get some thoughts on here!

Thanks in advance

 

[IanM]

You can drive round to San Lorenzo or any of the Quinta do Lago courses in a few minutes.

That's where I'd be headed.

 

[peld]

bumping his up for an important question

Has anyone played San Lorenzo or Pinheiros Altos this year and can comment on their condition? Our travel agent messed up and instead of VdL we are playing these two instead. Im told they are nice designs but their conditioning has been poor in recent years, especially Pinheiros.
Can anyone comment ??

 

[Bratty]

bumping his up for an important question

Has anyone played San Lorenzo or Pinheiros Altos this year and can comment on their condition? Our travel agent messed up and instead of VdL we are playing these two instead. Im told they are nice designs but their conditioning has been poor in recent years, especially Pinheiros.
Can anyone comment ??

San Lorenzo is old and tired but enjoyable. Not as good as QDL or VdL, but fewer villas, and a couple of really standout holes.
Pinheiros Altos is broadly similar.
Both could do with money spent on them, but it'll be a damn site warmer there than here!

 

[Bratty]

Hi all,

I’m going to be staying in Quinta Do Lago for a few days next year, not on a golf trip. However I’ll be able to sneak out for 1 round and wondered if there was one course that was a must play I should aim for? I’ve previously played the Royal at VDL and the Dom Pedro Victoria so will avoid those but I don’t know too much about the rest of them so any suggestions very welcome!

Obviously I can go off rankings, but also wanted to get some thoughts on here!

Thanks in advance

I love Laranjal, as no villas and a fair test of golf. Some holes not as "sculpted" as QDL North or South, but there's something lovely about it. My favourite.
Quinta North is great, but maybe one or two holes that are less special than the others.
Quinta South is a real test and they've just spent a ton of euros on it! It'll be top of my list on February.

 

[Junior]

I love Laranjal, as no villas and a fair test of golf. Some holes not as "sculpted" as QDL North or South, but there's something lovely about it. My favourite.
Quinta North is great, but maybe one or two holes that are less special than the others.
Quinta South is a real test and they've just spent a ton of euros on it! It'll be top of my list on February.

Agree with this.

We play a tournament end of Jan at the 3 QDL courses. The more I’ve played them , the more I think Laranjal is my favourite of the 3.

@OP Not sure which QDL courses are you are playing but get on Laranjal if you’re not already !

 

[Billysboots]

100% agree with the comments regarding Laranjal. Having played most of the courses in the Western Algarve, I would put Laranjal as top of the QDL pile by a distance. When our annual tour was based in that area, the course was second only to Monte Rei.

 

[federalexpress]

Hi all,

I’m going to be staying in Quinta Do Lago for a few days next year, not on a golf trip. However I’ll be able to sneak out for 1 round and wondered if there was one course that was a must play I should aim for? I’ve previously played the Royal at VDL and the Dom Pedro Victoria so will avoid those but I don’t know too much about the rest of them so any suggestions very welcome!

Obviously I can go off rankings, but also wanted to get some thoughts on here!

Thanks in advance

I've played both North and South at QdL this year and both are high quality courses, I think South has the edge.

The real 'must play' is an hour's drive away- Monte Rei. That is a step up, top 10 in Europe.

 

[D-S]

I've played both North and South at QdL this year and both are high quality courses, I think South has the edge.

The real 'must play' is an hour's drive away- Monte Rei. That is a step up, top 10 in Europe.

I played Monte Rei in September and the greens were quite poor with lots of small patches of coarse native grass having invaded the greens, all over the greens not just around the edges.
The Pro Shop was almost empty too which seemed as if they might be struggling.
Great service and an interesting layout but something really needs to be done with the conditioning if they want to justify the cost.

 

[Billysboots]

I played Monte Rei in September and the greens were quite poor with lots of small patches of coarse native grass having invaded the greens, all over the greens not just around the edges.
The Pro Shop was almost empty too which seemed as if they might be struggling.
Great service and an interesting layout but something really needs to be done with the conditioning if they want to justify the cost.

Monte Rei, more than most courses in the Algarve, really struggled with the drought last year. I can only guess that they still have some legacy issues as a result, because whenever I have played it, and that’s well over a dozen times over many years, it’s been absolutely mint.

That said, it was built with a view to staging a Ryder Cup, with a second course also planned which has never even broken ground. I think they may have planned poorly because there’s no way that place has the infrastructure to stage a major event.

I know a few villa owners who have sold up, one or two back to the club at a significant loss because buyers could not be found, so maybe the problems run deeper.

 

[federalexpress]

I played Monte Rei in September and the greens were quite poor with lots of small patches of coarse native grass having invaded the greens, all over the greens not just around the edges.
The Pro Shop was almost empty too which seemed as if they might be struggling.
Great service and an interesting layout but something really needs to be done with the conditioning if they want to justify the cost.

Interesting. It has been a few years since I played it and it was superbly kept, very classy. It wasn't busy back then either. That is the whole point, exclusivity, you don't even see another fairway from your own, so it was almost like playing your own private course.

It would be sad if it has stumbled financially, though maybe the previous poster is correct in talking about drought effect. I don't recall it being that much more expensive than QdL south and it is(or maybe was) a better course by some distance.

 

[D-S]

Monte Rei, more than most courses in the Algarve, really struggled with the drought last year. I can only guess that they still have some legacy issues as a result, because whenever I have played it, and that’s well over a dozen times over many years, it’s been absolutely mint.

That said, it was built with a view to staging a Ryder Cup, with a second course also planned which has never even broken ground. I think they may have planned poorly because there’s no way that place has the infrastructure to stage a major event.

I know a few villa owners who have sold up, one or two back to the club at a significant loss because buyers could not be found, so maybe the problems run deeper.

To put it into context, the greens even at Quinta da Ria were looked and played significantly better than Monte Rei.
I would think that they”ll need to re lay all the greens and I wouldn’t play it again until they did.
We’re going to Tavira in June and not planning to play because of the condition vs price.

 

[Billysboots]

To put it into context, the greens even at Quinta da Ria were looked and played significantly better than Monte Rei.
I would think that they”ll need to re lay all the greens and I wouldn’t play it again until they did.
We’re going to Tavira in June and not planning to play because of the condition vs price.

That doesn’t sound good at all.

I haven’t been for five or six years now, so it does sound like there have been some changes. It’s a shame, because it’s a quality venue. It always seemed very quiet, but a friend who was an owner there was repeatedly assured that they sold enough tee times to make it sustainable.

Nice to see you mention Ria. We always played there as well when we visited and I always thoroughly enjoyed it. Lovely set up.

 

[D-S]

[QUOTE="Billysboots, post: 2815092, member: 2Nice to see you mention Ria. We always played there as well when we visited and I always thoroughly enjoyed it. Lovely set up.
[/QUOTE]
We’re playing there again in June as well as Quinto do Vale, Isla Canela links and QDL south. I was so impressed by Tavira that we’re staying there. Great restaurants and a pleasant relaxed vibe.

 

[Billysboots]

[QUOTE="Billysboots, post: 2815092, member: 2Nice to see you mention Ria. We always played there as well when we visited and I always thoroughly enjoyed it. Lovely set up.

We’re playing there again in June as well as Quinto do Vale, Isla Canela links and QDL south. I was so impressed by Tavira that we’re staying there. Great restaurants and a pleasant relaxed vibe.
[/QUOTE]

Love it in Tavira. Great town with some fantastic restaurants.

Top tip. Have a meal at Brisa Do Rio. We used to go twice during every trip and never had a bad meal there.

 

[Newnsy]

Landed back last night back from Algarve, I echo all the comments from the above.

Any of the QDL courses are great but they are becoming quite pricey and busy but are definately the best kept courses round Vilamora.
Old Course has had a lot of work done to it in recent years and the standard of the course is much improved well worth a visit ( and about the only place that does a decent coffee)
San larenzo probably the best layout in my opinion but the course condition not good, and you might not even get any food in the club house, i have been told they ran out of money but not sure if this is true or not!!!
Monte Rei - not what it used to be, condition of the course not good and certainly not worth the Price Tag or the drive up into the hills should not be the best ranked course
Quinta da Rei - where i was last week not as good as the QDL courses condition wise but also doesnt have the price tag but actually really impressed and we went there for a coaching trip the facilities were absolutely great good grass range big short game area and Short course, would definately go back, we stayed in Tavira so much cheaper than vilamora and a really nice town we some good food.
Victoria is still being dug up so is closed, but i always liked it there but 100% split opinions in my group
I've not played it yet, going to play it in Feb but Ombria is a new course which from the website looks great but i know people who have played it and it seems to divide opinions too.

 

[howbow88]

It's sad to read about Monte Rei. I played it in 2022 and it was quality from beginning to end.

 

[Wanabe]

Booked for April next year, QDL North, Dom Pedro Millenium, Vale do Lobo Royale and Ombria. Only played QDL before but looking forward to it. Quinta courses are great. Laranjal is v good and quieter but the group wanted the main course this time. Have heard some courses in trouble and that Pinheiros Altos is not good.

 

[D-S]

We played Laranjal in September and it was rammed with big groups. Having a coffee before our 11ish tee times, the tables were strewn with empty pint glasses - never a good sign.
Enjoyed the course but when it is busy the stretch from the 2nd is very tight and there were many shouts of fore and players on different fairways.
We were let through twice but still a very slow round.
I think we got it on a bad day but it wasn’t a top drawer experience.

 

[Wanabe]

We played Laranjal in September and it was rammed with big groups. Having a coffee before our 11ish tee times, the tables were strewn with empty pint glasses - never a good sign.
Enjoyed the course but when it is busy the stretch from the 2nd is very tight and there were many shouts of fore and players on different fairways.
We were let through twice but still a very slow round.
I think we got it on a bad day but it wasn’t a top drawer experience.

That is a shame. Maybe depends on time of the year. Saying that I couldn't get a tee time on South course for April when I was booking in July this year!