S
Snelly
Guest
Hi All,
I have just returned from a trip to Cascais in Portugal with friends. It was great fun and I can really recommend the area for a weekend away. The nightlife in Cascais is very lively and staying out until 4am didn’t do a great deal for our golf although I suffered the least and took the winnings!
The courses are excellent too and I have done a short review below for the three we played.
Course Review 1 – Penha Longa
Our first course that we played was the best. The Atlantico at Penha Longa is absolutely terrific. It is located in the Sintra mountains above Estoril and despite being a course with a 5 star resort attached, it still retains a secluded feel in a very picturesque setting in the green hills of the Sintra Cascais National Park. I had read reviews of the course before we went that said it could be a bit damp and the fairways can get muddy. This wasn’t the case for our visit. It was in stunning condition and a pleasure to play.
The course itself was great with no weak holes really. Standout holes? The 6th is the most photographed and sticks in the mind as it is a downhill par 5 with the green framed by a lake, medieval viaduct and castle. The 15th is a tough par 3 over water and the 16th is a good SI 1 with a tight drive that turns uphill and right to a slippery, small raised green.
The clubhouse is very nice with good food and views. I would definitely go back as this is an excellent course in a beautiful part of Portugal. A highly recommended, very enjoyable day’s golf.
Course Review 2 - Oitavos Dunes
The second course we played on a trip to Portugal last week was Oitavos Dunes. Having seen the European Tour stop here for the Portuguese Open, I was really looking forward to playing the course.
It was a beautiful day and we arrived at the course early so could spend a bit of time at the ultra modern, glass and steel clubhouse. It was fantastic with everything you could need and a great balcony that gave you lovely views of the coast.
Things unravelled a little as we paid for our buggies in the pro shop as I was shocked at the cost - €75 for a buggy for 18 holes! Ouch! Twice the price of the other courses we played and a bit steep. I was also slightly taken aback at having to fork out €21 for a sleeve of 3 ProV1’s too.
Anyway, off to the first tee and we set off to play the course. 5 hours later and I walked off with a real sense of disappointment. The first and 18th are good and the 14th is a decent par 3 but the rest were pretty forgettable. The condition was lovely though and it is in a nice spot but in general terms, my opinion is that Oitavos is massively overrated. Not only that but the staff are constantly banging on about how great it is. I was told by 3 people that the course was ranked 88 in the world and the best in Portugal and so on. This is frankly ridiculous. We played three courses in the week and the other two were better than this one.
In summary, this is a reasonable track in a nice part of the world but it is hugely overrated, overpriced and has an overblown opinion of itself. The saving grace was the cold beer, great clubhouse, excellent club sandwich and the superb level of service from Vanda – our waitress in the bar.
Worth going if you don’t mind spending plenty of cash for a day’s golf that you will enjoy but is not the best value for money.
Course review 3 – Quinta da Marinha
The last course of our trip was Quinta da Marinha and is not ranked as highly as the other two we played but it turned out to be an absolute gem. It was in lovely condition and is a very nice course. There is plenty of water around and you need a few balls if you are not playing well. The best hole was the 18th. A terrific par 5 that winds its way between two lakes to a very tricky green that has water in front and to the left. The 12th, 13th and 14th are also really good holes. 12th is a demanding tight par 4 with a risk/reward tee shot. The 13th is a fantastic par 3 over a lake to a raised green surrounded by bunkers where a par is a very good score even though it is only about 160 yards. The 14th is a lovely snaking par 5 that has two dog legs over two hills and again, not an easy par.
The hotel complex that the course is attached to is superb too with a nice infinity pool and good restaurants. Great value for money, a good course with interesting holes and highly recommended.
These three courses are a good itinerary if you fancy a trip to Cascais. It is a great place to go with much to recommend it. It is also much cheaper than a trip to the Algarve for example and the courses are just as good.
Cheers,
Snelly.
I have just returned from a trip to Cascais in Portugal with friends. It was great fun and I can really recommend the area for a weekend away. The nightlife in Cascais is very lively and staying out until 4am didn’t do a great deal for our golf although I suffered the least and took the winnings!
The courses are excellent too and I have done a short review below for the three we played.
Course Review 1 – Penha Longa
Our first course that we played was the best. The Atlantico at Penha Longa is absolutely terrific. It is located in the Sintra mountains above Estoril and despite being a course with a 5 star resort attached, it still retains a secluded feel in a very picturesque setting in the green hills of the Sintra Cascais National Park. I had read reviews of the course before we went that said it could be a bit damp and the fairways can get muddy. This wasn’t the case for our visit. It was in stunning condition and a pleasure to play.
The course itself was great with no weak holes really. Standout holes? The 6th is the most photographed and sticks in the mind as it is a downhill par 5 with the green framed by a lake, medieval viaduct and castle. The 15th is a tough par 3 over water and the 16th is a good SI 1 with a tight drive that turns uphill and right to a slippery, small raised green.
The clubhouse is very nice with good food and views. I would definitely go back as this is an excellent course in a beautiful part of Portugal. A highly recommended, very enjoyable day’s golf.
Course Review 2 - Oitavos Dunes
The second course we played on a trip to Portugal last week was Oitavos Dunes. Having seen the European Tour stop here for the Portuguese Open, I was really looking forward to playing the course.
It was a beautiful day and we arrived at the course early so could spend a bit of time at the ultra modern, glass and steel clubhouse. It was fantastic with everything you could need and a great balcony that gave you lovely views of the coast.
Things unravelled a little as we paid for our buggies in the pro shop as I was shocked at the cost - €75 for a buggy for 18 holes! Ouch! Twice the price of the other courses we played and a bit steep. I was also slightly taken aback at having to fork out €21 for a sleeve of 3 ProV1’s too.
Anyway, off to the first tee and we set off to play the course. 5 hours later and I walked off with a real sense of disappointment. The first and 18th are good and the 14th is a decent par 3 but the rest were pretty forgettable. The condition was lovely though and it is in a nice spot but in general terms, my opinion is that Oitavos is massively overrated. Not only that but the staff are constantly banging on about how great it is. I was told by 3 people that the course was ranked 88 in the world and the best in Portugal and so on. This is frankly ridiculous. We played three courses in the week and the other two were better than this one.
In summary, this is a reasonable track in a nice part of the world but it is hugely overrated, overpriced and has an overblown opinion of itself. The saving grace was the cold beer, great clubhouse, excellent club sandwich and the superb level of service from Vanda – our waitress in the bar.
Worth going if you don’t mind spending plenty of cash for a day’s golf that you will enjoy but is not the best value for money.
Course review 3 – Quinta da Marinha
The last course of our trip was Quinta da Marinha and is not ranked as highly as the other two we played but it turned out to be an absolute gem. It was in lovely condition and is a very nice course. There is plenty of water around and you need a few balls if you are not playing well. The best hole was the 18th. A terrific par 5 that winds its way between two lakes to a very tricky green that has water in front and to the left. The 12th, 13th and 14th are also really good holes. 12th is a demanding tight par 4 with a risk/reward tee shot. The 13th is a fantastic par 3 over a lake to a raised green surrounded by bunkers where a par is a very good score even though it is only about 160 yards. The 14th is a lovely snaking par 5 that has two dog legs over two hills and again, not an easy par.
The hotel complex that the course is attached to is superb too with a nice infinity pool and good restaurants. Great value for money, a good course with interesting holes and highly recommended.
These three courses are a good itinerary if you fancy a trip to Cascais. It is a great place to go with much to recommend it. It is also much cheaper than a trip to the Algarve for example and the courses are just as good.
Cheers,
Snelly.
