Quinta do Lago North course

The North course at Quinta do Lago wears its history well. Laid out originally in 1974 and expanded through the late 1980s, it was reborn in 2014 after a €9.6 million rebuild led by architect Beau Welling and former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley, one of the most thorough renovations any Algarve course has seen. The result plays every bit as sharp as that investment suggests.

The layout runs anti-clockwise through corridors of umbrella pines, and it rewards a golfer who can shape the ball right to left. Sandy, natural terrain and spring wildflowers give it a wilder character than its manicured neighbours, while the bunkering, rebuilt from scratch in the renovation, is some of the most exacting in the region. The par-4 12th is the hole most golfers remember: a lake runs the length of the fairway and reaches almost to the green, forcing a long, precise iron into a well-guarded target. Water returns to close out the round on the 18th, so there is little room to relax at either end.

Facilities include a full driving range, a resident academy, and a clubhouse restaurant overlooking the course. The North pairs naturally with its more famous sibling, the South, for golfers looking to sample both sides of Quinta do Lago's reputation in one trip. For anyone who enjoys a course that plays as good as it looks, this is one of the region's genuine tests.