Championship VenueLinks ClassicHidden Gem

Tróia Golf

Setúbal, Lisbon Region · Designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr (1980) · Est. 1980

Tróia is one of the toughest and most spectacular courses in Portugal — a genuine links laid out by Robert Trent Jones Sr in 1980 on the Tróia Peninsula, a thirteen-mile finger of sand across the Sado estuary from Setúbal, and one of the longest uninterrupted strips of sand in the world. It is flat, wild and utterly exposed, running between the dunes with the estuary on one side and the Atlantic on the other.

At par 72 over about 6,300 metres it is not long, but it is fiercely defended: Trent Jones's greens are small, narrow and heavily bunkered, and the sea wind is relentless. He rated Tróia's 3rd among the finest holes he ever designed and included it in his ideal eighteen — high praise from the most prolific architect in golf history. It has ranked as high as 17th in continental Europe.

Reached by a short ferry from Setúbal, Tróia is a wonderful, wind-blown day out and a genuine hidden gem south of Lisbon.

Holes worth knowing

13rd — Robert Trent Jones Sr included this hole in his personal ideal eighteen; a genuinely great links hole among the dunes.
2The exposed dune holes — small, heavily bunkered greens and a relentless sea wind make Tróia one of the sternest tests in Portugal.

Highlights

A genuine Robert Trent Jones Sr links (1980)
On a wild 13-mile sand peninsula
RTJ Sr rated its 3rd among his finest holes
Ranked as high as 17th in continental Europe

Good to know

→Reach it by the short car ferry from Setúbal — part of the adventure of a Tróia day out, with dolphins often visible in the Sado estuary on the crossing.
→It is a fierce, exposed links: the greens are small and heavily bunkered and the wind relentless, so keep the ball down, take the safe side, and grind out your pars.
→Setúbal is famous for its fresh grilled fish — choco frito (fried cuttlefish) is the local dish — and its sweet Moscatel wine; the covered market is one of the best in Portugal.
→The Arrábida Natural Park nearby has dramatic cliffs and hidden coves (Portinho da Arrábida), and the chic Comporta beaches down the peninsula are Portugal's answer to the Hamptons.
→It is a genuine hidden gem — wilder and cheaper than the marquee resorts — and about an hour from Lisbon via the ferry or the bridge.