The Top 5 Resorts And Locations For Golf Holidays In Portugal
April 17, 2010
It is never going to be easy to single out five special golf courses in any one country. Compiling such a list for Portugal is made even more difficult due to the huge range and styles of courses on offer.
This list reflects five great courses that are enjoyable to play as much for their beautiful scenery as for their range of game play and quality of fairways and greens. Each one could provide a memorable highlight to any golf holiday in Portugal.
On a hot summer’s day the 6000 yard Estoril course is an enjoyable treat. The course requires skill around the 18 holes to navigate the well placed bunkers and difficult rough.
The Penha Longa course is finally playing host to the Portugal Open (in 2010) so has been receiving some recent modifications to tighten up the course design. Amateurs will enjoy the scenery around the course as some holes play through ancient ruins.
The south course in Quinta do Lago is the more mature of the two courses available to play at this resort. Some holes prove challenging due to the stark Atlantic Ocean breeze, while other holes are sheltered by lush vegetation and forestry. Given the courses maturity, the greens play exceptionally true and fast as one would expect.
The Oitavos Golf Club is a well architected course that makes the most of the surrounding countryside. It has played host to the Open and as a result the front nine and back nine holes require long tee shots and accurate second shots in order to avoid the bunkers that are dotted around most greens.
No trip to the Algarve would be complete without playing the Vale da Pinta. This is an interestingly designed course that is embedded within a natural valley. The fairways undulations make for some odd bounces which some would deem unfair but this does aid golfers playing short off the tee.
Given the range of courses in Portugal, and the proliferation of clubs in the Algarve, a top 5 list of courses will always be quite subjective. Hopefully this list gives you food for thought about your next golf break.
Looking for European golfing breaks? For the perfect golf holiday Algarve, Estoril and the other Portuguese regions have it all. Visit the Golf Holidays In Portugal Guide to learn more.