Oitavos Dunes Golf Course Review

Playing Oitavos Dunes was a joy, but much enhanced, when I realised that my playing partners were no other than the President of the Cascais Tourist Board, Bernado, and his brother-in-law, Duerte, who has been the general manager at the course for eight years and knew every inch of its layout.

Having warmed up at the excellent practice range and realising that my ‘A’ game had been left in the UK, I was nervous on the first tee. My playing partners ensured that this was a highly enjoyable round despite my poor golf by the quality of their company. 

The night before, I had seen Bernado impressively address a group of more than 200 dignitaries and hold them spellbound in three different languages talking about the Cascais Golf Passport and the newly developed Cascais for Tomorrow app.

I believe that playing golf with a stranger offers an insight into his soul. P.G. Wodehouse describes it more eloquently by offering the following in his book, The Clicking of Cuthbert in 1922, when writing: "The only way of really finding out a man's true character is to play golf with him. In no other walk of life does the cloven hoof so quickly display itself."

Soon I was totally at ease with my playing partners, and it developed into an excellent golfing experience allowing me to gain some decent insights and understanding into the psyche of an influential political leader.

Bernado is a competent golfer who recognises his limitations but is highly competitive off his current handicap. He is knowledgeable and passionate about his city and surrounding seas. He also heads up an organisation that promotes ecological sailing practices called Sailors for the Sea. I loved learning more about his beloved Cascais. As a youngster he helped at the Estoril grand prix circuit. Hitching a ride to the venue he obtained a lift from the one and only Ayrton Senna.  

Duerte is a very competent golfer who knows every blade of grass at the course. I love playing golf with enthusiasts and his enthusiasm for the course shone through in every word he uttered. 

Oitavos Dunes Review

Designed in 2001 by Arthur Hills who established a global reputation on his ability to create fun and playable golf courses with an overarching sense of environmental sensitivity. Very quickly this course became established as a venue capable of testing the best professional golfers, hosting the European Tour's Portuguese Open on four occasions.

All 18 holes of the 6,900-yard course - which has produced champions of the calibre of Gregory Bourdy and Ryder Cup man Paul Broadhurst - offer stunning views over the Atlantic Ocean and of Sintra.

2014 European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley was part of those tour fields and has said of this oasis of sea, pine trees, and sand dunes across 168 acres: "This has the potential to be the best course in Europe", while Broadhurst insisted "Oitavos Dunes compares to the best courses we play."

The opening hole features a visually stunning shot requiring a gentle fade into the centre of the fairway to provide an angle to reach the green in two. The hole is framed along its length by woodland and well-established trees. The green surrounds are framed by a waste area akin to a sandy beach. It feels like it has been here since eternity and looks entirely in-keeping with its environment. This theme is repeated throughout the golf course. All the holes sit naturally and comfortably within the landscape.

Hole 2 is another beauty, this time requiring a shot shaped right to left to a well-protected and elevated green complex. I quickly realised that to score well required very accurate placement of tee shots. 

Hole 5 is the most difficult on the course requiring strategic placement of the tee shot over an intimidatingly obvious fairway bunker. Holes 7 and 8 are back-to-back par 5s and offer a real challenge to decent scoring. I considered myself fortunate to play these holes in a gentle wind as they feel exposed and will be affected by the prevailing winds. 

Hole 9 is a par 3 but the size of the green can add up to three clubs’ length to the tee shots. The elevated tee box offers some wonderful views.  

The 10th hole is a tough uphill par 4. Take the time when near the green to look around you at the incredible views. A beautiful property was created for use as a war time observation post as it gave uninterrupted views of the Atlantic. This is the most westerly point of Europe. This has now been converted into residential accommodation. I can’t find the words that would add value to the view from the tee. 

Hole 11. Simply Stunning! A risk/ reward hole of the very highest order given the out of bounds that lurks the full length right.

Hole 13 offers similarly striking views and driving line options. A superb par 5 that heads back to the clubhouse.

Hole 14 is another stunning short golf hole to a green that needs no protection other than the natural ground that surrounds it. Tee, green and nothing in between. 

Unusually this is followed by another short hole that is protected mainly by the prevailing winds and its tiered green.  

The tee box from 16 again offers glorious ocean views and clever bunker placement.

The final hole is an absolute beauty. Framed to its left by glorious floral displays fronting the hotel and to its right well established trees and waste land. This is a justifiable stroke index 2 and a par here left me pondering a golfing experience of the very highest order.

Incredible Course Conditioning

The entire course feels natural and yet is maintained to the very highest standard. This is the first time I have encountered fully robotic fairway cutting and the standards are excellent. 

It ensures that the human staff are available for the more skilled and demanding tasks making much more efficient use of the greenkeeping team. This robotic cutting process was used very successfully during the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl. 

The mowing process is discreet as it can be conducted when no golfers are present. The only real clue as to the process being the vertically stored rakes for the bunkers. This is to avoid them being damaged by the robots if left lying on the ground or sticking out of the sandy areas. The hutches used to house and recharge the robots are all discreetly placed so as not to be directly visible to those walking the dune area. 

Each bunker uses a set of rakes that I haven't seen before. They are in use at Augusta National and because they have no prongs and won't damage to the bunker linings. They are surprisingly easy to use and provide an excellent finish with a minimum of effort by the golfer. There is absolutely no excuse to fail to rake these bunkers.

The vertical stands protect the rakes from accidental damage by the robots. I like them visually and spotted local bird life using them as a safe perch. They also prevent the annoyance of having a ball trapped by the rake handle left by a previous golfer.  

Verdict

Oitavos Dunes is a sandy landscape, very natural with some jaw dropping great views to the ocean. All the short holes are superb. The greens are impeccably true and evenly paced but I have to say this time on a personal level I struggled to read them throughout my round. Duerte putted like a maestro throughout, draining putts from all points of the compass.

Insider Tips

When it became clear he was too strong for my game that day, Duerte took pity on me and gave me some invaluable advice. He told me to look for the grain of the grass through its colouration, understanding that the general rule is that the darker to lighter areas always pull the ball towards the sea. Towards the end of my round my putting did improve taking this into consideration.

There are holes that would sit comfortably with comparison with the best of the Scottish and Irish coastal links, but here they have the additional advantage of being situated within a wonderful year-round climate.

Due to my degrading eyesight and age, I have taken to using a yellow golf ball to be able to pick it out easier against the sky. Unfortunately, this became a problem when I was playing at Oitavos Dunes because I hadn't appreciated that the semi-rough has a range of natural fauna and flowers that appear to have species of gorse and cactus all of which have vivid yellow flowers. I quickly swapped to a white ball that was much easier to spot and follow and find!

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