West cliffs - 16 POINTS

West Cliffs has been one of the most heralded new golf course launches in Europe in recent years. The US architect, Cynthia Dye, has designed this course - sculpted out of the dunes near the Atlantic Coast in Portugal. It’s located very close to Royal Obidos and Praia d’El Rey and is already proving a very popular spot.

It’s clear from when you arrive at the clubhouse that no expense has been spared in the development of this facility. The clubhouse is done very well - an open plan bar/dining room with great views over the driving range and 10th hole - and a high quality pro shop. This is golf on a big budget.

The 1st tee is a little bit of a walk away, around the back of the clubhouse. In fact, I should pause right here. It is a little bit of a walk away but you should think seriously about taking a buggy. I hate myself for writing that. I pretty much walk every golf course I play but I should have made an exception here. It was my second 18 holes of the day and I could barely walk by the end of it. There are some really long walks between greens and the next tee (and I do mean really long…….) and a lot of elevation changes. I think in that respect the layout is a real challenge but you can overcome it with use of a buggy.

I was met on the first tee by a very friendly starter. From speaking to others who have played there, and from my own experience, one of the main parts of his job is to try to get your expectations set and steer you towards a set of tees. He asked me my handicap (12) and suggested I play the ‘55’ tees. This means the course plays 5,500 meters (or 6,000 yards) from them. I am a big fan of playing the right tees but this is probably a little shorter than I would normally consider - I would have normally gone off of the ‘59s’.

The reason he suggested these tees became apparent as the round went on. Even from these ‘forward’ tees there are a lot of long carries on the course. When I say long I mean around 200 yards. The problem is if you are short then you are dead in very very thick vegetation. This can also make for slow rounds as people spend so much time looking for their balls. 4 hours 30 minutes is the target length for a round, I suspect it takes most people longer than that on average.

I had been warned in advance about the penal nature of anything but the fairway and had been a little worried about that. Actually, it didn’t impact me massively. The fairways are much wider than I had expected (and wider than they look from the tee on most occasions) so you have to be pretty wild to lose one to the left or right. However losing a ball short of the fairway must happen a lot. I think this is a design issue if truth be told, it will impact some player’s' enjoyment of their round and definitely slows things down.

Anyway, enough moaning. The course itself started with a very pleasant par 4. A good drive and short iron is all that is needed and the second hole is then a short downhill par 3. All very civilised and nothing to be too scared of! You are aware in these early holes of the development going on as houses are getting built and you aren’t really ‘away from it all’ yet but don’t worry, that will come.

The par 3 5th is a lovely Redan, the green slopes from front right to back left with a bunker protecting it deeply on the left hand side. This is one of the first greens to have a really significant slope on it too - there are a few juicy ones to come! I had read that the greens were a little too much to handle in places but I would say that there were only one or two which were really tricky, just make sure you spend a bit of time thinking through your options before committing.

The grass was actually lovely to putt on. Earlier in the day I had played Praia d’El Rey and the ball seemed to go on for ever there. At West Cliffs the greens are composed of bentgrass and the effect was it really felt you could attack putts which pulled up a little still too. I was a big fan.

Things start to get a little harder on the 6th. Both the 6th and 7th are par 5s coming in at over 500 yards. The 7th is a particular challenge with a Pine Valley style ‘Hell’s Half Acre’ to cross before a tough uphill shot to a well protected green. There is not respite with a long carry required at the 8th.

You return to the clubhouse via the fun 9th hole. The question on the tee is how much of the carry across the water to cut off to get you closer to the green - for an average hitter though you will still be faced with a heart-in-mouth approach over the water to get to the contoured green. It’s a good finish to the 9 for sure.

The 10th hole sits in front of the clubhouse and the range and is just a beautiful looking hole. Get a good drive over the scrub and you will have a short iron in.

I think it would be fair to say that the back 9 feels a little tighter off the tee than the front 9. The 14th would be a good example of this. From the tee all you can see is the scrub tee and a tiny slither of green. Actually, when you get up into the hitting area though you will see there’s plenty of space but that doesn’t help you relax when hitting your driver. The green on 14 is something that Tom Doak would have been proud to create too, making this an all round tough proposition.

The back tee on the par 3 16th is one of the very oddest holes I have ever seen on a golf course. You are basically hitting over scrubland, a dune (with the next tees on) and more scrubland to a green you can’t see. Visually intimidating and there must be a lot of balls hit from there never to be found again. From the forward tees it was a fun flick with a wedge but I was glad to not be further back.

The 9 closes, like the front 9, with an approach shot over water to a well protected green. It’s nice to have a downhill tee shot and if you are going take on the green in 2 it needs a long iron to get there - a great finishing hole for matchplay.

The course never really gets close to the coast (you can only see the cliffs in the distance) which was a bit of a surprise but this is sandy ground nonetheless and the ball runs well. As I say I loved the greens and there is very little rough to talk about. You are either on the short stuff or dead.

West Cliffs definitely has some flaws - the long walks, the long carries - . but it also has some high moments. There are some lovely design features, the greens are clever but playable and the holes themselves have been very well though out and are fun. Just make sure you take a buggy if it’s your second round of the day and be prepared to be out there for quite a while.

BOOKING THE COURSE

You can book very easily online. The official West Cliffs website actually links you to the golfinportugal.com website who handle all the bookings. It’s the same system as neighbouring Praia d’El Rey uses and is pleasantly straightforward. Like Praia d’El Rey, the tee times are excellent value. Peak months here are March-June where you can expect to pay €96 (in 2024), dropping to €63 off-peak. This really does represent great value at any time of the year.

Prices correct as of August 2023.

TOUR TIPS

West Cliffs is well worth seeing for sure but I would also recommend you get along to nearby Praia d’El Rey on your visit to this area. If you are just doing one of the courses then you can do it in a day trip from Lisbon but there is plenty of golf around here so if you are thinking of staying for a couple of nights then you should consider staying at the onsite Marriott hotel.

The hotel was the most crazy good value when I went in February. I paid €90 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 €40 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 €120 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 Portugese 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 are likely to be lovely conditions.

CONTACT DETAILS

West Cliffs Golf Course
Estrada do Rio Cortiço, 4,
2510-665, Portugal

Tel - +351 262 249 880
Web - www.westcliffs.com/en/

CONSIDER ALSO -

BACK TO PORTUGAL →