NORTHERN PORTUGAL - MINHO - ESTELA - GOLF

"To be perfectly frank, I explored Estela Golf Course in a fog that would have put ‘Wuthering Heights’ to shame. Still, I knew that I was next to the sea because I could smell the delicious salt tang of it.  As I was in a golf buggy, I must be on a golf course.  And taking this little tale to its logical conclusion, Estela is the only links course in northern Portugal; therefore here am I. All of this aside, locals advised playing the course during the summer months after mid-day, by which time the mist has been burned off by the sun.

Returning the next afternoon to see what I had missed in terms of a view, I was impressed. Greens were planned to make the most of these vistas: most are elevated. The Minho coastline is startling and Estela follows it for some three kilometres. Water is omnipresent with two lakes adding to the challenge. It is the wind, however that is most influential on play – that and the sand dunes lying seaside of many fairways. One such hole is 5, a Par 5 which almost begs you to shoot out of bounds. Number 13 is also tricky: long and hugging the dunes, it requires thoughtful accuracy. Heading for the green on 10 means heading for the bunkers, as three sides of the green are fraught with them.

Estela has a sophisticated restaurant and bar area that take full advantage of the views, a good pro shop and spacious changing areas. The course is one of the few visited that is easily played without a buggy."