The Belfry V San Lorenzo (Portugal)

[alexgolf]

Now i know these courses are hard to compare but bear with me and see where i am going with this.

I went on the GM visit to The Belfry earlier in the year and also have just played SL last week.

Two new golf courses to me and both rated as both being top courses of their type.

My beef with The Belfrey is that i felt that it was a tricked up course. You could hit an excellent shot and not be rewarded for that shot.

SL was everthing TB wants to be but actualy delivered. What a course. Setting, design, etc all were excellent. All the time at TB i felt that i was playing defensive goif to get my ball round, and when i did take a chance and hit a good shot time and again i might just run through a fairway and not have a shot.

Also the attitude of some of the Staff at TB were appaling. The starter at The Brab was from the sterotype of jobsworths and the prices at the 10th for water and snacks were way over the top.

So two ways of setting up a course and customer relations. I know which one i think is better. In my opinion The Belfry has a lot to learn.

what do others think

 

[Imurg]

To my mind there are a lot of clubs in this country that have a highly over-inflated self-importance gland! They seem to think that they are doing us a favour by charging us a small fortune to knock a ball around their course.
I havn't personally experienced courses on the Continent but I know lots that have and they echo what Alexgolf is saying.
There's a lot of clubs over here that should look at how its done over there.

 

[CliveW]

Courses on the continent generally realise that it is visitors who pay for their keep and are generally friendly and offer great service, whereas in the UK it seems they are doing us a favour by being there.
Generally I've found the further south you go in the UK the stuffier the courses and staff become.

 

[Macster]

Agree 100%. Ive played both too.

I have since turned down the opportunity to go back to The Belfry, but would kill to play San Lorenzo again, it was spectacular.
The term 'fairways like greens' derived from SL, believe me, and it was simply the best course I have ever played.

 

[JezzE]

Generally I've found the further south you go in the UK the stuffier the courses and staff become.

Clive,
I think I'd have to disagree with this and say that for clubs further up the perceived prestige scale regionally, I've tended to find the opposite, especially in the northern parts of England (no names, no pack-drill of course!)

As for The Belfry/San Lorenzo debate, Alex, the latter is undoubtedly more spectacular, but if you're going to say The Belfry is tricked up then it's hard to say that the two or three holes right by the sea aren't at SL? And even the last?

Only my opinion of course, but I remember when I first played there, I felt some of those holes bordered on the impossible for average golfers, especially in breezy conditions...

 

[Macster]

I recall playing like a dream at SL, and making the mistake of adding up on the 11th tee, realising I was actually 2 over Par gross.......

yup....it happened......'wheels off' etc

*shakes head*

 

[Ethan]

I have played both, and have already stated my opinion that The Belfry should be dug up and given back to potato farming.

San Lorenzo is a very nice course, but it comes with high ratings and expectations, and I was not knocked over. Course condition was so-so. Still much much better than The Belfry, obviously.

The course that makes them both want to close is Monte Rei in the Algarve. That is a fantastic track, with great holes, room to play, fast greens and excellent service.

 

[alexgolf]

Generally I've found the further south you go in the UK the stuffier the courses and staff become.

Clive,
I think I'd have to disagree with this and say that for clubs further up the perceived prestige scale regionally, I've tended to find the opposite, especially in the northern parts of England (no names, no pack-drill of course!)

As for The Belfry/San Lorenzo debate, Alex, the latter is undoubtedly more spectacular, but if you're going to say The Belfry is tricked up then it's hard to say that the two or three holes right by the sea aren't at SL? And even the last?

Only my opinion of course, but I remember when I first played there, I felt some of those holes bordered on the impossible for average golfers, especially in breezy conditions...

Hi Jezz, hope you ok.

And hello all. I have been in a weekend show at Olympia. Dont think i have missed much on the golf course!!!!

Jezz makes a good point about SL and as always in golf, how you play a course can make a lot of diference. I was playing well and played the last 3 holes (playing the course the wong way round as well which makes a difference)3, 5, 4 and the 5 iron i hit to the last was one of my shots of the year.

The hole i thought was hard and would have been in a much stiffer wind rather than the breaze that we played it in, was the 8. Playing for the first time i chickened out and blocked a 5 wood into the bunkers on the right leaving no shot really with water on the left.

My point though is that i did stand on that tee and didnt feel defensive. Hard as it was the tee shot didnt fill me with aprenhension, as many did at TB.

Anyway some good points above guys.