Portugal Golf Courses
Portugal golf course reviews, from EuropeGolf.com
Estoril
One of the oldest and best known golf courses in Portugal, Estoril played
a pioneering role for developing golf in Portugal, hosting the Portuguese
Open Championship between 1953-1972. The original course layout, designed
by Mackenzie Ross, has gone through a number of alterations. The architect
made use of pine trees and eucalyptus, which together, with the uneven
terrain, make this course challenging in terms of accuracy rather than
distance. A short course, Estoril covers 5,200 meters for a par 69, but
it provides an engrossing challenge. Internationally known, hole 16 consists
of a par 3 and 184 meters.
Suggested accommodations to base yourself at
while playing Estoril: Caesar Park Hotel
Penha Longa
This fabulous 18-hole course is situated in Sintra, only 20 minutes from
Lisbon. It forms part of the Protected Landscape Area of Sintra and Cascais
in a region full of historic monuments and wonderful hotels. Robert Trent
Jones II, the architect of Penha Longa, designed it to best take account
of the steeply sloping terrain and excellent views of the surrounding
mountain landscape and the sea. This means that the first three holes,
along with the final three, are laid out in a valley, wooded with pines
and studded with granite outcrops. Host to the Portuguese Open Championships,
golf professionals unanimously voted Penha Longa as one of the best courses
on the European circuit (maximum handicap 24 ladies/gentlemen).
Suggested accommodations to base yourself at
while playing Penha Longa: Caesar Park Hotel
San Lorenzo
Situated in the Quinta do Lago resort and forming part of the Ria Fromosa
Natural Park, a round of this course begins with an enticing but almost
unreachable par 5 before continuing to the three following holes along
rolling, pine-fringed fairways. From the fifth hole, however, the most
extraordinary part of San Lorenzo begins, offering wonderful views over
the Atlantic Ocean. At hole 8 the course turns back inland, facing the
largest of the lakes. For the next four holes, the course turns seaward
again, ending with a remarkable par-4 hole, where the waters of the second
lake surround the green.
Suggested accommodations to base yourself at
while playing San Lorenzo: Le Meridien Hotel Dona Filipa
Quinta do Lago - Ocean & Royal
One of the world's most famous golf courses, Quinta do Lago, part of
a resort area favored by members of the international jet set, borders
the Ria Formosa Natural Park. Its four nine-hole loops offer sufficient
flexibility to allow four, 18-hole combinations, making Quinta do Lago
a well-diversified challenge. Identical terrain on all four courses relies
on the natural characteristics of sandy soils covered by pine trees, heather
and other wonderful wildflowers.
 Vale
do Lobo
Opened in 1966, Vale do Lobo today serves as the centerpiece of a luxury
holiday resort, just 15 miles from Faro International Airport. Its rolling
fairways run over sandy ground past eucalyptus, pine, olive and orange
trees. From the original 18 holes, golfers have spectacular views of the
sea. The par-3 seventh hole (yellow) really stands out, with 218 meters
from a championship tee over three fantastic cliffs, without doubt creating
one of the most photographed golf holes in the world.
Suggested accommodations to base yourself at
while playing Vale do Lobo: Le Meridien Hotel Dona Filipa
Vila Sol
Situated at the heart of one of the Algarve's most developed resort areas
between Vilamoura and Quinto do Lago, Vila Sol is a picture postcard of
Portuguese golf. This course, which winds through an immense pine wood,
where fig trees, oaks and almond trees also feature, is the work of the
famous English architect Donald Steel. It is a typical inland golf course
of the British school, posing a test of the golfer's strategic skills.
Suggested accommodations to base yourself at
while playing Vila Sol: Le Meridien Hotel Dona Filipa
Vilamoura Old Course
This is the oldest of the three Vilamoura courses that form part of a
luxury resort development close to fantastic beaches. The course designer
Frank Pennink wanted to create a course in the Algarve that would remind
players of those beautiful, challenging inland British courses. Opened
in 1969, the verdant fairways of the course run through surrounding pine
trees. This is a very attractive course, with a great variety of holes.
The par 3 holes are all different and visually very beautiful, representing
the toughest challenge on the course. They require careful selection of
irons and near-perfect ball control.
Suggested accommodations
to base yourself
at while playing
Vilamoura Old
Course:
Le Meridien Hotel
Dona Filipa.
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