Golf in the Algarve
Golfing in the Algarve is a superb way to spend your holiday, and the Algarve is greatly known for its wide choice of beautiful golf courses, which are superb all year round. The Algarve truly is a golfer paradise, as there is a choice of over 24 different courses, which are mostly centrally located, and within 45 minutes drive of Villamoura, also all existing golf courses are less than 15km from the Algarve coast.
Golf is an all year round sport in the Algarve, and the winter climate is brilliant for golf, although courses tend to get heavily booked from October through to the end of April. An added extra to this is that if you visit the Algarve in the main golfing season you can avoid packed roads and high accommodation costs that are found during the summer and school holidays.
Golf in the Algarve is getting better
Golf in the Algarve is constantly improving, and at the moment a new golfing area is emerging which is situated to the east of Faro in a place called Tavira. The Algarve also plays home to (Alto golf) the last ever golf course designed by Sir Henry Cotton (3 time’s open champion and golfing legend). Sir Henry Cotton is also known for putting the Algarve on the golf map.
Some of the popular golf courses are:
Prices of golf in the Algarve can range from anywhere between €30 - €425 depending on the course.
Also with discounted greens fees on some golf courses for residents of the Vila sol luxury apartments this price can become even lower.
Golf Courses in the Algarve see a full list of courses.
Golfing in Vila Sol
Vila Sol Golf offers 27 holes on your door step in the most beautiful, natural surroundings. It has hosted the Portuguese Open twice (1992 and 1993) and in 2003 was ranked the 88th best course in Europe by Golf World. The holes are characterised by their tree-lined tightness and plenty of challenges around the greens.
As a resident you can get a 30% discount on the green fees.
The club house is located at the centre of three 9-hole loops: Prime, Challenge and Prestige.
- Prime (Holes 1 – 9): This Par 36 course is probably the most difficult of the three and to quote the course owners “the secret to playing this loop well is not to falter on the fairways, even if that means using a club other than a driver”.
- Challenge (10-18): Generally seen as the back 9 of the Vila Sol course these 9 holes offer a new difficulty with greens that are more “hilly” because of the natural terrain. Once again staying on the fairway is critical and the terrain makes accurate approach shots to the green even more important.
- Prestige (19-27): The first four holes are more “friendly” but don’t let this lull you into a false sense of security. From 23 on things become steadily more difficult. Accuracy and not length is the key to succeeding.
Finally, if the courses themselves have not exhausted you, Vila Sol Golf also has an Academy only 300 metres from the club house where you can practice your shots and analyse your swing.
If you want to get an independent view of all the courses available then why not visit www.where2golf.com select the Portugal Algarve region and get a full breakdown of what’s on offer.
