Golf in Algarve

Quinta do Lago North at a Glance – Reopening

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Tee Times Algarve Golf - Quinta do Lago North Course

Tee Times Algarve Golf – Quinta do Lago North Course

Tee Times Algarve Golf – Quinta do Lago North at a Glance – Reopening in October 2014 – Algarve, Portugal

The eyes of the European golf industry are set to be on Quinta do Lago in October when it unveils its eagerly-awaited totally revamped North Course – predicted to become one of the new stars of European golf.

Redesigned by renowned American architect Beau Welling in close collaboration with European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley, the new layout has been built to the highest specifications with a €9.6m investment programme and is in line to become the new number one course at the prestigious family resort.

“North Course: A great addition to Europe’s leading golf destination.” McGinley

The North Course has been redeveloped with the emphasis firmly on precision and strategy. While many modern-day developments tend to focus on length, Welling and McGinley have been keen to design a golfing experience where accuracy and course management are the key factors, and a course that is playable and fun for golfers of all abilities.

Welling, who has worked on more than 90 projects worldwide, said: “We have kept the routing of the North Course intact, but we have totally reworked the golf experience within the existing corridors.  Specifically, we have worked very hard to make the experience more playable for higher handicappers while at the same time created precise target areas for the better player looking to score.

“The North Course will rival the very best.” Welling

“Paul has been great to work with. He is very passionate about golf in general, but he has a particular and keen interest in Quinta do Lago.

“We quickly realised we were very much “aligned” in  terms of what we wanted to see happen with the improvements to the North Course, so collaboration has been easy.  We both put a big premium on playability, but also in asking golfers to use their creativity when approaching a shot. The new experience of the North Course is going to require strategic thinking and have a lot of shot values, no doubt a big imprint of Paul’s influence.”

Tee Times Algarve Golf - Quinta do Lago North at a Glance

Tee Times Algarve Golf – Quinta do Lago North at a Glance

Among the changes introduced on the 6,776-yard course which has been closed since last December, all greens, tees, bunkers, irrigation, drainage systems and cart paths have been rebuilt using the latest state-of-the-art technology, with four sets of tees introduced on each hole to accommodate players of all levels.

With the existing turf on all tees, fairways and greens having been stripped back, the final figures for completing such an ambitious project make impressive reading, with 379,800 tonnes (211,000 cubic metres) of earth moved on site during the redevelopment.

“North Course: Golf at Quinta do Lago just gets better and better.” McGinley

An amazing 93.5km of new piping has been fitted on the redeveloped layout while the wide range of different jobs that have been carried have included:

Stripping existing grass; Earthworks; Sand extraction; Rough shaping; Lake installation; Drainage installation; Irrigation installation; Golf features construction; Cart path installation;
Final grading; Sand capping; Final preparation and floating; Sod fairways and tees; Seed roughs and greens; Grow in; Environmental management.

While the routing of the course has not changed, Quinta do Lago has addressed golf course strategy to make the par-72 layout significantly more playable for all golfers, while still being a challenging test for the better players.

Tee Times Algarve Golf - Quinta do Lago North at a Glance - Course Map

Tee Times Algarve Golf – Quinta do Lago North at a Glance – Course Map

A low-cut Bermuda grass approach has been introduced around greens to create a myriad of recovery shot options for increased satisfaction on all levels of play. The aesthetics of the golf course have also significantly improved through the introduction of a cool season rough grass and the select planting of native grasses and specimen trees to help the environment.

“A must-play venue on any golfing trip to the Algarve.” McGinley

The renovation has also allowed Quinta do Lago to further reduce the impact on the environment by using recycled water and solar energy to maintain the course. The reduction of grassed areas will lessen the impact on the environment and the new design will include the creation of some new animal and plant habitats.

John Dwyer, chief executive of Quinta do Lago, said: “I think people will be blown away by the North Course.  It is going to be very different but very playable and a real challenge, and it will be one that members and visitors will want to play again and again.

“We have focused on building a course that will be the best presented in Europe once it opens and we couldn’t be happier with the work that has taken place.”

“One of the most enjoyable new golf experiences in mainland Europe.” McGinley

Set amongst 2,000 acres of the picturesque Ria Formosa Natural Park, Quinta do Lago is one of the most highly regarded golf and residential developments in the Algarve since opening in 1972. Located just 15 minutes from Faro airport, the resort offers residents and guests an unparalleled location benefiting from a year-round temperate climate, a variety of lifestyle pursuits and a strong sense of community.

Since its inception, Quinta do Lago has been at the forefront of European golf with three 18-hole championship courses – Quinta do Lago North and South courses and Laranjal – matched by outstanding practice facilities at the Paul McGinley Academy and the new TaylorMade Fitting Center, which gives golfers the chance to enjoy the ultimate club-fitting experience by providing them with the tools and techniques used by professionals on tour.

“A course golfers will want to play again and again.” McGinley

Away from the fairways, the resort’s extensive leisure facilities guarantee there is plenty to keep everyone occupied with events, tennis, cycling and watersports just some of the activities available.

Quinta do Lago’s stunning location by the beach offers the perfect place to relax and unwind while the resort’s wide array of restaurants, both formal and informal, take advantage of the fresh Mediterranean produce that the region has become famous for.

Source: Quinta do Lago

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European Senior Tour 2014 returns to Portugal

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Tee Times Portugal Golf - European Senior Tour 2014 - Vidago Palace - 12-14 September 2014

Tee Times Portugal Golf – European Senior Tour 2014 – Vidago Palace – 12-14 September 2014

Tee Times Portugal Golf – European Senior Tour 2014 returns to Portugal – Vidago Palace – Oporto – 12th to 14th September ’14

The European Senior Tour will return to Portugal for the first time since 2011 when Vidago Palace hosts the Senior Open de Portugal, from September 12-14.

The luxurious hotel and golf resort, situated north of Porto, re-opened in 2010 on the centenary of its inauguration in 1910.

The 6,899 yard, par 72 course at Vidago Palace was built in 1936 and originally designed by MacKenzie Ross before undergoing a redesign from golf architecture firm Cameron & Powell in 2010.

A key feature of the course is the use throughout of the local pink granite stone walling, built using redundant and disused field walls from the area which have were salvaged for the project.

It will now host a Senior Tour event for the first time following an agreement with Porto and the Northern Portugal Tourism Board (Associação do Turismo do Porto), with the field competing for a prize fund of €225,000.

Tee Times Portugal Golf - European Senior Tour - Vidago Palace - 12-14 September 2014

Tee Times Portugal Golf – European Senior Tour – Vidago Palace – 12-14 September 2014

The Senior Open de Portugal last featured on the Senior Tour schedule three years ago, when Welshman Mark Mouland triumphed at Belas Clube de Campo, near Lisbon, with former World Number One Ian Woosnam among those in contention during the final round.

In total, the Senior Tour has visited Portugal eight times, while the Senior Tour Qualifying School has been played on the Algarve since 2001.

Andy Stubbs, Managing Director of the European Senior Tour, said: “The European Senior Tour has an excellent, long-standing relationship with Portugal, established over many years through various regular tournaments as well as our annual Qualifying School, so we are delighted to return with this exciting event.

“This is the first time we have held an event in the northern region of Portugal and we are sure the magnificent Vidago Palace will prove a hugely popular venue with our players and staff, as well as the spectators.

“We would like to express our gratitude to Porto and Northern Portugal Tourism Board (Associação do Turismo do Porto – ATP) for their significant support, while this tournament would not have happened without the ambition and drive of the people at Vidago Palace.”

Helena Gonçalves, Associação do Turismo do Porto Executive-Director, said: “An initiative like this has never been properly established in this region before. The Tourism Board will do its utmost to promote this event, as the success of this event will help showcase Porto and north Portugal as a perfect golf destination in Portugal, exploring the very best we have to offer. This includes four World Heritages Sites by UNESCO, historical cities, rivers, the ocean, mountains, a perfect blend of old and new, authentic traditions and genuine people, the home of Port Wine, excellent gastronomy and wines, safety and security, traditional and cool shopping, culture at its best, and absolute value for money.”

Vidago Palace’s Golf Director, Alexandre Barroso, said: “Two years ago a small group of hotels, five 18’s Holes Golf Courses and a service company joined together, with the support of Tourism Board of Porto and North, to showcase this region internationally, and this tournament is another major step forward for us.”

“The Senior Open de Portugal will help accelerate this process, and at the same time will give the Vidago Palace the opportunity to put itself among the best golf resorts in Europe. The major works we undertook from 2006 to 2010, which saw a total reconstruction of the hotel and golf course, placed Vidago Palace as a unique Resort. I like to say now that it is a new hotel with more than 100 years of history.”

In addition to the 2011 Belas Clube de Campo Senior Open de Portugal, the country has also hosted the Daily Telegraph European Seniors Match Play Championship in 2001 and 2002, the Senior Tour Championship from 2002-2004, the Senior Open of Portugal in 2005 and 2006, and the 2008 Azores Senior Open.

Source: europeantour.com, vidagopalace.com.

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Tee Times Portugal Golf: National Club Championship – Vilamoura Men’s Champion

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Tee Times Portugal Golf: National Club Championship Solverde – Vilamoura Men’s Three-time Champion – Miramar makes history in Women’s.

15th Title in the history of the Algarves’s Vilamoura Golf Club and the 1st for the Club from Gaia in women’s. Oporto, playing at home, guaranteed the 3rd place in men’s and Quinta do Fojo the 3rd place in women’s.

The Vilamoura Golf Club, on the men’s tournament, and the Miramar Golf Club, in the female, confirmed the favoritism that was given to them in the start of the National Club Championship Solverde and imposed themselves on the finals of yesterday (Sunday the 24th August ’14).

Both the Algarve’s as well as the golfers from Gaia had won the first round of the tournament in stroke play and in the last three days also dominated in match play. Were therefore unquestionable victories, achieved in this 51st edition of the competition that the Portuguese Golf Federation (FPG) organized in Oporto Golf Club in Espinho.

In the Nini Guedes de Queiroz Cup (the women’s tournament) it was made history in the competition because Miramar had never put his name on the trophy. Miramar defeated the champions of last year, the Quinta do Peru Golf & Country Club, for an enlightening 4-1. 

In Visconde de Pereira Machado Cup (men’s), Vilamoura prevented Miramar from becoming the third club to achieve the “double” by winning an even more overwhelming 5.5-1.5. It was the 3rd consecutive title for Vilamoura and the 15th title in their history, and is just one less of the national record of 16 for Club de Golf do Estoril. 

The last round, which started with fog and the temperature a little lower but at the end with sun and a little wind, decided the other classifications of the tournament. The other results, in addition to the end are as follows:

Nini Guedes de Queiroz Cup (women’s tournament): Quinta do Fojo Golf – Golf Club of Paço do Lumiar, 3.5 – 1.5. This result dictated the 3rd place of Quinta do Fojo and the 4th place of Paço do Lumiar.

Visconde de Pereira Machado Cup (men’s): Oporto Golf Club – Quinta do Peru, 5 – 2; Lisbon Sports Club – Club de Golf do Estoril, 3 – 2; Belas Clube de Campo – Oporto B, 3 – 2; Club Golf Terceira Island – Club Golf Center, 4-1; Quinta do Peru B – Oitavos Dunes, 5-0 (by forfeit of the Oitavos team).

Source: FPG (Portuguese Golf Federation)

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