When you look at a map of Portugal and check the Algarve coast, you will see that it full of great golf courses. From the known Balaia Golf Village, to Portugal’s classic Penina Golf. You can drive along the National Motorway EN-125 from Faro and all roads lead to golf. The greatest concentration of Algarve courses are less than an hour away from Faro; there are more than 25 golf clubs along the coast line.

Quinta do Lago launched Portugal’s reputation as golf holiday destination. It was created to cater for sporty people; it does just that and golf is its paramount attraction. The Quinta do Lago and Ria Formosa courses are the focal point of a 2,000 acre golf and leisure complex. Also set in Quinta do Lago is Pinheiros Altos which features two contrasting halves of the 18 holes, each with diverse and stimulating hazards. San Lorenzo is currently the star at Quinta do Lago. Inaugurated in the late ’80s it has been rated the Number 2 course in continental Europe.

Between Albufeira and Lagos are another half-dozen courses; Pine Cliffs, dramatically set on the cliffs overlooking one of the best beaches, Salgados, awash with scintillating water hazards, and Penina. The Algarve’s oldest course, Penina is one of several Portuguese courses designed by Sir Henry Cotton, who, as one of the greatest golfing figures in the 20th century, is to Britain as Robert Trent Jones is to the USA. Near the western tip of the Algarve is Parque de Floresta whose hilly terrain calls for a good temper and a steady stroke.

To know more about golf in the Algarve and Portugal you can read our other articles:

• Algarve Golf Courses
• Golf Breaks in the Algarve
• Golf Holidays in Portugal