DG PORTUGAL 2024 Editor, Kevin Markham
AROEIRA PINES CLASSIC
Rebranded as Aroeira Pines Classic (formerly Aroeira I), the course is located 20 minutes from Lisbon, to the south of the River Tagus. Aroeira offers golfers the perfect combination of a championship course and exuberant natural surroundings. Frank Pennink designed the course through a nature reserve embracing pinewoods laced with wild flowers and inhabited by many different species of birds. Because of its densely wooded nature,
the UK press christened the course as the “Lisbon Wentworth”, due to its similarity with the famous golf course near London.
In 1996 and 1997, Aroeira hosted the Portuguese Open on the European Tour. Close by, at Costa de Caparica, be sure to check out the vast expanse of sand, sea and sky and the beach which lies at the foot of a fossil reef (a protected natural area). The newly opened Aroeira Hotel adds greatly to what is on offer.
AROERIA CHALLENGE
A new course in the Lisbon area, Aroeira Challenge differs from Aroeira Pines Classic through its large, fast and very inviting greens. The course becomes increasingly challenging as you work your way around the front nine. Unlike its older sibling, Aroeira Challenge has fairway bunkers, some of them in the Scottish style of pot bunkers. Sand traps are not the only obstacle, however, as you will also have to tackle five large
lakes, which make water a fairly constant hazard, particularly on the back nine.