Best golf courses in Portugal

Portugal has around 90 courses nationwide, but a handful set the standard. Monte Rei’s North Course, a Jack Nicklaus Signature design that opened in 2007, is regularly ranked the country’s number one, with water in play on roughly eleven of its eighteen holes. San Lorenzo at Quinta do Lago runs its back nine along the Ria Formosa estuary. The table below compares the marquee names on the facts that matter.

Pedigree runs deep here. Penina hosted five of the first eight European Tour Portuguese Opens after the event moved to the region in 1973, before Quinta do Lago took over and staged six editions. The championship calendar is being renewed too: in July 2025 PGA TOUR Champions announced a new event at The Els Club Vilamoura.

Most golfers pick a region and play out from it rather than chase courses across the country. The Algarve’s Golden Triangle of Vilamoura, Quinta do Lago and Vale do Lobo gives you several championship courses within a short drive of one base. The Lisbon and Silver Coast option trades a little density for the Atlantic links feel of Oitavos and Praia d’El Rey.

For the eastern Algarve, Monte Rei Golf & Country Club is the obvious base if the North Course is your priority. In the Golden Triangle, Vale do Lobo Resort and The Magnolia Hotel at Quinta do Lago put you minutes from the marquee courses. Around Vilamoura, the Hyatt Regency Vilamoura sits within reach of the Victoria and Old courses.

The Algarve gets more than 300 days of sunshine a year and mild winters of around 15 to 18C, which is why it draws UK and Scandinavian golfers through the off-season. Conditions are not uniform across the year, though.

Spring is widely cited as the sweet spot, with Faro highs near 21C in March to May and rain rare in April and May. September (26.3C) and October (23.4C) are the other prime months, warm but no longer overwhelming. July and August are the hottest at 29.3C and 29.1C, with a historical extreme of 44.3C recorded in July 2004, so a full round in peak summer can be hard work. June is a quieter, reliable choice: hot but not too hot, and very unlikely to rain.

Honest caveat: the wind is a year-round factor. In the cold half of the year it is driven by Atlantic depressions, and in summer afternoon sea breezes blow along the coast, so a calm round is never guaranteed even in fine weather. The Lisbon coast and the north are wetter than the Algarve, with Porto averaging about 1,213mm of rain a year against the Algarve’s 480mm, so winter golf is least reliable the further north you go.

“September and October are regarded as prime golf months in the Algarve, bringing mild temperatures, clear skies and gentle breezes.” Palmares Living

Faro is the principal Algarve gateway. A direct flight from London takes about 2 hours 55 minutes and the route is served year-round by easyJet, British Airways, Jet2 and Wizz Air UK. For the western and Silver Coast courses, fly to Lisbon, roughly 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours non-stop. British passport holders can visit Portugal visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, and mainland Portugal shares the UK clock all year, so there is no time change to manage.

Golf Planet Holidays arranges these trips ground-only, covering your hotel, green fees and transfers. Flights are an optional ATOL-protected add-on if you would rather we booked them, never bundled into the headline price. From Faro you can be on the first tee fast: Quinta do Lago is a 15 to 20 minute drive, Vale do Lobo about 20 to 25 minutes, and Vilamoura roughly 27 to 30 minutes.

For where to stay, the Algarve choices span heritage and modern resort. Penina Hotel & Golf Resort wraps around the Sir Henry Cotton Championship Course near Portimão, while Amendoeira Golf Resort pairs the Faldo and O’Connor Jnr layouts. On the Lisbon coast, The Oitavos sits on the dunes at Quinta da Marinha and Penha Longa Resort anchors Sintra. On the Silver Coast, The Praia D’El Rey Marriott and Royal Óbidos Spa & Golf Resort put two championship courses on your doorstep, and Palmares Beach House Hotel covers the Lagos end of the Algarve.

Portugal works for a wide range of groups, which is part of why foreign tourists account for roughly 85 per cent of the 2.4 million rounds played there in 2023, with the UK the leading source market. If value matters, the Algarve undercuts the UK on green fees by 30 to 50 per cent, and low-season rates fall further still. If you want the single best course in the country, base in the eastern Algarve for Monte Rei. If you want variety from one hotel, the Golden Triangle is unmatched for density.

Mixed-ability groups are well served because the marquee resorts run several courses of different lengths, from the flat, mature Penina to the desert-style Amendoeira Faldo at over 7,200 yards. Couples and golf-and-spa trips lean towards the Lisbon coast and Silver Coast resorts. Whatever the makeup of your group, the trip is built around the courses and dates you want, and we quote by email and reply promptly.