Going for Golf

Portugal - Steel yourself for a real challenge

Bom Sucesso

The cornerstone of this concept is contemporary architecture with 36 of Europe’s top designers brought together to create 1,070 houses which are as innovative as they are environmentally sustainable. For example, the resort claims that, ultimately, all the rooftops will be grass covered and will eventually blend into the hills. And Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho, who knows a bit about class, has bought one of the homes here.

But the visiting golfer should not fear that all the design skill has been utilised on homes and an upcoming hotel – far from it. ‘Bom sucesso’ means ‘good success’ – and it was the cry with which Portuguese women would send their fishermen men-folk off to sea. It’s also a fitting sentiment to those setting out to conquer the Donald Steel-designed course – which was in fact the Englishman’s last design project.

Bom Sucesso is a superb layout with most holes running through dished valleys, with the houses set well back and above the play.
Significant tree planting has lent great maturity to what is still a young course – it opened only in September 2008 – and there are some beautifully appointed greens, which will test your putter to the max.

It is a course for all, with white tees providing test enough for the world’s top players, yet from the forward tees, long carries are eliminated. Then there are the spectacular views afforded from many of the holes; none more so than from the tee on the fearsomely difficult par-five 17th.

This signature hole provides a panorama of vistas from the tee-box with Óbidos Lagoon to the east, the sea to the west and mountains and forest in between. A ravine on the left lures anything pulled and playing safe and heading right results in out-of-bounds. The green is set on a ledge and guarded by a trap. And you can wave goodbye to anything long as there’s a sharp back-slope. And before you can recover your breath, you have to negotiate the tough, par-four 413-yard 18th, which doesn’t give an inch; with a sharp dogleg left, a ditch 200 yards from the elevated tee and a river right in front of the green below the clubhouse veranda. A hard man that Steel fella! At least he offers up a reasonably sedate opening before being confronted by the 499-yard, stroke-index-one, par-five second, with its right dogleg and a lake from the corner approach to the green. It certainly concentrates the mind for what lies ahead.

And what lies ahead for Bom Sucesso is, arguably, a blueprint for future golf resort developments. In a couple of years time the last remnants of building work will have been completed, the Hilton hotel will stand tall and proud and the reputation of one of Portugal’s finest golf courses will be hewn in stone. Hopefully I will also have played it on at least three more occasions too.