Quinta da Marinha Golf
Rua do Clube, Cascais 2750-715, Portugal.
GPS; LAT; 38º 41' 50" N. LONG: 9º 27' 10" W.
Quinta da Marinha Golf
Based in Cascais, Lisbon
Located on the famous Estoril Coast, 25km from Lisbon, the Quinta da Marinha Golf Course is set in a private estate of 110 hectares, wooded with pine trees.
The main characteristics of this challenging yet very enjoyable Course are the elevated greens and tees, combined with many bunkers in play and some water hazards. It offers fantastic panoramic views over the Atlantic Ocean and the Sintra Mountains. Every hole is different, you will have to use all the clubs in the bag and play with strategy to make a good score.
You start with a drive to a wide opening fairway lined on its edges by umbrella pines. The fairway narrows the further you drive, but we are not talking about a premium on accuracy here, more like a premium on enjoyment. The Par 3s are the real highlight and begin with the 2nd hole, which has a lake hard to the left and bunker to the right. If you find sand, your escape will be perilous as you splash out towards the water and attempt to hold the narrow green. The Quinta da Marinha hotel is right next to the tee.
The most spectacular hole on this Course is hole number 3 - one of the most famous and photographed holes of Portuguese Golf - a Par 4 of 334 metres sloping down towards the sea. Once on the green, the golfer has the Atlantic Ocean as background. The legend of Trent Jones about the tree of hole 3; The story says that during the construction of the Golf Course, in 1984, there was a debate about the "famous" tree of hole 3. They were on the Tee, Robert Trent Jones Sr, Cabell Robinson (who worked for RTJ) and the owner of the Golf Course. Apparently the tree was in the way of what would be a "Must Drive" hole. Cabell Robinson and the owner argued about the tree. The young Cabell Robinson wanted to remove the tree, to allow a possible aggressive shot towards the green. The owner was not convinced, because he thought the tree would give a particular touch to the hole. The tree is still there today!
The following hole, the 4th, a Par 3 requires a very precise shot for the ball to cross a natural ravine and reach a demanding green. Another terrific short hole is the 5th, played over a lake to an elevated green surrounded by three large traps. The 6th is another stellar Par 4, an acute dog-leg that is verging on an S-Shaped fairway that concludes in a gorgeous green surrounded by pines and Royal Melbourne-style bunkers.
Try to avoid water around the green of the Par 5 10th, ominously called “The Lakes”. Hole 13 you need to play over a big lake to an elevated green, well protected by 4 bunkers. Then the stunning 14th, which plays parallel to the Atlantic Ocean and is a thriller of a Par 3 over a ravine to an acorn- shaped green that is especially unforgiving to anything a little offline. The 15th is spectacular stuff, played downhill from left-to-right with the Atlantic visible over the tops of the trees beyond the green. It is a splendid risk-reward hole which is reachable (360 yards) with a tailwind and a hard bounce but where bushes close to the edges of the fairway and green mean anything offline might never be seen again. The final hole, a beautiful Par 5, with two lakes has a green completely surrounded by water.
The Quinta da Marinha Golf course opened in 1984 and was designed by Robert Trent Jones.
18 holes, Par 71
White; 5870 m, Slope 133
Yellow; 5595 m, Slope 131
Blue; 5127 m, Slope 130
Red; 4758 m, Slope 125
The total length is 5870 m
Handicap; Men; 28 Ladies; 36
Facilities; Restaurant, bar, pro shop, driving range, pitching area, putting green, practice area, golf academy, rental clubs, trolleys and buggies.
Quinta da Marinha Golf Course address; Rua do Clube, Cascais 2750-715, Portugal.
Quinta da Marinha Golf Course GPS; LAT; 38º 41' 50" N. LONG: 9º 27' 10" W.