Tróia is a península, 40 kilometres distance from Lisbon, near the beautiful city ol Setúbal. From here the lorry takes one to Tróia, where the golf course designed by the famous American golf architect Robert Trent Jones Snr stands out.

The great amateur golf champion of the thirties, Bobby Jones, said « the first objective of any golf course should be to give pleasure and it should become increasingly delightful, the more it is played and studied».

In Tróia, Bobby Jones' statement stands. Harmony with nature is such that we feel the course has always been there. Using natural relief - the dunes - must have been Trent Jones' aim, as there is no significant displacement of land. The fairways are surrounded by magnificent pine woods, and the beaches and sea endow the golf course with freshness and great beauty.

It starts with a par 5, with a tee before a lake - seldom played from, nowadays - and with a green protected by eight bunkers. Further ahead, the 3^rd hole is a very well designed par 4 near the beach, with the Serra da Arrábida in the background, regarded by Trent Jones himself as one of the best par 4's that he has designed among his over 500-odd golf courses completed all over the world.

The drives are the determining shots in order to achieve a good score at Tróia, taking into consideration the narrow fairways. The last four holes are what can be classified as a traditional finish, which is a characteristic of true championship golf courses. The 18^th tee is a central point of the course. From it, one can see as many as seven greens and it seems specially located for television broadcasting. In the background there is the sea and before it a top class par 5 final hole with an elevated green, three bunkers protecting it and an out-of-bounds beyond, not far from the Club bar. This hole is suitable for glory or disaster, and it has already destroyed many hopes of victory. It requires great dexterity and total concentration.

Tróia is not an easy course, but it probably is one of the best least-known good courses in Europe.

A good course is one whose layout becomes familiar, hole by hole, after having been played only once. This is the case of Tróia which in our opinion is the best designed course in Portugal.

[In O Golfe em Portugal - Fernando Nunes Pedro - Texto Editora-Andersen Consulting]

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