The Lagos Course

The Lagos Course opens with a short par 4 designed specifically to entice golfers to cast aside all reason. The prevailing wind assisting players, combined with the pronounced descent of the golf hole from the tee, will produce a sense that the green is very much in reach. As if that was not enough to encourage calamity, the fairway was purposefully created with substantial width to visually short the hole as well. Care should be taken to fight back this urge. While the fairway is wide in appearance, the right third will feed tee shots some 5 meters below the green elevation into a collection area right and out-of-sight from the tee. A well placed tee shot can skirt the large fairway bunker located at 260 meters from the tee and will yield a short approach shot to the green, but a well placed tee shot short of this bunker will reward smart play with a full wedge approach. The green itself is not receptive from the tee. Shallow and wide, the putting surface is protected in front by three bunker nestled into a steep face and in the rear bay a steep hillside.

The first par four on the outward nine is one of the most unyielding golf holes at Palmares. From a completely exposed elevated tee, golfers must play to the crest of a fairway that appears to be located a kilometer away. The tee shot must reach the fairway crest to offer a view of the green below. A singular pot bunker protects the front left edge of the green; another small bunker lurks opposite the green along the centerline of the hole. The green is very deep but narrow and falls away from front right and back left.

The charming par 3 is one of the most picturesque holes on the property. This medium length has blossomed into a spectacular hole. The putting surface is heavily protected left, front, and back by deep bunkering and tightly mown grass banks. Therefore, don’t play short. Like a snookered cushion, the hillside behind will allow a long shot to roll back onto the putting surface.

This short par five plays first to an elevated fairway, allowing golfers to swing away freely from the tee. A strong drive must skirt fairway bunkering to successfully reach a speed slot to obtain the significant roll. The left line of play provides the best angle and the greatest visibility to approach an otherwise blind green seductively tucked behind a hillside. The deep putting Surface is heavily guarded by a series of bunkers that clearly define the green while unseen but generous approach areas are discovered short of the green.

The sheer length of this uphill par three will intimidate even the most accomplished players. The main body of the green surface is flanked by two bunkers and oriented on a slight diagonal to receive shots that ride the wind. Numerous hollows and catchment areas await short of the green, ready to gather under clubbed shots.

When played as a par 4, the overall length and roll of the terrain present a stern challenge. Players must reach the crest in the landing area to achieve a view – a magnificent view- to the green below. Use the fairway slopes pitching away from the hillside left strategically to propel you tee shot to the right side of the fairway. This will relegate the lake at the green to a lateral consideration on your lengthy approach shot. The wind will push approach shots toward the water.

Turning away from the coast and back into the wind, the golfer re-enters the duneslands with a medium par three. The green is expansive and inviting yet heavily contoured. A player can, however, feed golf shots on the right half of the green by using the slope. When the flagstick is located on the left half of the putting surface, avoid the deep collection areas because recovery from this position onto the left half of the green will require a very delicate short shot touch.

The cliffs of Lagos in the distance make this downhill tee shot the most memorable at Palmares. The fairway is generous on this dogleg right par five. In true risk-reward style, golfer’s can potentially reach the green in two by challenging the dunes at the inside corner on their drives. However, the full strategy of the hole may not reveal itself until you reach the fairway.
The best line of sight to the flagstick is from the far side of the landing area from the tee. To reach the “A position” players must carefully consider how to get there. The approach is heavily defended by dunes and a lone bunker left. These defences clearly define two distinct lines of play from the fairway.
The large dune at the front of the green imparts both a beautiful but intimate barrier that must be overcome to reach the putting surface in two. Alternatively, the less aggressive player must carefully negotiate the fairway area left and short of the green to gain a good position for the important third shot and par.

The home hole is a medium length uphill par four playing to a fortress green surrounded on all sides by bunkers. This great finishing hole demands a tee shot that challenges the hillside to the left. Play to the right half of the fairway will bring the largest of the greenside bunkers into intimate prominence, while the prevailing wind may push drives towards the low, rough ledge lining the fairway below. The putting surface requires concentration to complete the round with a well-earned par and a drink at the bar.