San Lorenzo Golf Course

Estuary, lakes and a green ringed by water.

San Lorenzo opened in 1988 in the south-east corner of the Quinta do Lago estate, where the pinewood gives way to the salt marsh and lagoons of the Ria Formosa. It is run with the Dona Filipa hotel, and the pairing has been ranked 15th among continental Europe’s golf resorts by Golf World. Visitors can book it directly. Go for the stretch from the 5th to the 8th along the estuary and for a closing hole that offers no way round the water.

San Lorenzo Golf Course green fees and tee times.

Reservations go through the golf reception on +351 289 396 522; the club handles groups, corporate days and tour operators on the same number. The course publishes a handicap limit of 28 for men and 36 for women, so bring a certificate. Tee times are spaced eight minutes apart, which the club says gives an uncrowded round. Soft spikes are compulsory, and T-shirts, denim and tennis shoes are not allowed. The official site shows its public rates only as an image, so confirm the price when you book. Dona Filipa guests should ask the hotel about golf, since the two are sold together.

The round, in perspective.

Joseph Lee and Rocky Roquemore designed the course, and it is routed as a figure of eight with the clubhouse at the centre. It is a par 72 of 6,238 metres (6,822 yards) from the white tees, rated 72.2 with a slope of 128. Fairways are Bermuda Tifton 419 and greens are Penncross bentgrass. The opening par 5 is out of reach in two, and the next holes ask little of your length. The 5th, the shortest hole, looks out over the beach. The 6th, stroke index 1, is a dogleg beside the estuary where cutting the corner risks dense scrub, and the 7th green is almost surrounded by water. The 8th is a par 5 whose third shot carries the largest of the lakes. Later, the 16th is a par 3 needing a 180-metre carry to a shallow green. The 18th then asks for a shot over water to a small green.

Know before you go.

Handicap limit

Men 28, women 36

Tee interval

8 minutes

Shoes

Soft spikes only

Dress

No T-shirts, denim or tennis shoes

Reservations

+351 289 396 522

Make the trip work.

Rates as listed by the reseller do not follow a simple winter-low pattern: December is the dearest month shown, while January to mid-February and high summer are cheaper than spring. Book the round on a calm day if you can, because the estuary holes and the 16th are exposed. The practice ground has a driving range, a practice bunker, two chipping greens and a putting green. Lessons are with the club’s PGA professional, Albano Rodrigues.

Faro airport is about 15 km away, roughly 20 minutes by road through Almancil and into Quinta do Lago. The course is at the far south-east end of the estate, so allow extra minutes on the estate roads. Faro’s railway station has trains from Lisbon, but you will need a taxi or hire car from there.

Where it is.

Nearby: 1. Quinta do Lago (2 km) · 2. Pinheiros Altos (2 km) · 3. Vale do Lobo (4 km) · 4. Pinhal Golf Course, Vilamoura (9 km) · 5. Pestana Vila Sol (9 km) · 6. The Old Course, Vilamoura (12 km)

Somewhere to settle in.

The Dona Filipa hotel in Vale do Lobo is the natural base. It is the sister hotel, with three tennis courts, a spa, a kids’ club and a private beach area, and the hotel offers golf on both San Lorenzo and Pinheiros Altos. A courtesy shuttle runs between the hotel entrance and the clubhouse at set times from 07:20, but seats cannot be reserved. Quinta do Lago and Vale do Lobo have plenty of villas, and Almancil has cheaper rooms.

Make a trip of it.

Pinheiros Altos is the sister course a short drive away inside Quinta do Lago. The estate’s own South, North and Laranjal courses are close by, and Vale do Lobo’s Ocean and Royal courses are about ten minutes west. Vilamoura’s cluster is 25 minutes further. Off the course, the Ria Formosa nature park borders the 6th to 8th holes, and Faro’s walled old town is about 20 minutes east.

Find your season.

Golf runs all year. The estuary setting means the breeze off the Atlantic matters more here than on the inland pine courses, especially in winter. Spring and autumn are the busiest golfing months on the estate; July and August are hot, so take an early tee time.