Quinta do Lago was the first
course designed by an American golf architect in Portugal.
The areas at his disposal could not have been better.
Umbrella-pinewoods, on a slightly undulating ground,
and the Ria Formosa National Park in the background,
full of migratory birds that usually take shelter there,
with the constant presence of the mild Atlantic breeze,
offered to William Mitchell like a picture canvas. But
almost as important as nature, a new concept of resort
was introduced into Portugal, were the "great"
and the "good" combined with exceptional imagination,
to form a concept that in a certain way still stands
in Quinta do Lago and turns it into one of the most
attractive places all over Europe.
Quinta do Lago, whose leitmotiv is quality, introduced
a new standard of golf maintenance to Portugal, that
was unusual for us and that accounts for the enormous
flow of tourists that has invaded Quinta do Lago and,
in a way, the entire Algarve. As a matter a fact, for
the first time it was possible to play all the year
round without preferred lies, because on the fairway
the ball was always in an impeccable lie. It was the
quality of maintenance and the quality of its managers
and employees that has made the charisma of Quinta do
Lago survive, beyond all the hardships it endured in
the revolutionary period after 1974.
Quinta do Lago now has four nine-hole courses, the first
three designed by W. Mitchell and the 4th by Joe Lee
and W. Roquemore, who later on did the San Lorenzo,
on the Quinta do Lago estate.
All the courses have excellent holes; but the best ones
are probably the par 5's - 3rd on the 'A', 5th on the
'B', l8th on the 'C' and 11th on the 'A + D' course
combination.
In our opinion, the most remarkable one is the 5th on
the 'B' course, with a fairway winding through the pinewood,
two bunkers that catch all the slices and hooks, allowing
a second stroke to the green over the umbrella-pines,
that is always possible for long hitters.
Two bunkers protect the elevated green in front and
on the right. This is the best hole in the whole course.
The par-3 6th on the 'C' course is another unforgettable
hole for every player, at least amongst those who leave
a total of more than a thousand balls in its lake every
week. It is 200 metres long from the back tee to the
green and has the lake over 60 metres wide between.
Courses A/D have been connected to form what is today
the "Quinta do Lago Norte".
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