Over twelve hundred acres of holiday paradise, just 40 miles from Lisbon and set in a nature reserve.
Troia Golf Club was founded around forty years ago and held the Portuguese Open several times in the 1980’s. It gained a reputation as a bit of a bruiser, as it boasted the highest winning score and the highest cut levels for many years on the European Tour. Today this reputation is undeserved, as the course is infinitely easier and much more fun to play, than when it was set up to humble the pros all those years ago. In fact, the course is rather good – a classic links set in the sand dunes just south of Lisbon, partially flanking the Atlantic. Robert Trent Jones was indeed on form when he laid out the course and provided some minor tweaks to the natural landscape to create Troia.
The course is pleasing on the eye from any angle: undulating fairways and lightning fast greens, which shine with a glassy menace to the ham fisted putter! Areas of waste sand and light rough are all part of the fun and it is without doubt a penalty to veer off the fairways, but with some inventive recovery shots the damage to the card need not be too great. There is not much in the way of water hazards and the course is neatly arranged in two loops, giving front and back nines an easy access to the clubhouse. From the back tees in a strong wind this could easily be a brute, but from the white or yellow tees it is a perfect length for almost all golfers. What is really pleasing is the absence of rules. Buggies can be used almost anywhere and paths are made up of sand. The club runs a number of busy golf tournaments for the members and visitors to the club, but at most other times the course is lightly used – a crying shame, for it is a genuine classic.
The course has a good deal of sandy rough, lightly planted with desert scrubs, which allow a reasonable recovery from a stray shot. The greens are fast and beautifully conditioned with the subtle undulations that you would expect from a master course designer. There are plenty of run off areas, and pines are dotted around the whole site.
The hotel, surrounding apartments and contemporary villas have been laid out in a very modern way; the clean-cut lines were originally part of the seventies planning and are crisp in shape, and provide excellent accommodation for residents and visitors. Almost all of the various apartments and studios have a water front view – it may be of the man-made lagoon, the bay or directly out onto the Atlantic - but everyone has a front row position. Out towards the Atlantic there is a network of boardwalks across the dunes to give access to the sandy beaches at as many points as possible.
Almost the whole of the Troia peninsula is owned by Sonae SGPS – one of the largest business groups in Portugal, which also operates in other sectors throughout Europe. The company chairman is Belmiro Mendes de Azevedo, who is now in his seventies. His family are fully involved in the development of the area and his three sons hold key appointments within the group. The company’s diversification is considerable, and across Portugal and beyond: they own and operate large shopping centres, supermarkets, ferries and a host of other businesses. They have poured investment into the Troia peninsula over the last ten years, now owning and running the magnificent course, the main hotels, a range of luxury apartments, the marina, supermarket and shopping area. Their total investment has been over €400milllion and the results are starting to pay huge dividends for the area.
The government are very keen to encourage responsible development and have encouraged Sonae Tourismo to take full responsibility for environmental heritage of Troia. The Roman ruins are part of this heritage, which are a treasure trove of ancient artefacts and date back thousands of years. The near lagoon nature of the natural harbour formed by the Troia Peninsula has created an excellent port area and salt marshes, which the Romains cultivated to use as their major dried fish production. Salted fish was used across the empire and was a great source of inexpensive protein for their armies, as well as a delicacy in Rome.The food specialities of the area are mainly found in fish, as this is still a crucial fishing area for the Portuguese economy. There are also superb pork and rabbit dishes, which are a local speciality. Everyone in Portugal is interested in food and the restaurants everywhere serve excellent fare at reasonable prices. Escola – the Portuguese name for school – is a great find and as its name might suggest was once the local school. The views at La Comparta Café across the dunes and the Atlantic are a wonderful match for its food. Perfect steaks and red snapper can be washed down with some delightful rose wine.
With its sandy subsoil, the whole island enjoys a holiday feel and this is precisely where it is now positioned – as a classic Portuguese get away.
TAP, the national Portuguese carrier, has the best service with abundant daily flights from Gatwick. Flights from London take around two hours and the total transfer time to Troia including the ferry ride is about an hour. Transfers are available with the resort or independently and the car hire rates are reasonable for those wanting maximum flexibility.
Dolphins are part of the greeting party for visitors to the resort and there is a strong business in following the local colony around the peninsula. They may not be tame enough to swim with, but they are a delight to watch as they playfully frolic in the wake of the boats, often jumping in formation.
Groups of golfers are welcome at Troia and for those coming with a visiting professional, there is plenty of space and genuine warmth for visiting coaches to train and teach their group on site. The range is well appointed and provides plenty of grass teeing areas and several well groomed greens for putting and short game practice.
GRN-OGRO caught up with Ricardo Ferreira who is Operations Director of the resort:
“We are very proud of the way the resort has been developing over the last few years. Our real estate department is obviously moving a little slower than in times past, but prices are holding up very well. We are very pleased with the number of golfing tourists who are returning year after year to us. Troia is a very special place for many Portuguese and they have coming to the area for years – often since they were children. The company has now invested to such a great extent that there is so much more for families to do as well as golf. We have horse riding, football, tennis and a selection of exciting watersports – wind and kite surfing are renowned in this area, which has the perfect combination of wind at certain times of the year. Many of our customers are now starting to come from the UK and we would be delighted to welcome more groups and individuals to Troia. We know its special and the word is spreading that it is a great place to visit.”
More details here.
How to get there: TAP Portugal (0845 601 0932, www.flytap.com) flies from Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester to Lisbon up to 8 times a week, with one-way fares starting at £114 from London, including all taxes and surcharges.