Wistful West Cliffs
“An hour north of Lisbon is the village of Óbidos with a fistful of fabulous links courses at hand. The two outstanding examples are Praia D’El Rey and West Cliffs.”
PORTUGAL’S SILVER COAST
West Cliffs is the newest course in this area. Designed by Cynthia Dye (Pete’s niece) and draped across a wavering stretch of linksland, West Cliffs is much more complex than any of its near neighbours, which largely works well. But there’s a caveat…
I played West Cliffs back in 2018 not long after it opened and was hugely impressed. So a second visit was eagerly anticipated! It’s not an easy track by any means but the secret to West Cliffs is ‘course management’.
Off the tee, good golfers - let me rephrase that… big hitters risk disappearing into the thicket… herbal hazards that are in abundance, especially on the tricky doglegs. One of our group had the misfortune of playing off scratch and was not having a good day! A 3-wood or even long irons are often better off the tees. Having said that, it can be deceptive. Holes like the 10th offer a lot more room than you can perceive from the tee box.
The greens are often raised, soft and slow (when we played) but if they were any quicker, they would be well-nigh impossible.
There’s plenty to think about on every hole at West Cliffs and I’ve rarely seen a course that benefits more from studying the Strokesaver. It’s one of the most visually appealing courses in Europe. We’re talking arching, inventive fairways and perfectly presented greens blended into the most natural links landscape.
The overriding impression is how empathetically this course has been laced through the indigenous terrain. It’s simply divine and if you play it sensibly, it will be the highlight of your Silver Coast trip!
