Portugal’s Must Play Courses
A guide to some of our favourite courses to play in Portugal
Portugal is arguably the most popular resort destination for the UK golfer, and rightfully so. At just over a 2-hour flight from the UK & well serviced by airlines, this offers an abundance of route & schedule choice. Once there you are really spoilt for choice when it comes to courses with in excess of 100 across the entire country, some excellent, some good, some worth avoiding.
Here’s our thoughts on courses that stand out and are definitely worth experiencing when in Portugal.
Located 20 mins east of Faro close to the Spanish boarder, this Jack Nicklaus Signature designed course is the first of 2 planned for the resort, albeit the South Course has no date as yet for opening and delays continue.
The 5-star resort & country club itself is impressive, with apartments and villas providing everything you’d expect with luxurious comfort. The real star of the show however is the course and the levels of service shown to all who visit. Buggies and range balls are included in the green fee, and perhaps the first inkling to how special this place is, is the impressive practice area, well thought out and all facilities perfectly kept.
The course itself is an absolute joy to experience, from first to last, there are few, if any, weak holes. Winding thoughtfully through the surrounding rugged native area, spacious tee times, a few scattered overlooking villas & isolated hole designs will make you feel as though you have the course to yourself. Apart from the odd beer buggy or cold towel buggy, you might not witness another group your entire round.
Fairways are in most part wide enough to remove the stress from the tee, and there are half a dozen holes where water will keep you honest, but overall this is less about challenge and more about enjoyment, an all-round exceptional experience.
Located on the picturesque Troia Peninsula 90 mins south of Lisbon, Troia Golf opened in 1980 and has received more than its fair share of accolades and awards since opening.
As one of the finer ‘elder statesmen’ of Portuguese golf, this still holds its own amongst the more revered courses in the south. Much more than a perfectly manicured resort course, this is a test of shot-making and a thinker’s course, combing natural & sandy ruggedness to create a links style not often replicated in Portugal. Measuring 6,300 meters from the back tees, the sandy subsoil ensure that if you keep your ball on the fairways it wont feel like the longest course, but native areas and strategic bunkering will keep your focus.
Troia offers something different and understated, it allows the course to speak for itself.
Just over an hour south of Lisbon and 90+ mins north of The Algarve area, this sits peacefully amongst nature at the southern end of the Troia Peninsula.
The Dunas course took a long time to complete, but when it finally opened in 2023 it did so to justifiably rave reviews. Course architect David McLay-Kidd has laid out some of the worlds most revered links style courses, so it was really no surprise that Portugal’s newest course was going to be anything other than an absolute delight.
The development of Terras da Comporta is still ongoing and they have big plans, including a 2nd Sergio Garcia designed course due to open in 2025, if it’s anywhere near as good as the Dunas it will undoubtably raise Comporta to the pinnacle of Portuguese golf resorts.
Wide & fast fairways welcome straight drives, but wider native waste areas are more than happy to accept the wayward shots. Picturesque, sweeping fairways flow impressively through the natural surroundings to large green complexes. The conditioning - from practice areas to course - is immaculate, the design is world class with a focus on playability & enjoyment, they even have a keen and commendable eye on sustainability. Many believe that this is already the best course in Portugal, it’s hard to argue against. Whether you’re residing in Lisbon or The Algarve, this is a must visit.
Located just a short 25min drive from Faro airport near the town of Almancil, Quinta do Lago Resort is the quintessentially Algarvian golf destination. It is hard not to be impressed with the drive into this immaculate area, sprawling villas part to give glimpses of pristine fairways & greens. With 3 courses to choose from at Quinta itself, as well as a host of others in the near vicinity, this feels a lot like golfing utopia.
The South course at Quinta is the pick of the 3 courses on offer, that being said the North & Larangal also provide a great experience and well worth a visit.
Opening in 1974, this was the flagship of the European Tour for many years. It’s probably the most renowned & popular course in the Algarve to play, so don’t expect to get the course to yourself. Set amongst lush umbrella pines, tight fairways and white sand bunkers punish the wayward, but good shots are rewarded and absolutely everything about Quinta is immaculate & pristine. A driver off the tee is not always the best option as you manoeuvre your way around this course strategically, the doglegs get you thinking and the few holes with water in play only add to the experience, but the impressive umbrella pines frame this manicured course perfectly and make it a true joy to play.
Located an hour north of Lisbon and residing on the Atlantic coast alongside the impressive sister course of Praia D’El Rey, and the Seve designed Royal Obidos, West Cliffs is the pick of the courses but the 3 varieties make the area perfect for a golf break.
Opening in 2017 and designed by Cynthia Dye (Pete Dye’s niece) this is another course in Portugal that opened to repeated accolades. The course is set amongst the natural, rugged sand dunes which makes for an impressive aesthetic spectacle. Whilst the fairways are relatively wide and generous and allow for some dispersion off the tee, beyond this there’s not much to enjoy. Native areas, bunkers and scrub are there to keep you in check, and when the coastal winds get up this offers a true links style test of ball control. Choosing the correct tee option is paramount to an enjoyable round here, best to choose cautiously rather than bravely as failed long carries from the tee will have you reaching for another ball from the bag too often.
If you’re looking for a links challenge set against an ocean backdrop on an immaculate & creatively designed course, look no further. A world away from Quinta & Vilamoura.
That’s our thoughts on some of the best courses to play in Portugal. There are a great variety of courses on offer, from challenging links to pristine & manicured resort courses. We’ve given special mention to those above, combine these with others in the area on offer and it has all the ingredients for a fantastic golf break.