Posted on May 10, 2024 in Travel & Golf.
Class at Dunas
What if we had tested, in all simplicity, the future number 1 course in Portugal and a very large one in Europe. This is our state of mind after having visited the Dunas golf course twice in Terras da Comporta.
Dunas Golf hole 12 Terras da Comporta
The Dunas Golf course in Terras da Comporta.
Located in Comporta, 1 hours south of Lisbon, at the bottom of the Troia peninsula. This latest Lusitanian golf project had the greatest difficulties in seeing the light of day.
It all started in 2008. The creation of the course was entrusted to the Scottish architect David McLay-Kidd who was able to reveal the extent of his talent. The work begins and barely a year later and a few holes made the developer goes bankrupt and the designer is asked to return home. Like a sea serpent, we regularly announce the restart of work. It was only in 2019 that Vanguard Properties took over the reins and called David McLay-Kidd back to finish the job. The course opens in summer 2023.
The choice of location is insane. Imagine dozens of hectares of pine forests nestled in the sandy dunes bordering the ocean (even if you never see them from the course). It's here in Terras da Comporta that Dunas Golf was born. It's impossible to distinguish the course from the main road. To reach the facilities, you still have to drive a good kilometer, because the jewel is well hidden.
As an appetizer, a little warm-up on the magnificent training area. Huge putting green and welcoming approach areas, XXL driving range on grass and ball pyramids available. A little touch of the place, the deep shooting range takes up the iconic design of the course. Bryson and Rory can come, no chance of ending up out of bounds.
Dunas Golf practice JFB
Before departure, a golf badge engraved with your name is given to you and will proudly sit on your bag for a very long time and will make your future playing partners envious of returning to your club.
With the cart in hand, you can now head towards the 6 levels of Dunas Golf tees with deltas of approximately 50m ranging from 3847m (children) Tee 38 to 6646m (big madmen) Tee 66. It is therefore very easy to adjust the starting positions to your level. If you play in your category you will have a lot of fun. And if like us, you have the privilege of playing this course several times, change your starting balls. The experience will be totally different. You will have the impression of playing almost another course and will be faced with a new challenge.
Design, flawless maintenance of Dunas Golf
The feeling of quality felt in the warm-up areas is confirmed and even reinforced from the 1st tee. The fairways are flat and wide, bordered by a light, rather friendly rough which prevents your balls from sliding into the vast waste bunkers, sandy areas before the forest which act as real rough. If you land there, don't panic, enjoy the place which looks like a Japanese garden. A few plants here and there, stay calm. A good touch of the ball and that's it. The real danger is the bunkers, cunningly placed at the falloff points of the drive or on the greens. In our opinion, this is one of the key aspects of the course. Not necessarily for their placement, but mainly for their fantastically natural look. Imagine a furious Godzilla tearing chunks of fairway down to the sandy bottom with his claws and fangs. The result is striking. Here, there are no chiseled lips, but the opposite of raw nature, crowned with lacework of wild grass in a subtle balance of imbalance. Often very deep and generously, even a bit too much, provided with sand. At Dunas Golf, it's impossible not to see a connection with the Pinehurst Course #2, multiple host of the US Open (again in 2024).
Dunas Golf hole 1 bunker green JFB
At the end of the fairways, the Grail, rolling greens of fantastic quality. Immense, their depths vary from 30 to 50m, thus adding up to 4 clubs to catch the flag when it is placed at the bottom. If you find yourself on the green but far from the mast, the 3 putts will not be very far...
Dunas Golf green JFB
Hypnotic Dunas Golf
It's impossible for us to single out one or two signature holes, but you'll find at least a dozen. The par 3s are very well done, as are the par 4s and 5s. No hole is like the previous ones: straight ahead, doglegs, uphills, downhills. There's almost no chance of seeing a ball from another part land on your fairway, as the holes are so independent of each other. Only one slightly blind tee shot (the 12th) where, from the back tees, you can't really see where to play. There you go, I found a small flaw.
The best place to soak up and experience the quintessence of Dunas Golf in Terras de Comporta is at the 15th tee, slightly overhanging after the magnificent par 3 14th. There, the green of the course stretches out before you, embraced and split by immense sandy areas flanked by sublime pine trees.
Dunas Golf hole 15 JFB
The magicians of Dunas Golf
Impressed by the quality of the land, I asked Rodrigo Ulrich the director to learn his magic method. As a preamble, he explains to me that the maintenance conditions of the course I just played are the standard. This is the quality that every visitor should find throughout the year. Maintenance is carried out by a general greenkeeper Joao Machado supported by a brigade of 24 gardeners and a hydrologist engineer solely dedicated to the meticulous management of water. Rodrigo has also become John Deere's best friend as brand new eponymous machines abound on the golf course. Add to that a commitment zero phyto, a variety of grass that requires little water and is heat-resistant, and here we achieve the highest environmental criteria.
The Terras da Comporta Complex and its developments:
Vanguard Properties, the developer, is only in the early stages of the project. During 2025, the second 18 holes, designed by Sergio Garcia, will be open. Then, one or two high-end hotels should emerge, accompanied by numerous villas. This will strengthen the currently limited accommodation offer around Comporta.
If you are in the area for several days, a little golf combo Troy-Dunas is highly recommended. The Troia Peninsula is home to a magnificent golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones, which, far from being a showcase, will put you in the best conditions to experience Dunas Golf. Located about 20 minutes from Terras da Comporta, you will find, in addition to the golf course, hotels, a marina, a casino, and numerous beaches.
Octant Hotel, for another idea of stay
During our trip, we were accommodated south of Comporta about thirty minutes away in the charming village of Santiago do Cacem in Octant Hotel. Beautiful, modern establishment with swimming pool and benefiting from authentic catering highlighting local products and dishes. The hotel is a partner of Dunas golf and offers attractive packages.
Information on Terras da Comportas and Dunas Golf:
Horizon Resort Massane: a golf complex that’s greener than green
Northern Ireland, game of golf
Heritage le Telfair Golf & Wellness Resort, or the ultimate Mauritian experience
