Ponte de Lima

Situated in the hills overlooking the old Roman town of Ponte de Lima, the golf course of the same name is operated by the Axis hotel group.

The front nine, named Quinta de Anquiao, extends to almost 3,000 metres and its fairways are routed around some very hilly, wooded terrain to the north of the property.

By way of contrast, the Quinta de Pais nine measures marginally longer but its holes are laid out in more conventional style within a nearby valley.

Combined, the two nines form a formidable 18-hole layout that plays to a par of 71.

The par five 3rd is quite a hole, double doglegging downhill to the green, and it’s a real feat to reach the putting surface in three blows, considering the hole measures more than 622 metres from the back tees.

On the comparatively more sedate inward half, the uphill par five 13th – measuring a mere 489 metres in comparison – is still a tough three shot hole because it plays uphill all the way to the green.