Quinta Do Lago (South)

The battle had ebbed and flowed throughout the round.

I had the upper hand in the opening nine and was on the way to creating an unassailable 3-1 lead in our husband-versus-wife games in Portugal.

Then, Mrs W hit back with an array of fine scores, leaving us all square going into the penultimate hole.

I clipped onto the green of this tricky par-four with my third shot, leaving a good chance of par. In response, she chipped in for birdie!

And so the match was over. Incredibly, our playing partner almost followed suit, but his pitch for birdie hit the flag and finished an inch away from glory.

Our round at Quinta do Lago’s South Course had been a delight. Great company and a balmy day on the resort’s premium layout, which stands in favourable comparison with the best in Portugal.

It is only 55 years since the area was known as Quinta dos Ramalhos, a largely inaccessible estate featuring a 300-year-old derelict farmhouse and pine forests.

Brazilian developer André Jordan looked at the marshlands and envisioned an elite resort.

He acquired the land and moved quickly; within three years, he had built a bridge to the beach, created the central lake, and commissioned American architect William Mitchell to design the original 27 holes.

The course officially opened in 1974, but the timing was fraught with tension.

The "Carnation Revolution" military coup in Portugal caused significant social and political unrest. Due to the instability, Jordan fled back to Brazil and did not return to the resort until 1981.

Consequently, the inauguration was presided over by the commander of the revolution, Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho, with armed officers mingling among wealthy guests.

Under the current ownership of the O'Brien family, who acquired the resort in 1998, the South Course underwent a €7 million overhaul during the COVID-19 pandemic.

All 48 bunkers were restored to their original 1974 dimensions, and the fairways were resurfaced with a hybrid Bermuda grass for better consistency.

I digress.

We had already played the North and Laranjal courses and experienced the variety of two modern layouts. However, the South is iconic.

As soon as we teed off, its high standard was evident. Due to a members' competition, we started our day on the tenth, meaning we played the more dramatic back nine as our front half.

No matter. There is enough excitement throughout the South to keep players entertained.

The tenth is a straightforward opener, bending around to the right within an avenue of trees.

Already, it was clear that the condition of the tee boxes, fairways, greens, and bunkers was top-tier. It is followed by a key decision over club selection for the 11th—a steep, downhill par-three with a large circular green flanked by sand traps.

I spurned an opportunity for champagne on the 12th – a relatively short par-five where I chipped to about five feet with my approach. My putt, however, was miserably feeble.

The most memorable holes on this section of the course are arranged around the lake that first comes into play down the right-hand side of the par-four 14th.

It is even more prominent in the eyeline of the gorgeous par-three 15th, where a wide band of water lies between the tee and a heavily undulating green, accessed across a bridge.

The lake and distant marina provide the backdrop to the 16th, a short par-four that tests the nerve of those playing into the "infinity" green.

After finishing the 18th—a superb bending par-four between trees—I was well in command of our match, even having bettered our big-hitting companion.

However, his game elevated considerably as we moved onto our second nine (the course's traditional front nine), and Mrs W began her build towards that glorious finale.

The first tee has the intimidation factor of being positioned in front of a busy clubhouse, but we pinged our drives down a narrow fairway. Our playing partner smashed his tee shot into the trees but produced a remarkable recovery, leaving himself with a six-foot putt for birdie.

He missed that opportunity but seized his chance on the par-five second, and his "train" was well and truly steaming thereafter.

Some of the stellar properties that border the course frame the green for the third, a cracking par-four with a treacherous right-to-left fairway slope into a lake that will snaffle any shots falling short.

The subsequent run of holes is of high quality without reaching the same level of drama until the eighth, which provided plenty of excitement with Mrs W’s chip-in.

It meant she could stroll to victory on the ninth, a long par-four that dips and rises around fairway bunkers into another fiendish green.

So, our Quinta do Lago experience ended.

As said, the South is the premium choice, but a wonderful time would be had on any of the three courses.

Ongoing building work suggests even more investment is being made to attract high-end visitors to this gorgeous part of the Algarve.