The golf course Álamos is located just north of Portimão at the foot-hills of the Monchique mountains. It is one of the newest courses in the Algarve, but it already shows some maturity and it has very quickly become a popular course for amateur golfers. In order to highlight this course, we invited two leading golf personalities in Portugal. One, being the  Portuguese National Team Coach, Sebastião Gil  and  Carlos Ferreira, one of the leading golf Tour operators (Tee Times Golf Agency) , who is quite comfortable speaking on behalf of the average amateur golfer. Also joining us was  Jorge Papa, the golf Director at Alamos and Morgado courses . Golf Algarve presented our panel with a number of questions and captured an interesting conversation about the game and the outcome of this competitive match. This really was a spectacular day of golf!

From a golfer’s point of view, what attracted your attention most?

Sebastião Gil – As a golfer, I like to appreciate and take in the setting and the natural surroundings, for me, those are the most important characteristics of a golf course. At Álamos, what attracts me most is the fact that the course is extremely well integrated within the terrain and the surrounding areas remain exactly the same as they were before the course was built. I would also like to point out a characteristic that I consider negative, namely, the greens are excessively contoured, but this is probably in order to compensate for the course being short, perhaps leading to the architect’s decision to design the course in that way. However, the course is, without question, a good challenge.

Carlos Ferreira – The integration of the course within its surrounding landscape is, in fact, the best characteristic of the course. Álamos represents nature in all its splendour. It’s a course that reveals the typical beauty of the Algarve hinterland, the tranquillity of the region and the sounds of nature. The course is an integral part of the landscape.

Jorge Papa – In my opinion, a good golf course has to be one that is well set within the rough terrain that already existed before and that is precisely the case with Álamos. The course is part and parcel of the landscape, as if it had always been there.

What was your best shot?

SG – The holes at Álamos I liked playing best were the par-3’s, because they are very competitive, but also many of the tee-shots are somewhat tight, forcing one to position the ball on the fairways, but this is quite normal and is the case with most courses. On hilly courses or those built in deserts, the areas off the fairways
leave few options of playing shots. Basically, that’s why fairways are built, to force golfers to play straight. But the most important strokes at Álamos are the tee-shots to the middle of the fairways, that makes the rest so much easier.

CF – My best shot was the 5-wood I played to the 11th green or that of the par-4 twelfth. We were playing from the white tee markers and I’m not a long hitter, but I had a good second stroke with that wood and managed to reach the green, although I did 3-putt it!

JP – I remember two shots I had – one on the 16th, a hole I like. It’s a par-3 and I played a draw and my ball ended up close to Gil’s, one of the best shots of the day. The other was on the 4th, another of my favourites, where I hit my approach near the pin with a 6-iron, so I really liked that one.

What features stand out most at this course?

SG – Álamos is located in foot-hills but it is only slightly hilly and there are not many big changes in elevation. The natural vegetation is typical of the Algarvian foot-hills in general, thickets and creeping plant-life. Throughout the course there are fantastic views of the Monchique hills on several holes and all throughout the scenery is very pleasant. These are, in my view, the two most important features of the surroundings.

CF – This is a golf course that has extremely undulating fairways, which makes shot alignment much more difficult. What really stands out is the size of the greens and their contouring. For a golf player to score well at the Álamos course, the ball must not only land on the green, it must also end up not far from the flag in order to be able to play with such precision you have to know the greens well.

JP – The course opened in 2006, with a 60 per cent grass covering, but has evolved tremendously. Now the area has reached close to 90 per cent, the course is well defined and the rough can now be viewed in a different light. At the moment, we are still in a development stage, there is a lot of treatment and maintance work to be carried out in the playing zones and only afterwards will we be able to deal with the rough areas.

How would you rate this course for amateur golfers?

CF – I’ve had exceptionally good feedback from all those who have played with me here. It is a truly good golf challenge for amateurs, it’s not monotonous nor is it an intimidating layout and on the other hand, players can also score well on it. It’s a course where golfers can satisfy their egos because it doesn’t afford impossible shots.

SG – From a professional viewpoint, this course is extremely important for practicing the short game since the greens are somewhat complicated. Although it’s not a long course, it is a good challenge. I have even brought some of the top-class amateurs who I coach to practise at the Álamos golf course, as it is an excellent course where we are able to create certain situations that cannot be faced on many of our other courses. As for amateurs, I feel it is an extremely competitive layout, one that makes those who want to score well use their heads. It is a slightly hilly course that demands certain short game abilities and therefore makes it unique.

JP – The feedback we have had from amateurs who have played at Álamos is in fact very favourable. It is a course that has grown in popularity since we reached a reasonable standard of maintenance. It is now clearly attracting an ever increasing amount of players – I would even say that it may become even more popular than our Morgado course. What amateur golfers look for in the Algarve, in my view is peace, tranquillity and a wild and intact environment. For a matter of fact, at Álamos the entire 18 holes are played in contact with all that, surrounded by nature without hearing a strange sound, which is really very good. Álamos’s best feature is, without a doubt, its natural environment.