Playing golf in Portugal has become very popular because of the fantastic climate as well as the stunning landscapes, especially in the Argarve. The Argarve is the southern province of the country along the coast, and provides the greatest number of golf courses with many currently being built.
The main golf season is from late autumn to late spring. Winters are mild which allows golfers from northern European countries to work on their swings when their home courses are unplayable. Portugal does have a lot of sunshine, however rain does fall with nearly all of it coming during the main golfing season.
Course designer Henry Cotton brought the first of his three golf courses to Penina in the Algarve in the mid sixties. Cotton lived in the Algarve and supposedly trained a donkey to carry two golf bags around the course and be a caddie. Yes, you heard that correctly.
Either way, Penina continues to be one of the top courses in the country with tricky water hazards all over as well as 250,000 trees planted along the fairways.
Currently, none of the courses in the Algarve are more than 15km from the coast, however, course terrains vary from steep hillsides of Parque da Floresta to near sea level flatlands of Vilamoura and Salgados.
Vilamoura, a town that provides a lot of nightlife focused on the marina is also home to seven championship courses, making it highly recommended as a top destination for groups.
Portugal appears to be an excellent destination for golfers due to the weather, the landscapes, the variety of courses, and the nightlife.All Golf travel:
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