Western Algarve
Containing the original Algarve course, a wonderfully
redeveloped 27-holer and terrific strength in depth...
Getting to Faro is inexpensive and without
hassle thanks to the number of direct flights
with low-cost carriers. And your easy access
to the best selection of golf courses on
mainland Europe continues once you land at
the region’s recently-renovated Faro airport.
Because even if you are playing the region’s
most westerly resort, you are little more than
an hour away from pulling out your driver on
the 1st tee. The new A22 motorway runs the
length of the south coast and lets you zoom
westward to even Espiche in 60 minutes.
Espiche, just 12 miles from western outpost
Vila do Bispo, is a challenging designed to
complement its distinctive landscape by
embracing a sustainable, eco-friendly ethos.
The lakes, streams and indigenous plants
enrich the native biodiversity, while tree-lined
fairways are tight enough – and augmented
by large undulating greens guarded by
bunkers – to provide a challenging experience
for a course set among the hills.
Ten minutes’ drive away, moving towards
the coast, is the superb resort of Boavista.
Situated between Lagos and Luz, you can
stay and play here – while popping out to play
a couple of nearby other courses – and have
a very economical yet high-quality break.
This Howard Swan design is an unsung
hero of the Algarve and stretches to over
6,600 yards, its lofty location meaning it is
sometimes buffeted by winds off the Atlantic.
The 7th is a real signature, a lovely par 4
set against the backdrop of the Atlantic with
exhilarating panoramic views extending from
Praia da Luz round to the hills at Monchique.On the other side of the delightful town of
Lagos is Onyria Palmares, one of Europe’s
most talked about courses in the past decade.
Palmares was already popular with visitors
and ex-pats but owners Onyria decided their
course needed something really special and
so engaged Robert Trent Jones Jnr to
remodel 27 holes. It went straight in at No.26
on Golf World’s 2011 Continental Top 100 list.
There are three loops of nine, each with
different characteristics. The first, Alvor, starts
high up in the forested hills as the old course
did but now there is also a stretch of holes
down at the bottom – The Praia – that are
linksy in nature and add a unique character to
a course on the Algarve. There are views
across the Bay of Lagos from the Alvor and
Lagos (parkland-esque with two lakes) nines.FOCUS ON THE ALGARVE
‘The Praia loop at
Palmares is linksy –
a unique aspect for
the Algarve’
Pestana Gramacho Morgado BoavistaOnyria Palmares