Algarve – the best golfing destination in Portugal visitportugal.com

Repeatedly considered to be the best golfing destination in the world by magazines devoted to the sport and by international associations of specialist tour operators, the Algarve lives up to this distinction by maintaining an unrelenting quality.

With an ideal climate that lets you play throughout the year and a wide variety of almost four dozen courses, the region is a golfers’ paradise. Most courses are located in protected areas, with stunning views. They are internationally recognised for the quality of their facilities, and they have been designed by prestigious players and legendary champions such as Sir Henry Cotton, Rocky Roquemore, Arnold Palmer and Ronald Fream. On top of all this, there are excellent golf pros, a varied network of hotels and good accessibility, ranging from direct air links with many destinations in the world to easy transfers between Faro airport and the various resorts.

The courses are spread from one extreme of the region to the other. By the beach or further inland, flat or hilly, the choice is varied, but any of them can offer you the chance of birdies and eagles, and maybe even a hole in one. Between Lagos, Sagres and Serra de Monchique there are courses with varying degrees of difficulty, where the greens and fairways are framed by beautiful natural scenery. It is in this area, near Portimão, that the first course opened in Algarve is to be found, Penina Hotel & Golf Resort, which has been awarded on several occasions as one of the best in Europe.