Golf in the Algarve started to gain popularity about 50 years ago. Five years ago I (Boudewijn) attended a gala dinner at Penina Hotel & Golf Resort on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of this golf resort. Five years earlier, in 1966, the Penina Championship Course, designed by Sir Henry Cotton, opened. It marked the beginning of golf in the Algarve. This resort is still one of the leading resorts in the Algarve, close to Alvor.
More and more golfcourses
1969 also saw the opening of the second golfcourse in the Algarve, Vale do Lobo Ocean Course. In the same year, the Old Course (now part of Dom Pedro Golf) is also opened. Both of these golfcourses are also still among the top courses in the Algarve. In the following years, golf in the Algarve becomes more popular and more and more golfcourses are added. Today there are 36. A nice overview of the courses and where they are located can be found here.
Loved by golfers of all skill levels
Every year many tourists travel to the Algarve to play golf here. This is of course due to the beautiful golfcourses, but also due to the wonderful climate. In the early and late season, the temperatures here are ideally suited for a round of golf. In addition, a tournament of the European Tour has been played every year in the Algarve since 2007. In 2021, the tournament will return (if measures allow) to the Victoria golfcourse of Dom Pedro near Vilamoura. This tournament already had many well-known participants, such as Sir Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Colin Montgomorie (who also won the tournament in 1989) and Lee Westwood (winner in 2009). The best Dutchman in this tournament so far is Joost Luiten with a shared second place in 2010.
After 55 years, the Algarve is an established name for golf tourists and still one of the most popular destinations. In the months that it is cold in the Netherlands, the temperatures in Portugal are often around 20 - 24 degrees. The period from October to May is ideal for golfers. With a three-hour flight, the destination is also easily accessible.
Tips before you play golf in the Algarve
Partly due to the popularity, the tee times on the golfcourses can be fully booked quickly. In addition, the rates at the golfcourses are high, especially in high season. It is therefore advisable to have start times fixed in advance through a touroperator. Often they also have price agreements or know how to propose interesting job combinations, which can yield a great advantage. On www.leadingcourses.nl you can find reviews of the different golfcourses in the Algarve, given by other golfers. Also very useful if you want to see which courses you can play during your holiday in the Algarve.
Tip for those who do not want to bring their golf equipment from the Netherlands. At Faro Airport you can easily rent a complete golf set of the latest equipment through Clubstohire. The golf set is then ready at the airport in the arrivals hall and can also be returned here. The rental of a golf set in the Algarve is about € 80 for a week. The separate rental at a golfcourse for 1 round of 18-hole golf is often around € 40 / € 50.
If you book your holiday at Hello Algarve, the Golftime specialists are also ready to help you with all your questions about golf in the Algarve.
