praia d’el rey - 16 POINTS

An hour’s drive north of Lisbon, on the Atlantic coast, you will find Praia d’El Rey - one of Portugal’s very best golf courses. It is a very unusual course in that it is both parkland and links. The front 9 plus largely inland and the stretch from 6 to 9 are as serene as any well established parkland course in the world. Then in the back 9 your are whisked off to blown out dunes, wide fairways and cunning run-off areas. After this magical ride the course comes back to a more traditional parkland feel for the closing hole. It really is an unusual mix which you may question before playing it, but somehow it works!

I first played Praia d’El Rey almost 20 years ago, not long after the course had first opened. Since then it’s impossible to ignore the fact that there has been a lot of residential building around the course. Some have lamented that and said the course has been significantly diminished as a result. I think that’s a very extreme view. In reality the properties don’t impinge on the course at all. This isn’t like some Florida layout with back gardens adjoining the fairways, they are set well back. That may have an aesthetic impact, but it’s not a deal breaker for me.

The club has a nice atmosphere to it. The staff are really helpful and there are very good practice facilities at hand for both long and short game. I’m glad to say that the hire clubs are of a good standard too if you don’t have yours with you. A smashed driver thanks to Ryanair meant I had cause to find out!

The first hole will give you a taste of what is to come on this opening stretch. While trees are in view it’s fairly open but around the greens things get interesting. The front 9 holes are generally defined by being pretty narrow in places and undulating. It took me a while to find my feet, coming mid winter from the slightly slower East Lothian greens. These were very fasts with all kinds of breaks on them around the hole. Pace was absolutely key and it was hard not to see the ball drift pass 4 or 5 feet every time.

These early holes are pretty benign really which is to be applauded - who wants to be beaten up by the 5th tee? But with a par 3, 4 and 4 all in the first 3 holes you will have used plenty of clubs on the bag.

The 4th is one of those short par 4s where you wonder coming off the green how you could possibly have taken a 7! An iron and wedge is really all that is needed here but if you are tempted into hitting a driver then you get all your deserve I guess….!

There is then a lovely stretch of proper parkland holes. The 5th is a really challenging long par 4 before getting to the gorgeous 6th hole (pictured here). These holes are defined by small greens which are well protected by bunkers and trees so you really need to have the right club in your hand for your approach shots and choose your lines carefully.

The course then changes dramatically on the back 9. The par 5 10th and par 3 11th are both pleasant enough holes but then the 12th sweeps you up to a green near the coast and the next 3 holes are pure links golf.

The 13th is a lovely short par 4, the 14th a gettable par 3 and then the 15th is a par 4 that swoops down a steep hill. The fairways are wide, ball runs for ever and dunes surround you. This is exhilarating golf of the highest order. If there were 18 holes like this this would be one of the top 10 courses on the continent for sure. Alas, it cannot last forever and we soon turn back inland for the closing stretch, more reminiscent of the early holes.

I really enjoyed Praia d’El Rey. To play two styles of golf which are so different in the same round is fun and the conditioning of the course in February when I played was just superb. There are many golf courses that equate ‘good’ with ‘beat-you-up-difficult’. This is not one of them. It is no pushover at all but it is entirely fair and fun. If you are in the area it would be a real shame not to play this lovely course. Enjoy!

BOOKING THE COURSE

You can book very easily online. Tee times are also very good value. In the off season months - winter and summer - you will play around €62, rising to €96 in the peak months of spring and autumn. This really does represent great value.

Prices accurate as of July 2023

TOUR TIPS

I imagine that most visitors to Praia d’El Rey will also be playing at nearby West Cliffs (managed by the Praia d’El Rey staff). Therefore, you could do a lot worse than consider staying at the onsite Marriott hotel.

The hotel was the most crazy good value when I went in February. I paid €110 for a double room which included breakfast. They also gave me a €50 resort credit in that too which I spent on a lovely meal and couple of glasses of local beer. So basically if was €60 for the night in a really nice room. The weather in February was great - 17 degrees centigrade with wall to wall sun - so as an offseason trip this was perfect. Even in the peak months in May and September you can get a double room for around €150 so I would recommend considering this option seriously.

The only other consideration would be that this isn’t going to give you the height of Portuguese nightlife but it’s very convenient for the golf and you could always taxi from here into nearby Obidos for a bit more authentic fun.

There is plenty of good golf around this area. I’ve not played Royal Obidos but it is right next door so would be an obvious course to add if you wanted to stay in this area. However, I would also suggest you spend some time in Lisbon (an hour away) as well, and Oitavos Dunes is very easy to get to from there. Slightly further afield is the sandbelt-like Troia Golf Club, so it is possible to spend a few days travelling around the Lisbon area playing some really pleasant golf in what is likely to be lovely conditions.

CONTACT DETAILS

Praia d’El Rey Golf Course
Avenida Dom Pedro Primeiro,
2510-452 Vale de Janelas,
Portugal

Tel - ++351 262 905 005
Web - https://www.praia-del-rey.com/en/activities-golf

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