Just half an hour’s drive south of Lisbon and about two hours north of the Algarve, not overplayed and with a wild natural beauty, this gem of a course is ranked amongst the top courses in Europe

With the glistening sea and white sand constantly in view and with the sea breezes gently whispering in the tops of the pine trees, it is difficult to imagine a more relaxing and perfect place to play golf.

The American golf architect Robert Trent Jones Senior, achieved a real masterpiece of golf course design at Troia, providing a genuine test of skill for the lowers handicap golfer together with enjoyment for the more modest player.

Laid out in a breathtaking location along the beach amidst sand dunes and pine groves, the course is surrounded by the sea on both sides, with the dramatic backdrop of the Arrabida mountain range on the opposite shore of the Sado Estuary.

The greens are small with naturally shaped defensive bunkers and hummocks, the unmistakable Trent Jones trade-mark, while the fairways are narrow and hemmed in by sandy dunes and pine trees. From the forward tees, the course presents a much more open appearance, with minimal carries and wide expanses of green fairways to aim it. The challenge comes in finding the small greens in order to make a respectable score.

There are many tee positions to be used and as you move back to the full championship length of close to seven thousand yards the drives get tighter and more demanding and the problems of hitting small greens with fairways woods and long-irons becomes apparent. From the back tee the course opens with drive over a sizeable lake and the green is so closely bunkered that even big-hitters will have difficulty in getting home in two. Then comes a stunning par tree with the green nestling on the edge of the beach, some 200 meters distant. The fourth, played along the edge of the shore is another par tree, much shorter than the second, it is very tightly protected with a cavernous bunker waiting for the tee shot which drifts away on the sea breeze. There is only one slight respite the short but tricky par 4, hole number 8, before the turn.

The start of the second nine is relatively gentle, but then the finish comes out of the pine trees and grabs you by the throat. There are two par fives out of reach of normal mortals, three par fours of almost 450 yards and a par three with extremely narrow green. Try the course off the forwards tees first and move back when you feel you can handle a little tougher challenge.

Troia Golf Championship Course is a true championship layout and has hosted the Portuguese Open Championship in 1983, when victory smiled on the Scotsman Sam Torrance, who averaged just two below par, and was the only professional to achieve par for the course during the four days of the competition.

More recently in 2002, the 15th International European Amateurs Championship, the most important golf amateur competition in the Europe, bring to the Troia Golf Championship Course the best amateur players of the world, in a total of 150 players. The winner was the French Raphael Pellicioli, who average four below par.

The Clubhouse has been skilfully constructed in rustic style among the pine trees. It is as comfortable and welcoming as the Portuguese staff and excellent bar, restaurant and varanda to the 18th Green.

Accommodation is available on site at the Troia Resort, owned and operated by Sonae Turismo, who also operates the golf course, and offering a range of four stars aparthotels, with a variety of leisure and dining facilities.

For golfers staying in Lisbon - which is barely half an hour away, the trip will take you on a pleasant ferry crossing across the Sado River Estuary from Setubal to the Troia Peninsula.

Playing Troia Golf Championship Course is definitely a contrasting experience to the more mundane Estoril Coast golf courses, and worth the trip all the way to this remote stretch of land.

Although somewhat in the shadow of its more famous neighbour north of the Tagus estuary, the Costa Azul Golf is a prime golf destination in its own right, extending south of the capital between the Tagus and Sado River Estuaries, with eight excellent golf courses, namely Troia, Aroeira I e II, Montado, Quinta do Peru, Ribagolfe I e II and Santo Estevăo.

Ranking: "Golf Europeu" magazine - 1999 Top10 Portugal Best Golf Courses – Ranked 4th "Golf World" magazine - 2003/2004 Top 100 European Best Golf Courses – Ranked 25th  "Peugeot Golf Guide" - 2004/2005 Europe’s Top 1000 Best Golf Courses – Score 17/20 "The Pocket Guide to Golf Courses-Beckenham" – 2004/2005 Top Portugal Best Golf Courses – Ranked 3rd (Two stars) Included in the "Planet Golf List" of the Top Courses in 184 World Countries World Ranking by "Golf Digest" Magazine – May 2005