Morgado - Algarve - Portugal

Enjoyable but needs a few years to mature.

I like Morgado. I have played there 3 times, the last time in February 2017, in foul weather.

The first few holes are a bit flat and bland, though tightish, then the course opens up into a lovely undulating challenge, with some water thrown in for good measure. The greens were in excellent condition, as were most of the fairways. It is not that tough, so I was a bit surprised to see it used for the Portuguese Open this year. I would have thought that it was pretty straightforward for Tour pros.

However this a proper test for amateurs, and, probably as a result of the 2008 property crash, the course is not overlooked by housing, so it is a nice contrast to many of the other Algarve courses.

Alamos, the other course on the resort is also a proper test, and there are good deals to be had for booking a round at each, even on different days.

I really enjoyed my round at Morgado, despite initial reservations on the opening holes, which were a little on the bland side. You know you’re going to be playing a decent tract if it’s a European Golf Design production and there’s no doubting the quality of the layout on the front nine with raised tee boxes, wide fairways and gently contoured raised greens set out on the wide floor of a valley that’s located around seven miles inland from Portimao.

The 9th, in particular, is a very good hole to end the outward half, its fairway angling left and slightly uphill to a terrific two-tiered green. In fairness, this merely concludes the warm up for a round that really gets going from the 10th onwards as the back nine heads into the hills, with fairways routed across a far more undulating landscape.

Highlight holes include the short par four 12th, where the fairway veers right and up to a heavily sand-protected green, the right doglegged 14th, which plays downhill and right to a green that has water guarding its left flank, and the terrific closing 18th, a beautifully bunkered hole that heads downhill from the teebox before rising up to another of the heavily-contoured greens occupying the back nine.

The old cliché of “a game of two halves” certainly applies at Morgado so enjoy the relative ease of a vanilla front nine then make sure you have your “A-game” ready for the second half, when the challenge steps up several gears.

Jim McCann.

This course is new, but it makes a great break from the testing toughies, like Penina and Vilamoura. It is in a really peaceful out of the way setting, a nice club house and some lovely views. The front nine is a little on the ordinary side and not very challenging, but the back nine is very good, with some interestingly designed holes. Although not a classic like some of the other 'names' in this part of the world, this course is pleasant, and peaceful. A good one to play if you have a hangover as you can drift into auto-pilot if you need to.