Roving Reporter..............

Charles Whitwham continues his European Odyssey playing golf with family and friends in Lagos Portugal:

Sept 6: Played Minchinhampton with my brother Simon, 6 handicap and nephew Sam, 8 handicap. A very pleasant course with a few water features that come into play. On this occasion I managed to avoid them all. There was the usual Whitwham family rivalry when it comes to sporting matters and Simon held a 2 shot lead at the turn. However yours truly managed to cover the back 9 in par to be victorious by 2 shots and thus have bragging rights for at least the next 3 years.

I am currently in Lagos, western Algarve, with Simon and 10 of his friends. It is the 24th occasion of the Hackers Tour where 4 rounds of golf are played for various competitions with the last 2 rounds counting for the Hackers Cup. We have today played round 1 at Boa Vista, more about that later. Lagos (pronounced Lagosh) dates from the 15th Century and was a place from which many Portuguese explorers set sail. I had time on Monday to explore the old part of the town and it is quite beautiful with its narrow cobbled streets, many restaurants and shops.

Sept 8th: The Tour Opener was played at Boa Vista. With two distinctive sections the course offers a variety of holes commencing with the welcoming first hole, a meandering downhill par 4, bordered by beautiful sub-tropical landscaping leading to harmoniously designed properties. The signature hole on the outward nine is the stunning par 4 7th hole set against a glorious backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean with exhilarating panoramic views extending from Praia da Luz with the hills at Monchique creating a spectacular backdrop.

The competition was a singles stableford and I managed a 4th place on 36 points, shooting a 76 around the par 71 layout. The winner came in with a whopping 41 pts from a 16 handicap - a Yorkshire bandit!! The weather was hot and sunny.

Sept 9th: The second round of the tour was played at Palmares. The format was a fourball bestball stableford off 3/4 handicap and we were partnered with our room mates. At stake was the Nether Abbey Trophy, which no longer exists but is still played for! I am rooming with my brother so The Whitwhams were a force to be reckoned with. Palmares is billed as a showpiece to the imagination of Frank Pennink, one of the most prolific golf course designers in Portugal. The reputation of the course, a par 70, derives from its skillful use of two different kinds of landscape. After starting out on a difficult dogleg par 4 from a high tee, the golfer soon gets into the links which run behind Meia Praia, a great expanse of white sand and high dunes. At hole 6 the course turns back inland in the direction of the Clubhouse, and the players face the challenge of holes designed along curving valleys bordered by pine trees - a perfect mix of links and inland golf. The course was to the Whitwhams liking and we bolted home to win with 44pts, yours truly having a stunning round of 69!