I played West Cliffs this morning. Excellent golf course and I think Adam is probably right in saying No.1 in Portugal.
The landscape is stunning, the use of native waste / sand areas and scrub is done extremely well, skilfully shaped and included within the concept of each hole. There’s good deliberate use of deception in places, some good strategic golf holes and there’s a few quirky individual spots, most of which work very well.
Green undulations are large without being overdone although the Redan 5th and elephant under the green 14th bring those undulations to a different level and are all the better because they do not occur on every hole.
Best holes are probably the magical par-five 7th with a fairway winding downhill over a hell’s half-acre waste area to a raised green with the ocean in the distant background. Also the aforementioned 14th with a quirky sandy hump before the green and that huge mound in the green itself.
Now to the criticism that will probably separate it from being considered world class:
- A lot of long walks green to tee, some of which might have been necessary but some of which could surely have been sorted at routing stage. It feels like it has been designed for buggies firstly, walking second.
- A little bit of over-shaping in the fairways and green surrounds, all on a macro-scale. Maybe more areas with gully pots than were strictly needed. Maybe more shaped noses and ridges tying in to the waste areas than were strictly needed. In that respect, it is quite similar to many other modern courses. This is probably the aspect of design that separates Doak, Coore et al from the rest: They do much more micro-contouring without making the macro-tie-ins feel as if they’ve been too artificially shaped. Still, definitely a more natural looking job than most modern courses.
- A few of the holes feel a little contrived and remove you from that feeling that you are at one with nature that is done so well on the rest of the course. The sharp dogleg 9th round water, the very sharp dogleg 17th and unfortunately the quirky par-3 16th which is semi-blind and all carry over a dune to an impossibly tight green site. Normally I’d embrace this kind of quirk but it just didn’t work in this instance.
IF the style of the day ever changes back (in 20 / 30 years) from the current naturalism that is en vogue, will this course still stand above the RTJ / 80’s / 90’s style courses that are so prevalent throughout Europe? I’ll have to think about that. Do the holes stand on their own as fun and enjoyable? My inclination is towards YES with the previously mentioned strategy, deception and good use of diagonals. The fairways also were running firm allowing the odd run-up and kick plate.
Final point: As Adam says, now might be the best time to see it before the housing is built. But it does appear to me that the housing will be much more tasteful and at a bigger remove than the type that partially ruined Praia D’el Rey down the road. I have to think that the core golf will not be too compromised.
Do get yourself here though. Despite my nit-picking above, this is a must see.