Praia D'El Rey
This five-star golf, leisure and residential resort, overlooking the Atlantic rollers has breathtaking views, gusting offshore breezes and is a supreme golfing test. With nine holes wending through pine forests, and nine hugging the exposed Atlantic cliff-top, Praia D'El Rey is a demanding test where the premium is on accuracy, don't expect to finish your round with the same ball you started with!

Holes: 18 hole Par 72 Championship Course, part woodland and part links

Course length: 6,467 metres

Architect: Cabell B. Robinson
Opened: 1997
Grass types: Fairways, Rye/Festuca. Greens, Bent/Penncross
Green Fee: 18 holes: €85.00/€65.00
Buggy: €35.00
Rental club: €35.00
One hour lesson: €48.00
Golf Ball basket: €7.00
Director: Eduardo da Silva
Professionals: Mark Pedder and Malcolm Young
Email: golf@praia-del-rey.com
Tel: +351 262 905 005

 

Vimeiro
Vimeiro at the Hotel Golfe Mar near the beach of Praia de Porto Novo is an excellent course for the beginner and only about 30 to 40 minutes from Praia D’El Rey.

Opened: 1963

Holes: 2 X 9

Par: 67
Architect: Frank Pennink

Secretary: Paulo Alexandre Simões
Professionals: Mark Pedder and Malcolm Young
Email: hotelgolfemar@eav.pt
Tel: +351 261 980 800

 

Quinta do Brinçal
From Praia d'El Rey, it's only a 40-minute hop to the Par 72 Golden Eagle course in Rio Maior. Rich in potential, the enjoyment for all handicappers here is matched by the warm welcome from Francisco Cadete, the club secretary, and his staff.

Holes: 18 hole woodland
Par: 72
Architect: Rocky Roquemore
Opened: 1994
Grass types: Fairways, Penn Eagle. Greens, Penncross
Green Fee: 18 holes: €45.00 Mon to Friday, €55.00 weekend.
Buggy: €32.50
Lesson: €22.50
Golf Ball basket: €3.50 - 50 balls
Secretary: Francisco Cadete
Professional: Manuel Bento
Tel: +351 243 908 148

An hour south are the golfing gems of the Estoril and Sintra Region. Of these, few shine with more radiance than Oitavos, Penha Longa and Belas, three courses which form a golden triangle every bit as exhilarating as Valderrama, Sotogrande and San Roque.

Oitavos
Designed on the lines of Royal Dublin with nine holes out and nine back, Oitavos at Quinta da Marinha opened in 2001 and offers a combination of forest pine and windswept duneland, and features a unique run of holes on the back nine embracing two par fives and three delightful par threes. With the Atlantic twinkling by its flanks on the more open back nine, and the Sintra Mountains keeping a watching brief Oitavos has, for Irish golfers, echoes of Ceann Sibeal.

Holes: 18 hole Par 71
Par: 71
Course length: 6,303 metres
Architect: Arthur Hills
Grass types: Fairways and Tees, Bermuda 419, Greens, Agrostis L93
Green Fee: 18 holes: €150.00
Buggy: €32.00
Rental Club: €35.00
Lesson: €17.50 - Asst. Pro, €35.00 – Pro.
Golf Ball basket: €3.50
Director: Nuno Teixeira Bastos
Professional: Philip A’Court
Email: oitavosgolfe@quinta-da-marinha.pt
Tel: +351 214 860 600

Penha Longa
The princely Penha Longa Atlantico, venue for the Portuguese Open in the 90s, oozes charm and character. Here is a thoroughbred track, designed by Robert Trent Jones, to provide a searching examination of skills. Nine beautifully crafted holes nestle in a wooded valley; nine more on an exposed outcrop overlooking the Atlantic where the capricious winds can unhinge even the sweetest of swings.

Course: 18 hole, Par 72 Championship course at the foot of the Sintra hills
Course length: 6,290 metres
Architect: Robert Trent Jones Jr.
Opened: 1992
Grass types: Fairways – Rye Grass, Greens - Penncross
Green Fee: 18 holes: €110.00 weekends/holidays, €89.00 weekdays
Buggy: €43.00
Rental Club: €56.00
Lesson: €29.00 – half hour
Golf Ball basket: €5.50
Director: Patrick Tolos
Professionals: Robert Judd, Antonio Dantas de Silva
Email: golf@penhalonga.com
Tel: +351 219 249 011

Belas
Belas may not be long in terms of yardage but the distances from the greens to the tees as the course wends its way through hill and dale are vast and impossible to traverse without a buggy. With five lakes and tiger rough, this is another course for the straight hitter.

Course: 18 hole, Par 72
Course length: 6,380 metres
Architect: William ‘Rocky’ Roquemore
Opened: 1995/98
Grass types: Fairways – Penneagle, Greens - Penncross
Green Fee: 18 holes: €84.00 weekends/holidays, €73.00 weekdays
Buggy: €37.50
Rental Club: €56.00
Lesson: €24.00 – half hour
Golf Ball basket: €4.50
Secretary: José Maria Cazal-Ribeiro
Professional: Keith Barrett
Email: golf@planbelas.pt
Tel: +351 219 626 640