Quinta do Lago (Laranjal)

Big open golf course this , very American in style, front 9 ok back 9 much better with the best holes around or over water, big hitters will love the fact you can pretty much open your shoulders and hit it as hard as you like a bit predictable but some like this style, not for me

I think it's a cleverly designed course that makes the most of its topography. It looks like a flat site but there are some elevation changes and uneven lies. The course starts out gently but then ramps up with some tough tee shots and carries over water. For some of the par 5s you have to negotiate water twice, once on the side and then once in front of you. This course keeps you on your toes.

The second nine is probably harder with the long par 3 16th hole a real head scratcher. I think the stroke average there must be closer to a 4 - it's a long hole (200 yards plus from the golds) and into the wind when we played. Left is OB, the green is undulating so even reaching the putting surface in regulation won't guarantee a par. Oh and there's a big bunker short right. Speaking of bunkers, we found that they were too soft. There was too much sand in them in our view, especially in the fairway bunkers. Perhaps they had been recently filled and the sand hadn't compacted yet but it made a visit to any bunker quite treacherous.

I found the par 5 18th perhaps a bit tricked up. First it's a dogleg left with water left. You could try to carry that water but only have 30-40 yards of a landing area before there is more water protecting the shot to the green so you can run through. That green is tucked to the right. If you use an iron off tee, you can lay up with your second shot (only 130 yards) but then might have 180 yards into a narrow green. I was confused. I think I have to play it again but didn't find it particularly endearing.

Overall, Laranjal is a must visit when you're in the Algarve and you will be blown away by the presentation. It's beautiful. Whether I'd want to play it every day is another matter of course.

Maintained to the same impeccable standards as its two stablemates, the Laranjal is laid out as two returning nines (the order of play has recently been reversed) on a compact 115-acre site with plenty of width on the fairways to keep the pace of play at a reasonable four hours for a four-ball over eighteen holes. There are a few water hazards to negotiate, however, so you might not finish with the ball you start out with.

On the front nine, I liked the short par four 4th, where a ditch crosses the fairway before an uphill second shot is played to the green, and the par five 7th is well worth its stroke index 1 rating, playing from a raised tee platform to a fairway with water to the right on landing then water to the left of the green for the approach shot.

The back nine starts with the 10th hole running the length of an orange grove to the left of the fairway and this citrus theme continues for the next few holes before we climb to slightly higher ground on the other side of the little valley at the par four 14th and turn for home, with the next three holes routed along the eastern edge of the estate. I also liked the uphill short par four 17th with acres of sand in front of the green but the final hole (doglegging left around a couple of ponds) was, for me, one of the weaker holes on the card.

Nonetheless, I told a couple of people I was playing here before I left home and they both said I’d really enjoy playing here – they weren’t wrong, but I still prefer the South by some distance…

Jim McCann

Laranjal, was the first of three Quinta do Lago courses we played. This is a terrific course located a few kilometres from the it's more glamorous stable mates. The practice facilities are an improvement on the aforementioned North and South and the staff are extremely welcoming.

The course features mostly wide fairways with the real difficulties starting with the approach shots into sloping greens that are well protected by plenty of bunkers. Overall the course was in pristine condition which seemed to suit the longer hitters due to the nature of the greens. You really have to be accurate as missing greens or even getting in the wrong side of the hole invariably leads to difficult chips or nerve racking putts! I notice the course has been climbing up the rankings which to my mind is totally deserved as it never fails to impress.

Firstly, let me address the practice facilities. Across the road from the course lies the most amazing little area. Honestly I could have stayed there all day.

The first starts you with a gentle downhill par 4 with water on the side of the green. The slope runs down towards the water. It’s a great way to start. Then it’s par 3 with a green the length of a football pitch meaning it’s anything from an 8 iron to a 5 iron. Some par 4s follow each taking you along some gentle hills in differing directions before the Par 3 6th hole. Then it’s the magnificent Par 5 7th hole with its water right off the tee, middle for the 2nd and front and left of the green ensuring only the very longest and bravest would consider going for her. An unmemorable par 3 and standard Par 5 bring you home.

The back nine starts with a straight forward par 4 before a tricky short par 4 where, from playing from the back tee the choice is whether to carry the bunkers from the tee or not? Another par 3 where pin position dictates the difficulty followed by a Par 5, Par 4 and another Par 5 start bringing you in.

You are then faced with a long par 3 where anything left actually pulls you back onto the green. The short 17th is kind before the brilliant and inevitably short Par 5 finishing hole across yet more water from the tee and green dictates whether you are brave enough to attempt a long to mid iron in or if you’ll lay up?

What doesn’t get mentioned in those paragraphs is this isn’t a tough course if you can get club selection right in terms of the pin positions. Knowing the yardage is key, for the greens are her main defence. So often I found myself facing treacherous putts across or over mounds and slopes after miss clubbing. If I missed a green on the wrong side I had no shot left. The greens truly make this harder than the length suggests it should be.

Condition wise I described it as perfection. I didn’t have to search for a ball when I missed a fairway and ended in the pines or bark chippings. The trees sought the punishment rather than 3ft of rough. I don’t recall seeing a divot, the fairways where like carpets. The bunkers were regimented in sand depth and trimmed with the finest of margins.

What is also nice, unlike so many other courses is you don’t see a Villa or hotel anywhere nearby. In the Algarve it’s all about selling what’s around the course. All you have here is Orange trees. It’s not been ambushed by millionaires wanting to watch you from their poolside loungers. The clubhouse could almost be described as a hut. It’s not got the flashiness to it, unlike so many others. For Laranjal is just plain and simply all about the golf course.