i had read recent reveiws on the hotel saying pricey lack staff but we had a fabulous time here and would recommend to anyone
Surrounded by tranquil Cheshire countryside, Macdonald Portal is a fabulous resort that boasts two of the very finest courses in the North West. The Championship Course is the headline act, designed by the legendary Donald Steel, it remains one of the best hidden gems in the country. Alongside the 18-hole Premier Course and 9-hole Arderne Course, Portal is completed by the largest indoor golf academy in Europe.
Terrific resort facilities match the courses to provide one of the most sought-after golf break destinations in England. Following the completion of a ₤11 million investment, the hotel at Portal is a real delight and is a golf break destination where you can truly relax and unwind. Some of the best features include the state-of-the-art spa and the delightful Ranulf Restaurant.
With a choice of three great golf courses, and facilities including the largest indoors-golfing academy in Europe, and a fantastically well stocked pro-shop, The Portal Hotel has established itself as a world-class championship venue, ideal for all standard of player.
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Golf Courses at Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa
Championship Course
The Championship Course at Portal is relatively unknown to a wide audience, but having opened in 1990, it is one of the best courses to be completed in England in the modern era. In fact, it was named ‘Golf Course Of The Year' in 1995, and is the star of Portal's golfing complex. Designer Donald Steel has created a challenge that is characterised by unique and distinctive holes; expansive water hazards and cascading waterfalls are among the tests. The signature is typical of Steel's magnificent 7,037 yard layout - the long third tips the scales at 607 yards, with a green guarded by a beautiful lake.
| Par | 73 |
|---|---|
| Designed by | Donald Steel |
| Opened for play | 1990 |
| White | 7,041 yards | SSS 75 |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | 6,495 yards | SSS 72 |
| Red | 5,789 yards | SSS 73 |
Signature hole- No. 14: Par 3, 136 yards (White), SI 17 (Men), 4 (Ladies)
The Championship signature hole plays to almost an island green, with water around the front, side and back of the green and a couple of waterfalls too. The best entrance would be straight down the middle, as this would avoid two large trees which overhang either side, and could easily rebound your ball back into the water.
Premier Course
While the Premier Course at Portal will always be in the shade of its award-winning sibling, it is a cracking course in its own right. Overlooking the Cheshire Plains, the par-71 parkland track is shorter than the Championship Course, measuring 6,538 yards, but benefits from the same stunning water and woodland backdrop. Both courses are consistently maintained in immaculate condition, and together form the basis that has made Portal one of the best destinations for a golf break in the north west.
If you're feeling strong, have a crack at the 607 yard third hole on Donald Steel's Championship Course.
| Par | 71 |
|---|---|
| Designed by | Tim Rouse |
| Opened for play | 1990 |
| White | 6,582 yards | SSS 73 |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | 6,293 yards | SSS 71 |
| Red | 5,688 yards | SSS 74 |
Signature hole-No. 15: Par 3, 205 yards (White), SI 11 (men), 17 (ladies)
The 15th on the Premier is a breathtaking hole. Playing very high up, the elevated tee is almost on a cliff face and the approach has to be judged well, due to a sheer drop to the low-down kidney shaped green. Accuracy is paramount on this hole as there are trees which overhang on both sides and bunkers to the left and right of the green.
Arderne Course
The Arderne Course at the Macdonald Portal Hotel is a 9 hole par 30 golf course and is a fantastic test of your short game. The course comprises of 3 par 4’s and 6 par 3’s and has a total yardage of 1724. There are two sets of tee’s so this course can be played twice. The Lee Westwood Golf School use this course for practicing so you never know who you might catch a glimpse of!
| Par | 30 |
|---|---|
| Designed by | Donald Steel |
| Opened for play | 1990 |
| White | 3,472 yards | SSS 30 |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | 3,248 yards | SSS 30 |
Accommodation at Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa
The accommodation consists of 85 rooms and 6 executive suites, all of which are complete with a mini-bar, internet access, tea/coffee making facilities, en suite bathroom, satellite television and a work area. The suites boast private balconies, which afford fantastic views of the beautiful estate surrounding the hotel.The investment scheme encompassed the entire property, and as such, the public areas are equally as plush as the deluxe bedrooms, ensuring that your golf break at Potal will be comfortable from the first moment to last.
Indulgence is the buzz word in Portal's state-of-the-art Spa, which opened in September 2007. The relaxing tranquil environment will soothe mind, body and soul, and is complemented by the sauna, rock sauna, aroma steam bath, salt infusion suite and ice bath. In addition to the 18-metre swimming pool, the complex offers a fantastic range of beauty treatments.
The Ranulf Restaurant is among the region's best - choose from the finest Scottish-bred beef and lamb, or the fish, sourced from the famed Loch Fyne Oyster Company.
For something more laid back, unwind with a drink or snack in the lounge, overlooking the beautiful Cheshire Plains.
Features
- Indoor Swimming Pool
- Spa
- Sauna
- Beauty Salon
- Gymnasium
- Conference Facilities
- Private Dining
Staff
Location
Room comfort
Facilities
Quality of bars & restaurants
Value for money
Reviews
Room was a bit stale need a good airing and no free water surprising for a Macdonald. Overall site was well kept. Service was prompt and smiling. Excellent breakfast choices
Brilliant hotel, staff very helpful & polite
The hotel was the best this group had stayed in during our last seven years. The staff were friendly and helpful, nothing was to much. The rooms were outstanding Not one adverse comment was made of my party of 96. Very happy to return again.
It’s a basic hotel. Rooms we were allocated were ground floor and smelt of damp.they were adequate for the purpose of one nights accommodation. Food was very disappointing. Our evening meal was booked by ourselves as YGT forgot to book our meal time. Dinner was poor. A choice of 3 starters,3 mains of gammon, salmon or vegetarian pasta. All plated before hand and served canteen style. Not enough food. We asked for extra veg. But this was not forthcoming. Breakfast was buffet style. Overall pretty poor would not go again. We walked into the village in the evening and had a pleaser evening in the local pubs. A couple of pubs served food. Which helped a number of hungry golfers.
The hotel is very nice, the bar prices was a bit steep. The food was very nice.
The reception staff were very friendly and helpful. The bar staff are fantastic adverts for this hotel,great fun and very helpful. the restaurant staff are very nice and again very helpful. Its a real shame that a complex with such beautiful golf courses dont seem to know anything about golf as the Tee times are crammed in and the pace of play is appalling.
Hotel and the facilities provided were excellent. Spacious room. Breakfast was a good standard. Evening meal meant 3 courses from a set menu or £25 off the a la carte. We had the second option which gave you 2 courses and the food was top notch. Bar prices were expensive so we took a 5 minute taxi ride into Tarporley on our two nights and found the pubs warm and welcoming. The only down side was despite being given our 4 tee times by YGT, when we arrived at the course, none of these times were reserved, nor were any other times. This is the 5th time I’ve booked with YGT and never had this problem before so I put it down to a hiccup rather than an on going problem. The pro was very good however, and sorted us out so we didn’t miss any golf
A first class hotel, I cannot fault a single member of staff, everyone was friendly, charming and helpful.
We had one problem, on the first night the dining room was terribly understaffed and they had split us into 2 separate tables. I told the overworked and very stressed manageress that I had agreed with the hotel manager, during my visit in March, that we should have 1 table each night. She sorted it out entirely to our satisfaction.
General experience very good, staff were very friendly and helpful. Only issues were .. the Bar ran out of Beer (Bitter) each night (3) we were there. (Wasn't us Gov' we were only 4) Plus each evening there was 1 or 2 items on the Menu unvailable. However, Good Food.
the hotel ruined the break by over booking the meal booked for 6.30 a year ago they changed it 2days before our trip to 9.15 not good aparty of 24 only 16 dined as it was to late for some hotel not intrested over 100 diners in the room and 1 bar staff same in the lobby bar no good enough for a 4 star the staff were great though not go thier again and not recomend it ruined my trip for me as i had organised it
Lovely large bedrooms with 2 comfy armchairs. Elemis toiletries a very nice treat too. Breakfast and dinner both excellent with hot plates and v nice presentation. Spa area and swimming pool fabulous
The hotel is very well appointed and the rooms are spacious and comfortable. Very good beds and showers. It is let down badly by the standard of catering. We had a party of 16 booked in the restaurant and we were then told it was a buffet. On arriving in the dining area our table was taken by a number of other people watching the Masters. The buffet had obviously been laid on to cope with the Masters event however the quality of the food was appalling. Many other groups were also complaining. Breakfast was only slightly better although this was in the proper restaurant.
Our trip was a bit of a nightmare from start to finish. The place was completely overbooked, overpriced, they kept trying to charge us for stuff when we had already paid for everything, had to argue to get into the restaurant which we were told we had and then spent 2 hours in there for a 2 course meal, then they tried to charge us for someone else table, had to come off the golf course because it took 2 of us 3 hours to do 9 holes because it was so busy and slow. I could go on all day about how poor the experience was.
This was a lovely hotel with lovely staff food and rooms. Golf course on site was lovely and the site up the road was also very good but sadly very inclement weather on day 1 meant we only really got one full round of golf so missed out on the first day due to heavy storms and bitingly cold winds. Hope to return for the full experience sometime. Can recommend.
We were disappointed with the condition of the Hotel. Thread bare carpets in the Bar area etc. This Hotel was advertised as having a Multi Million pound refurbishment but there was no evidence of this. The temperature in the Hotel was always very cold. The reception staff were quite rude when I asked to take a swipe of my debit card instead of a credit card, they did not allow this, which I found peculiar. The food in the Restaurant was very poor, both for dinner and breakfast. We even had to serve our own Tea and Coffee from thermos flasks, these drinks were luke warm as was the buffet breakfast, the foreign staff were unhelpful and unpleasant. This Hotel was nowhere near its 4 Star Accreditation in my opinion. We will not be returning.
Ok
EVERYONE IN OUR GROUP THROUGHLY ENJOYED OUR WEEKEND. THE STAFF WERE GREAT AND FOOD IN RESTUARANT WAS EXCELLANT. HAD GREAT NIGHT IN THE BAR, BUT PRICES ABIT STEEP
Hotel has excellent facilities with a great choice of food and drinks.
Great hotel. Everything was spot on, nice rooms, nice food, friendly staff and a good atmosphere around the hotel.
Lovely welcome, very nice hotel, clean accomodation, staff giving good service, food excellent, 2 good golf courses well maintained. only down side was the weather on one of the days. Really fabulous 2 days which we all enjoyed and recommend to anyone.
Lovely hotel, but the sign on the main road was covered by a hedge where the arrow shows left, but because we couldn't see this we went right for 4 mins then decided to turn round, we were also asked if we had booked our time slot for eating, we didn't know about that either before the trip
Staff very helpful, very clean and rooms were comfortable.
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Condition overall
Condition of greens
Speed of round
Facilities
Value for money
Difficulty
Reviews
Championship Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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a difficult course with lots of long grass to loose your ball but enjoyed it
Premier Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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we all enjoyed our golf on the course
Championship Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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On arrival no chef so we had to wait 45min having been told food was available by hotel reception we then had to rush to make our tee on time. No fresh coffee just a machine. Pro shop a disaster This is the first time ever I’ve come off a course and not been able to sit down with a drink the whole place was locked up at 5.30 on a Friday night ?. Not a good experience and disappointing when you have brought a group to spend their time and money.
Premier Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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A challenge for the high handicappers but a good experience overall
Premier Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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5* condition staff at club house very helpful
Championship Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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Course in a fantastic condition 5*
Premier Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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Very slow due to number of groups booked on on our first day. Course lay out was excellent. We had a hole in one. The group enjoyed this course .
Championship Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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Great layout with a number of demanding holes. Our group scores were very good best score on the last day 45pts.
Championship Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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Played the course twice as agents did not tell us that the other course was a few minutes drive away and not at the venue we were staying at. We made a decision to play twice on the championship. First game fairways not cut. Rough overgrown. 2 nd day the mowers were out. A different course far better. Overall wouldn’t bother again.
Premier Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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The greens on this course was in much better condition, the ran faster and true.
Championship Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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Really enjoyed playing these courses, it was a surprise to find out how many hills you have to go up and down, but that just added to the quality.
Championship Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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this is a beauty of a layout but let down by the shocking pace of play.i would also add that little things like ball cleaners having no water in them is very lazy and annoying.
Premier Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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such a shame the hotel group don't realise what a cracking course this is. the clubhouse is very run down and does not give a great impression. the course is a beautiful layout but a little let down by the greens.
Premier Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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Championship Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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Premier Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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Much preferred this course. Has some interesting holes with two cracking par 3’s on the back.
Championship Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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This is meant to be the ‘ main course ‘ and though in the same decent condition as the sister course, found this less challenging than the premier, despite it being considerably longer. The only thing that let both courses down was the state of the bunkers. A distinct lack of sand in them on this course, with the Premier having an equal ratio of sand to pebbles.
Premier Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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a very nice way to pass the day. course I would describe as average, only downside is if you get caught behind a corporate golf package, then its very very slow.
Championship Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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Excessively slow on the Saturday, over five and a half hours!! Far too many groups on the course and no marshalling. The staff were apologetic, but the responsibility lay with those who took the bookings and crammed them in. When there are mixed ability groups they need to be marshalled. The round on Sunday , teeing off at 9, was fine, just over 4 hours.
Premier Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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Poor greens and slow going.
Championship Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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First round no issues, however, when checking in for the second round, we were advised there wasn't any Buggies available, even although we reserved them Months in advance .. Apparently a Corporate day (? or whatever) of 50 (or so) was also booked on that day. Our thoughts were: This Group was given priority over our group of 4. "Business is Business"(?) However, we were offered a Round at another McDonald GC approx 20 mins away .. with a 90 mins later T time, with the benefit of No Cost on the Buggies. We accepted. Overall we were Happy with our 3 night 4 rounds stay.
Premier Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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4 hour round for a 4 ball, whereas the Score Card 4hr 32mins for a full round, so no complaints there .. Played 2 rounds (with a round on the Champion Course in between .. Fairways a bit wooly, however, they were cutting them on the second round.
Championship Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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great course looked after better than the prem course bunkers that were not playable were GUR greens true and in good condition
Premier Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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bunkers unplayable greens slow & bumpy
Premier Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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Loved the course. Only disappointment was that 4 of our party unable to play as no buggies allowed on the course that day after heavy rain in previous 2 days. They were physically unable to walk round the course. Great views and very good course condition.
Championship Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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A long course with some excellent holes. Very scenic views. Greens were better than the Premier course. Overall a challenging course but very interesting.
Premier Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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I would class the Premier course as a normal hotel course only made memorable by the par 3 15th which is a stunning hole. Staff here were very pleasant especially the starter. Greens were not great but overall the course was in good condition for the time of year.
Championship Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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Paid for 36 holes, did 9 on the first day because it took us 3 hours and did only 5 on the second day because it was even slower.
Premier Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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Championship Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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A great day - weather was perfect today - everything about the experience thoroughly enjoyable hope to be back
Premier Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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Sadly we only managed a few holes here the inclement weather was against us - extreme winds heavy rain and sleet... so we gave up after 6 holes.
Championship Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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The fairways were long and muddy and the greens were slow. I didn’t like the fact that there was no Clubhouse for this course, only the Hotel.
Premier Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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The fairways were long and muddy, the greens were very slow. There were people playing in front of us that were not fit to be on a golf course. They had no idea of rules or etiquette. We came in after 14 holes as we had suffered long enough. We met the head of Golf when we were in the Clubhouse, when he asked how we enjoyed our round I told him about our experience on the course. He was sorry we had not enjoyed our round and offered us a voucher for a free round to be used at a later date which we accepted. He and the rest of the staff were very helpful.
Championship Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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Not as good condition as previous visits.
Premier Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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The greens staff were top dressing on a hole that we were playing,one half of the green was full of sand the other half ok.we had to replace the balls to put out.NOT happy.
Premier Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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ENJOYABLE COURSE WITH SOME INTERESTING HOLES. NOT AS WELL PRESENTED AS CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE BUT STILL A GREAT DAYS GOLF
Championship Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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SUPREBLY PRESENTED COURSE, IN GREAT CONDITION DESPITE RECENT WEATHER. CHALLENGEING BUT REALLY ENJOYABLE WITH STUNNING VIEWS OF LOCAL AREA
Premier Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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Tighter off the tee than the championship course with some great looking holes. Again fast and slopey greens. Really enjoyed the challenge.
Championship Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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Tough course if you're not on your best game but still enjoyable. Greens are fast and slopey..
Premier Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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Loved this course. Great design and great condition. We will definitely be back to play this course again. Especially enjoyed the Par 3's
Championship Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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The course was in good condition considering the time of year (Oct) and the very dry summer we have just had. Greens were very good. We all enjoyed the course with the only complaint being that there were too many long Par 4's
Championship Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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Being 74 years young I found the course rather drawn out and long. Good for the hard hitters but not as interesting as the Premier course.
Premier Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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Heavy rain spoilt the round, but the course was well drained with no puddles, good greens. Better two of the courses.
Championship Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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quite bare in places on the fairway with no free drops, greens were spongy and strange which left pitch marks quite deep which players before us didn't repair!
Premier Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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We arrived to be told we hadn't booked buggy's when we had and was on the booking form, we teed off at 215 and got in after 7 to find out the clubhouse closed at 6 which they didn't let us know, luckily the bar lady was still cleaning and let us in to get our shoes!
Premier Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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Hillier but shorter. Liked it very much
Championship Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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Enjoyed but liked premier better
Championship Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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Long course 4 me
Premier Course (Macdonald Portal Hotel, Golf & Spa)
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Long course 4 me
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