Quinta Do Lago Laranjal Course Review

Situated in the heart of the Algarve in the spectacular Quinta Do Lago, The Laranjal course is the newest addition to the North and South Courses at the resort.

Opened for play in 2009, The Laranjal course was designed by Portuguese architect Jorge Santana da Silva, providing a different but still thoroughly enjoyable test to the North and South courses down the road.

I was fortunate enough to play here in late November, escaping from the wet and windy conditions the UK has to offer.

The Laranjal Course is about a five-minute drive away from the North and South, so slightly out of the way in relation to the main golf complex of Quinta.

I initially felt like this would make the course somewhat secluded, but it actually made it feel more like an individual golf club. A separate clubhouse, driving range and overall experience await you here, which I’ll detail down below.

You can take a quick peek at the course when you arrive, with the 1st and 18th being clearly visible as you walk towards the clubhouse.

The first thing that stood out to me as I analysed the Portuguese landscape in front of me was how open this course appeared in comparison to the North and South at Quinta Do Lago. The North is tight and tree lined. The South is surrounded by trees and pine straw. The Laranjal has various hazards that you can see (water mainly), but spraying a few drives didn’t seem to be that detrimental.

The Laranjal course has its own driving range and short game area across the road from the clubhouse, which is as luxury. A beautiful backdrop greeted us on a gorgeous November day in Portugal, and the wet winter weather of the UK felt like a distant memory.

The 1st hole was a gentle introduction to what the course had to offer, especially the tee shot. Appealing to the eye, it was the approach shot where the course showed its teeth, with water very close to the right side of the green, making any out to in swing path shiver in fear.

Fairway found, but pin placed frighteningly close to the water, I did manage to stick one close. We won’t talk about the putt.

This is when I feel like the standout stretch of the course begins, from the 2nd to the 7th hole. An aesthetically stunning par-3 welcomes you on the 2nd, and the large bunker to the right of the green welcomed my TaylorMade TP5x as I blamed a heel strike on a greenskeeper 400 yards away to keep me sane.

My playing partner hit a a sensible shot but just missed the green pin high left. This is where I noticed the real hazard of the course, the misses. If you miss poorly, the up and downs and near impossible, and you’re staring a bogey in the face despite hitting a good shot (or so you thought) off the tee.

The 3rd and 4th are intimidating par 4’s that will test even the best players positional play, with undulating greens and unpleasant 3-putts becoming a real possibility.

The peak of the course, for me, was the par 5 7th. An excellent hole that can play long or short, depending on the conditions and tees selected for your group. As the course was slightly wet, we played it at roughly 500 yards, but you could cut off a good chunk of it if you played dangerously close to the different sections of water on the fairway.

As I finished my front 9, I could sense that I was enjoying the course differently to the North and South at Quinta Do Lago.

The Laranjal feels more relaxed, less intimidating, and yet I wasn’t scoring any better!

Now, if I had another few goes around this lovely golf course, I think I could push under my handicap. But for a resort course, it is a lot of fun to play bind and navigate what the architect has put in play for us.

The back 9 starts with some narrower holes than the front 9, with 10 being a signature hole for me across the course.

Different to the North and South at Quinta Do Lago, The Laranjal does not have villas left and right of the holes. This makes it feel a lot more open, although I must say I did really enjoy looking at the 80 million euro houses on the South Course.

On the back 9, I became aware that this course's layout is different to others in that you are being served 5 par 5’s and 3’s, and only 8 par 4’s. This provides distinct variety and difficulty for the everyday golfer, thus adding to the enjoyment if you’re playing with friends.

I’ve seen reviews saying the back 9 is much better than the front. Although the finishing stretch of the back 9 is thoroughly enjoyable, It actually balances very well with the 2-7 stretch that I feel is more rewarding.

Walking off the Laranjal Course with the Portuguese sun setting at a very mild temperature for November was a great way to sign off on a very fun golf course. The North and South are certainly more challenging and would suit the purist golfer, but for a trip with your friends to the Algarve, the Laranjal would be at the top of my list due to how much fun it is to play.