A golf holiday in Portugal can combine great weather and scenery with a huge choice of championship courses to play. For a perfect golf holiday Algarve, Estoril and Madeira are the best golfing regions due to the quality & breadth of golf clubs. This list provides five of the best course from these regions.
Beginning in Madeira the fairways of the Palheiro golf club line the volcanic hillside of this tropical island with sheer cliffs marking out-of-bounds on many holes. It is fair to say the craggy nature of the hills has necessarily formed the design on the majority of the hole but the soil quality has benefited the true running of the greens and the lush vegetation surrounding most holes.
In the Algarve the San Lorenzo would make most critics top 10 of European courses. The course topography winds its way through a woodland setting with the fairways (Bermuda grass) playing well all year round. The scenic views from some of the higher tee-boxes provide some excellent vistas, especially of the neighboring nature reserve.
Staying in the Algarve the Oceanico Old Course in Vilamoura is one of the must play course in this popular town. The maturity of fairways makes tee shots run and run while the greens have been lovingly managed to permit some true putting lines.
For fans of the Portuguese Open the 2010 host course, the Penha Longa Atlantic Course, is a real test of ability, especially off the back tees. While the grass on the greens is allowed grow a little longer for holidaying golfers they can still prove a challenge to read putting lines and to make your second shot on par 4s not head for the strategically placed bunkers.
Just outside Lisbon the Estoril golf club has long been a favorite. One element of its charm is its shortness (at just over 6200 yards) which can be a saving grace on swelteringly hot days. The course design however rewards accurate ball placement off the tee with bunkers and rough swallowing up any wayward shots.
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