Lives
Quinta do Lago, Portugal
Handicap
0-4
Age
25-34
Skill
Advanced
Plays
A few times a week

About

Hi,

My name is Ross and my handicap is 3. Over the passed few years I have been lucky enough to play many great golf courses throughout the world. Having developed a thorough understanding of what makes a well managed and therefore enjoyable golfing experience, I have decided to take to Golf Advisor to review the golf courses as I go.

It has become increasingly frustrating for myself and like-minded golfers to repeatedly visit leading golf clubs and courses only to be left feeling disappointed and feeling like you have wasted your time and money. It is evident golfers experience the same problems at golf clubs throughout the world; golf courses who are solely driven by getting as many green fee's as possible, to the detriment of the golfing experience; courses demonstrating a complete inability to manage the golfing experience; courses charging extremely high green fee's based purely on the courses former glory.

I aim to provide fair reviews of golf clubs and courses, both positive and negative in the hope that fellow golfers may receive a better experience as a result.

Review Statistics

Average Rating

3.0
3.0
Total 5 Reviews

Rating Breakdown

5 Reviews
5 Stars
1
4 Stars
1
3 Stars
1
2 Stars
1
1 Stars
1
Recommended Courses
2
Not Recommended Courses
3
Helpful Votes Count
0
Not Helpful Votes Count
2
First Review
01/31/2018
Last Review
02/13/2018

Reviews Map

Reviews

3.0
Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Course Difficulty
First time playing this course
Recommended
Review has
I Recommend This Course
5.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

We went to Monte Rei to play....

My golfing buddy had played Monte Rei on several occasions before, however it was my first time visiting the club. Everything about the experience was excellent, from the quality of the golf course, to the courteous and friendly staff members throughout the club (It was so enjoyable, we went back 3 days later!).

Monte Rei demonstrated a unique management skill that has long been lost on other courses around Portugal; the ability to adequately manage the starting times of golfers so they keep moving around the golf course without golf balls whizzing past them. 12 minute tee times and an awareness of ability level from the starter ensures everyone enjoys their round. Monte Rei is in a different class altogether compared to the courses in and around Quinta do Lago and Val do Lobo. I thoroughly recommend any avid golfer making the trip to Monte Rei and enjoying the 'Monte Rei Experience'. It is worth it!

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging

San Lorenzo Golf Course

Played On 02/04/2018
2.0
First Time Playing
Windy weather
Walked

It was a long Sunday morning....

We were well aware of the hype surrounding the San Lorenzo golf course in Quinta do Lago. Sadly, the hype was wrong. Our first feeling that the course may not live up to the expectations it carries was upon arriving at the first tee to be greeted by a dis-organised starter who was sending groups out whenever they were ready to go instead of at their allocated tee time (leading to major congestion on the very first hole). Having played through a 4 ball on the very first hole... we very quickly became disenchanted with the golf course. Patchy fairways, burnt out areas around the greens, inconsistent sand levels in the bunkers and a number of dangerously blind tee shots where you can very realistically hit people walking along the beach on the public walkways, led to a less than enjoyable round. The food on the 19th hole didn't do much to lift our spirits! The only saving grace for San Lorenzo was the good quality, very fair and quick greens. Unfortunately it will be a no in future..

Conditions Fair
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Fair
Pace Fair
Amenities Fair
Difficulty Moderate

Dom Pedro Golf - Old Course

Played On 02/03/2018
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Walked

Old Course Vilamoura

We decided to give the Dom Pedro Old Course in Vilamoura another chance, our previous experience had been disappointing due to the fact that from the back tee’s there were several overhanging tree’s that had not been maintained properly and therefore blocked your ability to play the hole properly. However, on this occasion our decision to go back to the Old Course proved a good one. We were greeted by friendly staff and an efficient starter, who noticed we might catch the group in front quite quickly due to them being beginners, and immediately informed the course marshal to ensure we were kept moving. The course was in good condition and the greens running pure. It is a testing layout which will challenge your shot making and accuracy off the tee, but will also offer plentiful scoring opportunities if you can position your ball in the right places! All in all an enjoyable Saturday morning.

Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
1.0
Previously Played
Windy weather
Walked

Quinta North & Laranjal

Having returned from playing both Laranjal and Quinta do Lago North yesterday, and taking some time to consider my thoughts and appraise the experience, my appraisal is as follows. Both experiences were awful. Firstly, it is a matter of time before someone is very badly hurt playing around these golf courses as a result of exceptionally poor management from the 'starters' right through to the on course rangers. Both courses suffer from the same management inefficiencies which lead to the starters allowing you to tee off even when the group in front of you has not completed their second shots. This happened on both Laranjal and Quinta North first tee's, so it was clearly not a one off. Throughout the round, players in groups behind consistently hit balls dangerously close to us and despite our appeals to the rangers, nothing was done, culminating in a ball fizzing past my playing partners head on the 18th hole. Having played the Quinta do Lago golf courses numerous times over the past couple of years I highly recommend you ignore these courses and suggest you go to Vilamoura- better courses, in better condition for better value...and the added benefit that you might survive your round!

Conditions Fair
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Poor
Pace Poor
Amenities Poor
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
3.0
First Time Playing
Windy weather
Walked

TPC Scottsdale- Stadium Course

Having heard so many good things about Scottsdale and the high quality of golf on offer almost year round, I was excited to spend some time playing the golf courses in the area. With TPC Scottsdale (Stadium Course) being arguably the most famous of all the golf courses in Scottsdale due to its annual hosting of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, unsurprisingly we were looking forward to playing the course. Unfortunately, our anticipation was soon ruined by the obnoxious and arrogant nature of one of the staff members working around the driving range/ warm up area. Having arrived to warm up, Brett the staff member in question, decided to take it upon himself to aggressively tell us that despite having reserved a 4 ball, we were going to be paired up with other players. After a lot of back and forwards and Brett getting decidedly more aggressive and insisting that we must 100% be paired up, he marched off leaving behind a number of cheeky comments. 15 minutes later Brett returned and shouted over a half-hearted apology saying his superior had informed him he was wrong. We eventually made it to the first tee, riled up and already having our day ruined, we met our caddy Quinton, who it must be said, was a delight. The golf course was enjoyable, although not as impressive and well maintained as one would expect for a championship course. Its signature holes have to work hard to make up for other somewhat plain 'course filling' holes. It is a shame that a club of such stature has such incompetent employees tarnishing the good work done by other very good employees. More Quinton's please! After going in to speak to management following our round, we were given a free round on the Champions Course (Nice touch) and assured Brett would be spoken to. All in all, a disappointing experience and despite Quinton's best efforts, a sour taste was left in the mouth!

Conditions Average
Value Fair
Layout Average
Friendliness Poor
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
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