Terras da Comporta (Dunas)

Vanguard Properties, Portugal's largest real estate developer, acquired the ownership of the stunning Terras da Comporta development in the year 2019. The site is comprised of two huge parcels that span 365 hectares: Torre located in the Alcacer do Sal municipality, and Dunas which covers around 1,000 hectares within the Grandola municipality.

The course is situated near and adjacent to the Sado Estuary Nature Reserve, the David McLay-Kidd-designed Dunas course was initially planned to be launched in 2010, but the demise of Banco Espirito Santo held things until Vanguard intervention, which allowed construction to resume and proceed to the finalization of the 18-hole golf course.

It was officially unveiled in the form of an opening ceremony that will take place in 2023's summer The course will be the centerpiece of a residential project that eventually will be 250 villas as well as two five-star hotels, all of the structures constructed of wood that blends with the natural surroundings. There are around thirty sports for the residents and guests to participate in.

The Dunas is spread across an immense estate, with fairways made of fescue traverse massive dunes of sand. They lead towards bent greens that are situated on hollows and ridges. The majority of the holes are flanked by pine trees, but there's no feeling of claustrophobia because the paths are long, and surrounded by massive waste areas made of sand as well as huge bunkers.

However, it's not a walk-in course due to the massive size of the site, so the use of a buggy is an essential option to play. Despite the huge dimensions of the playing area that spans an all-inclusive length of 6,646 m from 3,847 to 3,646 metres and a range of tees available on each hole allows golfers of all levels to tee it up here and feel the excitement of the rollercoaster ride.

Some holes worth mentioning includes the downhill hole 3 3. (where the green is sixty meters between front and back) and the lengthy par seventh (stroke index 1.) and the fairway dips considerably as it reaches the front-to-back sloping green. The back nine's 12th measures 557 metres. It is the longest par five on the course and requires a fair drive off the tee. However, it's the level of this hole that will make it stick out among the other holes.

The Dunas course did not receive the Portuguese National ranking for 2023 because it was not yet in operation prior to the charts being first published in the previous year. We expect it to be high in the following version of the listing and keep an watch for where it will be in the next edition of our highly regarded Continental European Top 100.