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Golf Algarve is now renowned for its beautifully tended golf courses with spectacular scenery along a fabulous coastline. The main Algarve golf season is from late autumn to late spring as most northern European countries suffer from cold and wet conditions. Winters are mild in southern Portugal and golfers can enjoy warm, sunny days and keep their swings smooth at a time when their home courses are unplayable.

It was the legendary Sir Henry Cotton who put the Algarve on the golf globe. In 1966, at Penina, he designed the first proper grass course from a rice field after the necessary earthworks and planting 300,000 trees. Tourism was becoming more popular in the Algarve and immediately after the Penina course was inaugurated, the courses at Vale do Lobo and Vilamoura appeared. A few years later, another emblem of world golf was built - the first golf course at Quinta do Lago.

though none of the existing courses are more than 15km from the coast, the terrain varies from the steep hillsides of Parque da Floresta to the near sea-level flatlands of Vilamoura III and Salgados, which in common with Palmares, includes links holes.

The mainly arid Algarve countryside, familiar to summer visitors, gives way to verdant oasis at each of the golf complexes thanks to large, state-funded water catchments and distribution schemes, as well as private boreholes which tap into subterranean water sources for irrigation. Holes made tricky by water hazards are, therefore, not an infrequent feature on the Algarve courses.

The Importance of international golf in the Algarve is so evident that, by tacit agreement , the Open de Portugal is held there at least every other year.In general, you will find that the Algarve, with its mild climate, reasonably priced restaurants, breathtaking scenery, friendly people and excellent golf courses, all combine to make it a memorable holiday.

Find detailed information on Golf in the Algarve here

Castro Marim Club

Castro Marim is located 30 minutes east of Faro and 10 minutes from both Tavira and the Spanish border having opened in 2000 in an area of the Algarve that until then had no golfing infrastructures at all.

It has a very relaxing setting in the peaceful atmosphere of the eastern Algarve and was in fact the first course to be built in this region, offering players beautiful views over the Atlantic Ocean, the River Guadiana and the nearby nature reserve. The design of the so-called “Atlantic Course” made use of the natural undulations of the hills and is sprinkled with many ornamental lakes. The fairways have been made with Bermuda grass, whilst the greens are made with the new Penn A4 grass. The course spans 6,250 metres and is a par 71.

Castro Marim Golf

From the very start, the overriding characteristics of this course are clear. At 375 meters downhill, the par 4 first may not appear too strenuous, but as you stand on the elevated tee you can soon see why it is rated stroke index 4. The fairway is narrow and lined with young umbrella pine trees. It drops away, but climbs to the elevated green. The contours of the land must be carefully kept in mind as you decide where to place your drive. The par 5 fourth is a dog-leg left, but a good drive may reach the lake on the right side of the descending fairway. The second and approach shots are uphill and the green is well protected by a bunker, young pines and the falling lie of the land.

On the back nine, the eleventh - a par 4 of 323 meters - can be deceptive. Once again, a well struck drive may find the water protecting the green. This is a good hole, but it is brain not brawn that will secure you a par here. The par 3 seventeenth (130 meters) is almost always subject to onshore prevailing winds off the sea. With bunkers in front and a lake behind, think carefully about what club to take.

Castro Marim Golf course

The impressive clubhouse resembling a medieval castle is known for its warm relaxing ambiance and boasts a golf reception, pro-shop, changing rooms and a restaurant-bar which has an enormous open air terrace with marvellous views over the coast of the Algarve and Guadiana River.

For those buying investment property including off plan property or alternatively their dream home, Castro Marim offers a number of property options from townhouses, villas apartments golf in buying property abroad.

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Benamor Golf club

Benamor Golf Club is located just a few kilometres east of the ancient city of Tavira and was completed in the spring of 2000. In the nearby hills of Barrocal you will enjoy some of the best mountain and sea views the Algarve has to offer whilst golfing in the Algarve. But maybe most enjoyable of all, is the peaceful dream location and surroundings of a construction free golf Algarve resort… possibly the only one in the Algarve.

Tavira, benamor Golf

The course was officially opened in 2000. It is a par 71 and is undulating, although not excessively so, offering views over the mountains to one side and the sea to the other. Here, the most common trees are the carob, the olive-tree and the fig-tree. In each half of the course, the first few holes are the easiest to play and birdies can be obtained without too much difficulty, although the following ones are longer and therefore harder to play. The greens are reasonably wide and the ball is retained here quite easily.The strategic placed bunkers and occasional water hazards make the course a never too comfortable experience!

The first hole is a par 4 dogleg with an elevated green protected by bunkers. Many of the par 4s on the front nine are relatively short, so this course is friendly to all playing levels. On the back nine, water comes into play on the 10th hole, a par 3 over water, on the 13th where a stream crosses the fairway, and on the 17th where a pond guards the green. To finish, there is a long par 5 of 512 metres. The 18th green is backed by a charming Algarvean church. There is a driving range, putting and chipping greens, putting course as well as the pro sho.

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Boa vista golf club, Lagos

Boavista Golf Club in the Algarve offers superb facilities in a uniquely sophisticated yet relaxed atmosphere and is already attracts people from all over the world. It opened on 1st January 2002 with the impressive 18 Hole Championship golf course being designed by Howard Swan.

The resort is a prestigious 260 acre site in the western Algarve and lies in a prime location just off the A22 motorway west of Lagos and only 45 minutes drive from Faro International Airport.

view of Boavista golf course

With two distinctive sections the course is a par 71, 6,053 long and offers a variety of holes commencing with the welcoming first hole, a meandering downhill par 4, bordered by beautiful sub-tropical landscaping leading to harmoniously designed properties.
The signature hole on the outward nine is the stunning par 4, 7th hole set against a glorious backdrop of the Atlantic ocean with exhilarating panoramic views extending from Praia da Luz round to with the hills at Monchique creating a spectacular backdrop. Umbrella pines, blossoming almond, fig, palm and olive trees line the rolling fairways, weaving their way between water hazards and carefully placed bunkers. Breathtaking views, spectacular scenery and the clear Atlantic Ocean, which is visible from most holes, all combine to make this course a delight for the golfer.

Property for sale, Boa vista Algarve

The new clubhouse provides guests with a range of wining, dining and relaxation facilities. Enjoy the best of Mediterranean cuisine on the terrace of the Clubhouse that overlooks the 18th hole. There is also a teaching academy, driving range, pitching and chipping area, practice bunkers, putting green and pro shop.
The Boavista resort has everything you could desire…a fabulous championship golf course and golf academy, clubhouse, restaurant, indoor & outdoor heated swimming pools, children’s pools, a luxurious health club/spa including jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, massage facilities, beauticians and gymnasium as well as a tennis academy with two floodlit courts, five-a-side football pitch and a safe children’s play area.

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