Golf Holidays Portugal: 5 Great Golf Clubs Worth A Visit
Portugal has long been regarded as one of the great European golfing destinations. The combination of great year round weather, a thriving tourism industry (and its associated hotels & resorts) and the country’s love of golf makes it difficult to pick a top 5 list of courses.
The following five courses are picked for their course design, variety of holes and scenic context. It would be all too easy to select a list just from the Algarve so this list brings together some gems from around the country.
Vilamoura Old Course: The old course is one of the more mature courses on the Algarve. The fairways and greens have matured well over the years thanks to the conscientious ground-keeping. The fairways are steep and hilly in parts which can provide for sometimes unfair bounces off the tee. It is certainly one of the highlights of the many courses in the area.
San Lorenzo – Quinto do Lago: This course regularly makes the European top-ten course lists. The architecture makes the most of the woodlands through which the course winds and the Bermuda grass fairways are a joy to play from.
Penha Longa: Home to the 2010 Portugal Open, this course has many surprises over its 18 holes. The sight of old ruins marking out of bounds for one. While the tough par-four 16th will be a challenge to even low handicap players to make par.
Oceanico Faldo: Located on the western Algarve coast, this course follows a desert-style design by Nick Faldo which makes this course unique and memorable in the region.
Vale do Lobo: This Royal & Ocean Golf Club are pricey but definitely worth a round. Sometimes more famous for the surrounding scenic views along the 4 kilometer beach that lines some of the holes, it still manages to prove to be a tough course to play if the wind is swirling.
When it comes to having perfect golf holidays Portugal has the sun and scenery to complement the great courses that have sprung up over the past two decades. All holidaying golfers should make a point of including some of the above ‘showcase’ golf clubs as while the green fees can head north of 100 Euro, they are each memorable and at a par with many of the great championship courses around Europe.
For the perfect golf holiday Algarve, Estoril and the other Portuguese regions have it all. Visit Golf Holidays Portugal for more details.
