Written by Clive Agran
You’ve been to Portugal on holiday several times and so really ought to know that Lisbon is the oldest city in Western Europe and pre-dates others such as London, Paris and Rome by several hundred years. And no doubt you are aware that Lisbon is the seventh most visited city in Europe and enjoys the highest winter temperatures of any European capital.
If you’ve never properly explored Lisbon, that is a shame because it’s really rather lovely and, since you’re obviously interested, boasts over 20 quality golf courses in the immediate vicinity.
Before we set off in search of them, let’s first take a quick look around Lisbon. If it was a golf course and not the capital of Portugal, you would need to take a buggy because it’s seriously steep with no fewer than seven major hills. If you don’t fancy strolling up and down the cobbled streets, there’s an excellent underground system or you can hop on a bright yellow tram. Although tiring, walking brings its own rewards and the chance to appreciate some magnificent architecture, glorious cityscapes and delightful views over the River Tagus which drifts past the city on its way to the Atlantic. Somewhere down there Vasco da Gama moored his ship.
Only after you’ve taken in all the Christian cathedrals and Moorish should your mind begin to contemplate the appealing prospect of a round or two of golf.
Okay, it’s decision time. Should you head west along the coast to the popular playgrounds of Estoril and Cascais or go south over the river to parts of Portugal us Brits rarely visit?
As I hoped, you’re willing to cross the mighty River Tagus and explore the area to the south of Lisbon. There’s a choice of two bridges. Both are rather impressive. The Vasco da Gama Bridge, which is the more easterly and upstream of the pair, stretches for nearly 11 miles and is the longest bridge in Europe. But we’re taking the 25th of April Bridge, which is nearer the mouth of the river. When it was inaugurated back in August 1966, it was the longest suspension bridge in Europe. As it opened in August why, you might wonder, is it called ‘25th of April’? Actually, it was christened Ponte Salazar but was later re-named to commemorate the Carnation Revolution of 1974 when the dictatorship that governed Portugal ended comparatively peacefully.
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As you cross you can’t help but notice an impressive, Rio de Janeiro-style, arms wide open, statue of Christ on the left-hand side. Built seven years before the bridge, it’s as tall as a short par 3 and attracts plenty of pilgrims and tourists.
Now we’re on what Lisbonites refer to as ‘the other side’ or ‘south bank’. Although rather less vibrant perhaps than the north bank, it nevertheless has some glorious beaches and, more importantly, a handful of quality courses. Turn right shortly after leaving the bridge and you’ll soon find Aroeira, which has two of them!
Set within a gated community about three-quarters of an hour from the capital with dozens of smart holiday homes, tennis courts, swimming pools and, in 2026 maybe, a hotel, they are blissfully walkable, pretty parkland courses.
Aroeira has entered into an exciting new rebranding as PGA Aroeira Lisboa. The 36-hole venue and both courses will be the subject of a major investment creating the only PGA National in Portugal and putting it alongside the likes of previous Ryder Cup hosts like Gleneagles and The Belfry.
The PGA partnership further strengthens the reputation of one of the country’s premier golf destinations.
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Aroeira 1, which was called Aroeira Pines Classic, was designed by Frank Pennink and hosted the Portuguese Open back in ‘96 and ’97. The only disappointment is that, although both courses are no more than 600 yards from the ocean, neither affords not even the slightest glimpse of the sea, which is hidden behind a massive sandy hill. Feeling weary, I couldn’t quite summon up the energy to clamber over it and thus missed out on the golden beaches of the Costa de Caparica.
Aroeira is one of half-a-dozen golf developments in the Lisbon area that got into difficulties during the recent economic downturn and was taken over by a company called Details, who also own several other top tracks in Portugal. They are in the process of improving the condition of both 1 and 2, which was called Aroeira Challenge.
They have done a lot. When they took it over, the course was rather gloomy and so they set about letting more light in. They achieved this principally by thinning the umbrella pines that flourish throughout the course. Some were felled, others had the upper branches removed. The beneficial effect was immediate. They also improved the drainage, sowed more grass, rebuilt the bunkers, laid more turf and replaced the thirty-year-old sprinklers with more modern equipment. They have also formed an alliance with the PGA and playing the course today is very different to what it was even five years ago.
The gentle terrain is still there, as are the magnificent houses that border parts of the course, but it’s far brighter and lighter than it was. And the course will surely get even better just as the handsome fish in the three lakes, fed a diet of Titleist and Callaway golf balls, will doubtless grow even bigger. It’s great fun to play with most holes starting from an elevated tee and finishing on a smallish green.
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Similar work is to be done to improve the No 2 course. They’ve already started and the scent from the splintered pine trees is quite intoxicating. The properties that border the course are somewhat inferior to those flanking No 1 but they do steadily improve as the round progresses. It’s somewhat tighter than its neighbour and there are a lot more water-hazards to negotiate.
The ground is gently undulating and the greens are in good condition. Precision rather than power is required and it’s easily walkable although buggies are available. The course is to be closed next summer to enable the rest of the remedial work to be carried out, but it should be well worth the wait.
Well worth the three-hour journey towards the Algarve is our next course Palmares, which has three nines. The Alvor is on the elevated areas of the site and is predominantly parkland; Lagos combines parkland and dunes and is named after the two small lakes contained within it; and Praia, laid out upon the site’s lowlands, presents a links’ experience and is built upon impressive natural and restored coastal dunes. Even though I had played it before I wasn’t quite prepared for the significant changes that have been made since I last tackled it nearly ten years ago.
The Alvor is on the elevated areas of the site and is predominantly parkland; Lagos combines parkland and dunes and is named after the two small lakes contained within it; and Praia, laid out upon the site’s lowlands, presents a links experience thanks to impressive natural and restored coastal dunes.
Robert Trent Jones II, who has been described as a ‘landscape poet’, has designed golf courses throughout the last four decades across six continents, and like his much-vaunted father before him, he is a true master of his terrain. At the opening, I remember him commenting, “We studied the land at great length, in order that the golf course would have the minimum impact upon it. In fact Mother Nature is the best master and the best architect, so we follow her. Never fight with Mother Nature. We follow the land, and let the land evoke a response to us.”
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The Alvor nine plays through pine tree-lined corridors with the majority of holes ascending hillsides or descending through intimate valleys. The parkland setting disappears momentarily and the area of mature trees is replaced with a series of more exposed holes. A momentary preview of the dunes holes to come is also provided at the sixth and seventh holes. As the round concludes, the course ascends once again into parkland.
The Lagos nine begins with the same parkland character, incorporating the only two lakes found on the entire site in the short par-three third hole and the long par 4 6th. The 7th and 8th immerse golfers in expansive dunes on the south-west portion of the site before the loop concludes by ascending back to the clubhouse amid a more parkland setting.
The Praia is classic seaside dunes-land exposed to the elements. Four seaside holes are bracketed by the beach and the railway line that stretches to Faro after descending from a parkland setting.
Abruptly, the second hole whisks golfers into the true coastal links, which continues to the closing hole: a strong, uphill par-five, rising back out of the dunes through a deep valley to an amphitheatre just below the delightful clubhouse.
In Robert Trent Jones’ own words: “The links park, with natural dunes land, it’s very rare … it’s a kind of soft Scotland. A much warmer Scotland…” Indeed, it is very much warmer.
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About Clive Agran:
Clive Agran is a travel writer for NCG. His book, ‘Two Ruddy Ducks and a Partridge on a Par Three’, is a hysterical collection of spoof letters allegedly written by a Mr Mortimer Merriweather. All are connected with golf and the book is available in all good bookshops and on Amazon.
NCG Top 100s Rankings
Both Aroeira and Palmares are comfortably inside the top 50 on the NCG Top 100s: European Resorts list, and it is not difficult to understand why.
Both venues offer up a variety of golf, along with stunning accommodation and incredible views. Not to mention, the year-round sun that Portugal also has to offer!
RELATED – NCG Top 100s: Aroeira
RELATED – NCG Top 100s: Palmares
RELATED – NCG Top 100s: European Resorts
VISIT THEM – Aroeira Website
VISIT THEM – Palmares Website
Now have your say
Have you ever been fortunate enough to play at either Aroeira or Palmares? Is Portugal next on your list for golf? Let us know your thoughts with a post on X, formerly Twitter!