Golf Holidays Portugal: A Golfers Guide To The Algarve
When it comes to golf holidays Portugal has been playing catch up with their neighbor Spain over the past decades to build up their quantity of resorts and top-class courses. This article focuses in on the Algarve to detail the nuances of course styles in the area, along with the must-visit clubs.
For golfers looking to play a different championship course each day of their golf holiday Algarve has the range of course styles and caliber of clubs to make it the ideal European destination.
Golf in the central region is based around Vilamoura town. The town has dozens of golf resorts to choose from (Oceanico have over 12 alone) along with some great independent championship courses. The must play course to visit is the Vale Do Lobo Royal. As it has hosted the Open it is, as you’d expect, a punishing but beautiful course. Even off the front tees the rough and traps come into play. The greens are consistently fast all year round.
The eastern Algarve has a reputation for being more elite with some pricey courses such as the Benamor and Quinta De Cima to play. The mild climate means it is also lively and popular in winter. The Monte Rei is the jewel in the crown for the area. When Jack Nicklaus designed the course it managed to combine a great variety of hole design, effective use of the locations hilly topology and still maintain some beautiful views.
The western Algarve is where the really challenging courses are, thanks to the prevailing Atlantic Ocean breezes. The locals will tell you that the best courses to play are the Boavista and Parque Dal Floresta. Both are hillside courses with spectacular views. The open exposed nature of the courses makes them more challenging on windy days, but thankfully this breeze gives some respite from the heat in summer.
The nearby Faldo & O’Connor courses (desert-style and parkland courses respectively) are two thoroughly enjoyable courses to play. Both sport lightening fast greens and perfectly manicured fairways.
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