Affordable golf in Portugal: the best value courses

Portugal is a premium golf destination, and the headline Algarve names — Monte Rei, San Lorenzo, the Quinta do Lago and Vale do Lobo flagships — price themselves accordingly. But sitting just behind them is a deep tier of courses that are beautifully kept, buggy usually included, played under the same winter sun, and cost €70 to €160 rather than €250-plus. Play these and the only thing you give up is the logo. For most golfers, that is a very easy trade.

Vilamoura is where the sensible money plays. Vilamoura Millennium (€140) and Pinhal (€150) give you mature, tree-lined championship golf a short drive from the marina. Nearby, Salgados (€130) is a links-like layout laid out among the lagoons at Albufeira, and Pinheiros Altos (€145) sits inside the Quinta do Lago estate itself for well below its famous neighbour. Out west, Penina(€110) — Sir Henry Cotton's classic, the Algarve's original championship course — is gentle on the wallet and full of history.

Golf gets markedly cheaper the further north you go, and the courses get more interesting for it. Around Porto, Estela (€95) is a genuine links along the Atlantic dunes — a rarity in Portugal — and Oporto (€90) is the oldest golf club on the Iberian Peninsula, a wonderful piece of history for the price of a mid-range Algarve twilight. Inland, Vidago Palace (€70) pairs a beautiful mountain parkland with a grand belle-époque hotel and is, round for euro, the best value in the country.

Portugal's pricing works in reverse to home: high summer is the cheap, quiet season, and the mild spring and autumn are the peak (and priciest) months. So for value, play June to September when fees fall sharply, take a twilight slot to dodge the afternoon heat, and buy a multi-round pass if you are basing yourself in one resort — Vilamoura and the Quinta do Lago group both offer them. See when to visit, what a trip costs, and the week-long itinerary. Base near the golf in Vilamoura or Albufeira for the Algarve, or Porto for the north.