The Best Golf Courses in Western Algarve

Any list of the best golf courses in the Western Algarve starts at Penina Hotel & Golf Resort, just outside Portimão. Sir Henry Cotton, three times Open Champion, laid the championship course out on that old rice field, planted thousands of trees himself and gave the region its grand old gentleman. The land is still flat, and we will say so plainly. What tests you is the water, the mature tree lines and greens that reward thought rather than force.

Position beats power here. Club golfers who like history in a course’s bones settle in within a hole or two, and because the hotel sits on the course, the first tee is a short walk from breakfast. Stays with golf included start from £260 (≈ €295) (≈ $345) (≈ CA$485) (≈ AU$495) (≈ NZ$595) (≈ CHF 275) (≈ kr 3,305) (≈ kr 3,355) (≈ kr 2,265) pp, and if you only build the trip around one base in the west, this is the one we would choose.

Morgado Golf & Country Club, in the hinterland above Portimão, is the modern counterpoint. Generous off the tee, demanding on the approach, and you can usually see the whole hole in front of you before you commit. One caveat from experience: it sits inland with little shade, so high-summer afternoons get properly hot. Book morning tee times in July and August. From £230 (≈ €265) (≈ $305) (≈ CA$425) (≈ AU$435) (≈ NZ$525) (≈ CHF 245) (≈ kr 2,925) (≈ kr 2,965) (≈ kr 2,005) pp it is strong value for a four-star golf stay, and it pairs well with Penina across three or four days.

A little further east, Amendoeira Golf Resort at Alcantarilha adds another character again, with a proper resort rhythm to the golf, from £320 (≈ €365) (≈ $435) (≈ CA$595) (≈ AU$605) (≈ NZ$725) (≈ CHF 345) (≈ kr 4,075) (≈ kr 4,135) (≈ kr 2,785) pp. Between the three bases you can change the nature of the test every day, so the week builds rather than blurs.

The base shapes the whole trip. For golfers who want to live on the course, Penina is unmatched in the west. If you would rather wake up by the sea, Palmares Beach House Hotel above the bay at Lagos is the pick, a small design-led hotel with the Palmares fairways on its doorstep, from £410 (≈ €475) (≈ $555) (≈ CA$765) (≈ AU$785) (≈ NZ$935) (≈ CHF 445) (≈ kr 5,215) (≈ kr 5,295) (≈ kr 3,575) pp. Between Palmares and The Magnolia Hotel at Quinta do Lago (from £420 (≈ €485) (≈ $565) (≈ CA$785) (≈ AU$795) (≈ NZ$955) (≈ CHF 455) (≈ kr 5,345) (≈ kr 5,425) (≈ kr 3,655) pp), we would send most western itineraries to Palmares. The Magnolia is great fun, but it leaves you a long drive from the courses this guide is about.

Many guests drift eastward over a longer stay, and the west sits naturally beside the Vilamoura corridor. The Hyatt Regency Vilamoura Algarve (from £385 (≈ €445) (≈ $515) (≈ CA$715) (≈ AU$735) (≈ NZ$875) (≈ CHF 415) (≈ kr 4,905) (≈ kr 4,975) (≈ kr 3,355) pp), Dom Pedro Marina Boutique Hotel & Golf by the harbour (from £340 (≈ €395) (≈ $455) (≈ CA$635) (≈ AU$645) (≈ NZ$775) (≈ CHF 365) (≈ kr 4,325) (≈ kr 4,395) (≈ kr 2,965) pp) and Pestana Vila Sol with its own golf on site (from £230 (≈ €265) (≈ $305) (≈ CA$425) (≈ AU$435) (≈ NZ$525) (≈ CHF 245) (≈ kr 2,925) (≈ kr 2,965) (≈ kr 2,005) pp) all work well as a second base. We order the week so the geography makes sense, not just the golf.

Once you give us your dates, we assemble the week by hand: tee times paced to your rhythm, transfers arranged so no morning starts in a rush, own-room options priced from the outset. Be aware that Faro airport serves the whole coast, and the far west means a transfer of an hour or so, which is why we often start guests at Penina or Morgado and finish nearer Lagos. A typical week threads Penina’s history with Morgado’s openness and a day at Amendoeira, with a rest day for the beach or the old town in between.

Western Algarve golf holidays start from £230 (≈ €265) (≈ $305) (≈ CA$425) (≈ AU$435) (≈ NZ$525) (≈ CHF 245) (≈ kr 2,925) (≈ kr 2,965) (≈ kr 2,005) pp with the hotels above. The value sits in the ordering: the right courses in the right sequence, the right hotel for the way you travel, and your money protected through PTS. Tell us how you like to play and we will build the rest.