Portugal is one of the world’s top golf destinations. Five-time winner of Europe’s and World’s Best Golf Destination at the World Golf Awards (between 2014 and 2018), the country offers more than ninety golf courses with new and exciting challenges for both amateur and professional golfers.
If you are a fan of this sport and you want to know where you should be spending your tee time in Portugal, stick around and learn more about the 10 best golf courses in Portugal.
1. Monte Rei Golf & Country Club
Overlooking the Caldeirão mountain and the Atlantic Ocean, the Monte Rei Golf Course, in Tavira, combines the best of two worlds: golf and the beach.
Jack Nicklaus, an American golf legend, designed this course with 18 holes and more than 6,000 metres (20,000 feet) and the whole resort includes hotel accommodations, restaurants and special golf-related experiences.
- Location: Sitio Do Pocinho - Sesmarias, 8901-907 Vila Nova de Cacela, Portugal
- Website: www.monte-rei.com
2. West Cliffs
An hour away from Lisbon and very close to the Óbidos Lagoon is the West Cliffs Golf resort. Opened in the summer of 2017, the course was built sustainably in order to blend in with its natural surroundings.
At this 5-star resort, not only can you enjoy a few rounds of golf but also play other sports, go for a walk on the beach, explore the cliffs or just relax at the hotel or in one of the private apartments or villas.
The golf course itself was designed by the world-renowned architect Cynthia Dye McGarey, taking into account the existing terrain and its pine groves, sand dunes and coastal vegetation.
If you are planning on going for a swing, green fees go from 33 euro (for juniors during the winter season) to 215 euro (for 36 holes on weekends or holidays during high season).
- Location: Estrada do Rio Cortiço, 4, 2510-665
- Website: www.westcliffs.com
3. Oitavos Dunes
Oitavos Dunes was designed by Arthur Hills in the beautiful Sintra-Cascais National Park and has an 18-hole course of over 6,000 m (20,000 ft).
This isn’t an easy one. Due to the strong winds that come from the nearby sea, you will have to play strategically in order to get a good game. But, when you do get the hang of it, you will play the most exceptional round of golf you've ever played in your life.
- Location: Quinta da Marinha, lote 64, 2750-040 Cascais, Portugal
- Website: www.oitavosdunes.com
4. Tróia Golf Resort
This golf resort is fairly close to Lisbon, but you have to take the ferry to get there if you are coming from Setúbal.
On the beachfront, with 6 hectares of land and 18 holes, the golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. offers amazing views of the Arrábida mountain and it’s the perfect place to improve your technique and performance.
The Tróia Golf Resort is one of the 20 best golf resorts in Europe and has won many awards that attest to its capacity to provide a unique experience to all golf lovers.
- Location: Tróia, 7570-789, Portugal
- Website: www.troiaresort.pt
5. San Lorenzo
This is another golf destination with amazing views. This time we go to the Algarve, in the famous Quinta do Lago, near Ria Formosa, where we can find one of the most popular golf courses in the world. This challenging 18-hole course requires a lot of concentration and skill.
Not everyone can play golf here. The course can be used exclusively by guests of the Dona Filipa Hotel, the Amarante Formosa Park hotel and by those who are lucky enough to be private members.
- Location: Quinta do Lago, 8135-162 Almancil, Portugal
- Website: www.sanlorenzogolfcourse.com
6. Old Course – Dom Pedro Golf Collection
Enjoy the best of the Algarve’s scenery in one of its oldest golf courses. Located in the exclusive Vilamoura area and inaugurated in 1969, the course was designed by Frank Pennink and has been renovated to improve its conditions, while maintaining its original structure.
During the renovations, a new clubhouse and a new putting green area were added to the original course to upgrade customer experience.
Don’t be fooled by its age because this is one of the best and most famous courses in the country, with 18 holes and more than 6,000 m (20,000 ft) of fairway.
- Location: Volta Golfinho 24, 8125-507 Quarteira, Portugal
- Website: www.dompedrogolf.com
7. Onyria Palmares Golf & Beach Resort
Onyria Palmares is the crowning jewel of the Algarve golf scene. The resort opened in 1975 and includes 27 holes, spread across 3 different courses (the Alvor Course, the Lagos Course, the Praia Course) with distinct levels of difficulty, changes in incline and even lakes.
Feel free to take a class at the golf academy or book a room at the hotel or a private villa and enjoy the calm and tranquillity of the Algarve.
- Location: Campo de Golfe de Palmares – 8600-250 Odiaxere-Lagos
- Website: www.onyriapalmares.com
8. Quinta do Lago Resort – Golf
The beautiful Quinta do Lago Resort has been at the forefront of Portuguese golf since the beginning. A winner of multiple awards at the World Golf Awards and from Golf Digest, the resort includes three different courses – Norte, Sul, and Laranjal – and incredible facilities like the first European Paul McGinley Golf Academy and the only Taylor Made Performance Centre in the south of Europe.
Stay at the hotel and play golf like a pro, or if you are just looking for a bit of fun, try the mini golf course!
- Location: Roundabout 4, Quinta do Lago, 8135-024 Almancil
- Website: www.quintadolago.com
9. Praia D’El Rey
Also near Óbidos, you can find the Praia D’El Rey golf course. Designed by Cabell B. Robinson, the course was inaugurated on the 14th of June 1997 and is one of the best in the country. With deep bunkers, steep greens, sand dunes, pine trees and exuberant fairways, this 18-hole course has great views that will amaze you during your tee time.
Be prepared because to play in these conditions you will need a lot of concentration.
- Location: Aldeamento Vilar do Golf 20, 8135-162 Faro, Portugal
- Website: www.praia-del-rey.com
10. Amendoeira Golf Resort
Sir Nick Faldo and Christy O'Connor Jr. designed this 18-hole course so that players can enjoy a strategic game, full of fun hidden traps.
In central Algarve, this resort offers a great experience to visitors and golf enthusiasts looking for an extraordinary experience, with great technology to help improve your game like Trackman, private classes with professional instructors and the possibility to play during the night at the only illuminated course in the country, with 9 holes.
- Location: Amendoeira Golf Resort, Morgado da Lameira, 8365-302
- Website: www.amendoeiraresort.com
