Portugal Golf Courses

The grande dame of Algarve golf (1974) — an eight-time Portuguese Open host through umbrella pines and lakes above the Ria Formosa, where Montgomerie shot a record 63 in 1989.

Perhaps the most beautiful course in the Algarve (1988) — a strategic Lee & Roquemore design winding through pines to the edge of the Ria Formosa lagoons, egrets and flamingos and all.

Home of the most famous hole in Portuguese golf — the clifftop par-3 16th over a ravine to the sea. A handsome 1997 resort parkland west of Faro, with a near-island green at the 9th.

The Algarve's closest thing to a true links (RTJ Jr, 2010) — 27 holes tumbling down to the Bay of Lagos, with a genuine dunes nine along the beach. Rated among Europe's top 30.

Regularly ranked No. 1 in Portugal — Arthur Hills's links-style masterpiece (2001) through Atlantic dune land near Cascais, with Sintra behind and Cabo da Roca on the horizon.

A spectacular modern links (Cynthia Dye, 2017) on the wild Silver Coast — named World's Best New Course on opening, with a memorable oceanside back nine and a par-3 5th atop a giant dune.

Quinta do Lago's second championship course — a full 2014 Beau Welling redesign of the original William Mitchell layout, immaculate through pine and lakeland, and reshaped with input from Paul McGinley.

A bold, modern target-golf design by Sir Nick Faldo (2008) in the hills near Silves — desert-style fairways through scrubland and rock, a striking contrast to the coastal resorts.

The "Grande Dame" of the Algarve (1969) — Frank Pennink's characterful parkland winding through a forest of umbrella pines at the heart of Vilamoura. Renovated in 2024.

One of Seve Ballesteros's last designs (2011) — bold, strategic golf on rolling ground above the Atlantic near medieval Óbidos, with sweeping lagoon and sea views on the fast-rising Silver Coast.

The course that opened up golf north of Lisbon (Cabell Robinson, 1997) — pinewood holes and true Atlantic-dune links on the wild Silver Coast near Óbidos, with the Berlengas islands offshore.

A fierce, wind-blown Robert Trent Jones Sr links (1980) on a wild sand peninsula across the Sado estuary from Setúbal — small, well-guarded greens and a hidden-gem reputation south of Lisbon.

The newest of Quinta do Lago's courses (2009), and many now rate it the best — a modern parkland on a former orange grove in the quiet Ludo Valley, superbly conditioned year-round.

A genuine Atlantic links (1989) in the dunes at Póvoa de Varzim north of Porto — sandy, wind-swept and firm-greened, playing far more like Scotland or Ireland than a typical Iberian resort. Honest golf and great value.

A characterful original Vilamoura layout (Frank Pennink, 1976; revised by Robert Trent Jones Sr) through dense umbrella pines — a shot-maker's parkland at the heart of the resort.

The youngest Vilamoura course (Martin Hawtree, 2000) — broader and more modern than its neighbours, with water and rolling fairways among the pines; the most forgiving of the resort's courses.

The older, gentler of Vale do Lobo's two courses — rooted in Sir Henry Cotton's 1960s work and updated by Rocky Roquemore, a relaxed, rhythmical round through pines and orange groves toward the Atlantic.

The central Algarve's nearest thing to a links — flat, open, water-laced coastal golf (1994) by the Salgados lagoon near Albufeira, with five lakes, an island green and the sea breeze as its defence.

The "Wentworth of Lisbon" (Frank Pennink, 1973) — a mature, tree-lined parkland through dense umbrella pine on the Setúbal peninsula, recently rebranded a PGA National course. A shot-maker's test near the capital.

Regularly rated the best course in Portugal — a Jack Nicklaus Signature design (2007) in the eastern Algarve hills, immaculately kept and run as an exclusive, low-volume experience.

Arnold Palmer's Portugal Masters host (2007–2022), rebuilt by Ernie Els and reopened July 2025 as The Els Club Vilamoura — the first Els Club in Europe. Now a private club, playable on stay-and-play packages.

A dramatic RTJ Jr parkland (1992) on the wooded slopes of the Sintra hills — big elevation changes, Atlantic views and a three-time Portuguese Open host, set in a UNESCO landscape.

The oldest golf club on the Iberian Peninsula (1890), founded by British port-wine traders — a true, wind-blown links at Espinho and home of the world's oldest continuously played tournament.

Where Algarve golf began — Sir Henry Cotton's 1966 design, the first 18-hole course in the region, on former rice fields planted with 360,000 trees. A ten-time Portuguese Open host.

One of Portugal's oldest and most romantic courses — a 1936 Philip Mackenzie Ross design (the Turnberry Ailsa architect) in the grounds of a Belle Époque palace hotel in green Trás-os-Montes. Serene and superb value.

27 holes of pretty, well-conditioned golf (Ronald Fream, 1992) within the exclusive Quinta do Lago estate — umbrella pines, olive groves and Ria Formosa lagoons for a friendlier green fee.