Destination Golf Portugal 2015 2015 | Page 72

www.destinationgolf.ie Quinta do Peru Golf & Country Club Aroeira I Quinta do Peru Golf & Country Club Aoeira I is located 20 minutes from Lisbon, to the south of the River Tagus, Aroeira offers golfers the perfect combination of a championship course set amidst exuberant natural surroundings. Frank Pennink designed this course in a pinewood dotted with wild flowers, which is a nature reserve inhabited by many different species of birds. Because of its densely wooded nature, the British press have christened this course the “Lisbon Wentworth”, due to its similarity with the famous golf course near London. In 1996 and 1997, Aroeira hosted the Portuguese Open on the European Tour. Make sure not to leave the area before taking some time to contemplate the vast expanse of sand, sea and sky close to the course at Costa de Caparica, a beach that lies at the foot of a fossile reef (a protected natural area). With the Arrábida mountains as its backdrop, the Quinta do Peru golf course offers amateurs a pleasant game, whilst also presenting a challenge for professionals. The course’s recognised quality has led to its hosting several events, including the Grande Final of the UAP Challenge Tour in 1995 and 1996. The front nine can be quite tricky, as the many trees and wild flowers need to be avoided. A real feature hole on this course is the par-3 eight. This 200-yard hole requires a precise shot over water to an undulating green. Aside from the great course, tourism is always popular in this region. Don’t forget to enjoy a drive or a walk through the Serra Aroeira II Oeiras Golf A new course in the Lisbon area, this course has a fairly different concept of golf from Aroeira I, consisting of large fast greens. Despite the inviting nature of its greens, the course becomes increasingly difficult as you work your way around the front nine. Unlike its older sister course, the new course has bunkers on the fairways, some of them in the Scottish style of pot bunkers. But the sand traps are not the only obstacle that have to be taken into account as the course also have five large lakes, water is a fairly constant hazard, particularly at the last nine holes. Oeiras Golf & Residence is located in the municipality of Oeiras, next to the Tagus Park. Its superb location is just minutes from the centre of Oeiras, the city of Lisbon and Cascais and close to main roads such as the A5 highway. A 9-hole golf course, drivingrange and clubhouse form part of a new residential complex that includes Semi-Detached Houses, Townhouses, and Apartments. 70