Golf in portugal

Benicetomonty · 20-01-2015 2:22pm

Can't help with your request Razorblunt, but hoping to get some advice of my own!

I'm heading to Cascais in late July and looking likely I'll get a day pass to play somewhere! Oitavos Dunes seems to be the place to go although not cheap. Would appreciate some advice on courses around the area, as well as info re: club rental etc..

Thanks in advance!

sky6 · 20-01-2015 3:20pm

razorblunt wrote: »

Bumping this rather than start a new thread, heading over for a few days in March for 4 days of golf, plan is to play Parque de Floresta on one day, leaving three days still to be filled, not a huge fan of Boavista so I was thinking of Pestana and picking 3 courses.
What three would be deemed to be the best?

Also, does anyone know where I could get a golf only package for the courses? We have accommodation sorted and are hiring clubs at the airport so just need green fees and a buggy. I've already emailed Pestana direct to see if they could offer something, waiting to hear back.

Cheers.

Pinta and Gramacho are both nice courses close to Alvor.
Salgados is lovely and flat if you like a links type course.
If you don't mind travelling over to 'vale de lobo the royal and ocean courses are lovely. vilasol is lovely but tough, plenty of Trees. You can join a Society called golf for greys for 50 Euro.
They run Comps every week all along the algarve with special green fee rates. If you wanted a competitive game.

razorblunt · 20-01-2015 3:50pm

Thanks sky6, Gamacho seems to be popping up again and again.

I'll be back in Vale de Lobo later in the year with herself so I can hit those courses then, we're staying in Luz so anything around Alvor is ideal.

Don't fancy Espiche at the moment either as the driver is still erratic.

sky6 · 20-01-2015 4:28pm

Gramacho is nice although a bit hilly in places. Played it once in a comp and the greens were so icy that you couldn't get your balance to putt. but cleared by the 3rd hole.
Morgado up in the hills towards Monchique is a nice coarse also. similar to some of our parkland courses.

mike12 · 20-01-2015 5:00pm

Used these for Spain not sure if they do Portugal as well.
http://www.golf-service.com/

ForeRight · 20-01-2015 5:54pm

Any reviews/tips for the vale de lobo ocean and royal course?

Brewster · 20-01-2015 7:24pm

ForeRight wrote: »

Any reviews/tips for the vale de lobo ocean and royal course?

Played the Ocean; excellent course and well worth the 55e odd if you play after 3 pm. Royal has a great reputation, hope to play it in June.

Dublin72 · 20-01-2015 10:25pm

I stayed in Praia Da Luz in 2012. Played golf in Boavista which I thought was an average course. Also played Palmares which I thought was a spectacular course. 27 holes overlooking the Bay of Lagos.
We booked through greenfeesdirect.com. I have used them a few times and never had any issues with them.

sky6 · 20-01-2015 11:20pm

ForeRight wrote: »

Any reviews/tips for the vale de lobo ocean and royal course?

Lovely course with the famous signature par 3 16th i think.
All carry across an inlet where the ocean comes in a long way due to erosion over the years. You actually have to hit out to Sea 45 * to the Green to allow for the wind to carry it back.
Most people don't allow enough and end up right of the green in either a Bunker or a Gorse bush. a great Hole.
However a few Holes are between Homes which are a little tight for some.
Still on of my favourites though.

sky6 · 20-01-2015 11:26pm

Benicetomonty wrote: »

Can't help with your request Razorblunt, but hoping to get some advice of my own!

I'm heading to Cascais in late July and looking likely I'll get a day pass to play somewhere! Oitavos Dunes seems to be the place to go although not cheap. Would appreciate some advice on courses around the area, as well as info re: club rental etc..

Thanks in advance!

Best place to hire Clubs is at the airport. They stock all the leading brands. Last summer 35 Euro for a Week as opposed to 30/40 for a day in the Golf Clubs. Best to order early as they often run out despite having over 2000 sets available.
A great service and a credit to McGinley.

Benny Cake · 21-01-2015 12:02am

Benicetomonty wrote: »

Can't help with your request Razorblunt, but hoping to get some advice of my own!

I'm heading to Cascais in late July and looking likely I'll get a day pass to play somewhere! Oitavos Dunes seems to be the place to go although not cheap. Would appreciate some advice on courses around the area, as well as info re: club rental etc..

Thanks in advance!

I was in Cascais 2 years ago and played a good number of courses in the area. The best by a distance is Penha Longa http://www.penhalonga.com/en/Golf its about 20 mins from Cascais. I found Oitavos pretty uninspiring tbh, 70 euro for the buggy on top of the round is extortionate.

Benicetomonty · 21-01-2015 12:20pm

Thanks very much lads! Don't know if we're hiring a car just yet, but renting weapons at the airport seems to be the way forward. Looking forward to it!

searay · 21-01-2015 2:55pm

Car hire charges in Portugal can be crazy, particularly from mid June to mid September. Taxis aren't plentiful in some of the resorts too.
Booking a shuttle service can be a good idea especially if you've booked teetimes in advance and you know when you'll want it. Plenty of contacts can be found online.

razorblunt · 21-01-2015 3:59pm

Thanks lads, that golf service site, seems like a winner. Going to book Morgado and one of the Pestana courses.
Pestana got back to me too, listing prices that was more expensive than what I was looking at on their online booking page!

Looks like the 4 courses will be: Boavista, Morgado, Pestana Course and Parque da Floresta.

FYI bit the bullet and booked Boavista as they had a pretty decent package including range balls, bacon rull and lunch with buggy included.

MuddyDog · 25-01-2015 4:23pm

Thinking of flying into Faro on 12th March and staying for 5 nights with 4 rounds of golf. Darren Clarkes golf site has 5 nights and 4 rounds at Tivoli or Salgados at 195 pounds per person. Seems quite reasonable. Has anyone used his site or been to Tivoli or Salgados before? Flights will be about 150 return and then 250 euro for accommodation and golf so 400 all in pretty much.

millerj · 25-01-2015 6:58pm

MuddyDog wrote: »

Thinking of flying into Faro on 12th March and staying for 5 nights with 4 rounds of golf. Darren Clarkes golf site has 5 nights and 4 rounds at Tivoli or Salgados at 195 pounds per person. Seems quite reasonable. Has anyone used his site or been to Tivoli or Salgados before? Flights will be about 150 return and then 250 euro for accommodation and golf so 400 all in pretty much.

I know there are a few people on Boards such as Ras Trent, Meredith the Austrailian and Grip N Rip who plan holidays to Portugal quite a bit and swear by teetimes.pt to organise the whole trip. I went last year and must admit everything was superb. Might be worth a look. We are actually due to travel again this year and booking with the same company.

MuddyDog · 25-01-2015 7:44pm

Thanks Miller. Will bear that site in mind when it comes time to book it either next week or the week after!

idle · 18-02-2015 4:11pm

Heading to Vilamoura in June and looking for course suggestions please. Was there 2 years ago and played the Old Course, Victoria, O'Connor and Laguna. Might play the Old Course again so looking for 3 other good courses to play. Any advice appreciated

Dbu · 18-02-2015 6:12pm

idle wrote: »

Heading to Vilamoura in June and looking for course suggestions please. Was there 2 years ago and played the Old Course, Victoria, O'Connor and Laguna. Might play the Old Course again so looking for 3 other good courses to play. Any advice appreciated

I would go,
QUINTA north and South
Laranjal
and maybe Vale de lobo royal and ocean

on you tube Mark crossfield has played most of them, so definately worth a look

the greatest game · 19-02-2015 10:53am

idle wrote: »

Heading to Vilamoura in June and looking for course suggestions please. Was there 2 years ago and played the Old Course, Victoria, O'Connor and Laguna. Might play the Old Course again so looking for 3 other good courses to play. Any advice appreciated

Would not bother with the Victoria being honest, I do not know what the fuss is about that course.

you Can get good packages with the Christy O'Connor and Faldo courses, part of the amendoira resort, 30 mins or so from Villamoura..
Great deals there.

ProV · 23-02-2015 10:28pm

MuddyDog wrote: »

Thinking of flying into Faro on 12th March and staying for 5 nights with 4 rounds of golf. Darren Clarkes golf site has 5 nights and 4 rounds at Tivoli or Salgados at 195 pounds per person. Seems quite reasonable. Has anyone used his site or been to Tivoli or Salgados before? Flights will be about 150 return and then 250 euro for accommodation and golf so 400 all in pretty much.

I played Salgados a few weeks ago back in December. Weather was great, so it really was a good day out for €32.50. The starter said that water came into play on almost every hole, but I only hit it once ( mind you I did slice a wild drive right of the water onto a wrong fairway ).
I wouldn't go running back, but if the price was sensible on a sunny dry day it's brilliant value at that price + the clubhouse is 5 star for apres Golf.
Gramacho was a completely different challange, it reminded me of some of the tight Dublin courses a dried out Grange or Edmondstown, with it's undulating / hilly contoured layout.

idle · 23-02-2015 11:06pm

The 3 Quinta courses look good. They're looking for €295 to play the three of them though

searay · 24-02-2015 12:19am

MuddyDog wrote: »

Thinking of flying into Faro on 12th March and staying for 5 nights with 4 rounds of golf. Darren Clarkes golf site has 5 nights and 4 rounds at Tivoli or Salgados at 195 pounds per person. Seems quite reasonable. Has anyone used his site or been to Tivoli or Salgados before? Flights will be about 150 return and then 250 euro for accommodation and golf so 400 all in pretty much.

We were going to book with yourgolftravel but I figured why take a hit paying in sterling when the courses want to be paid in euros. We booked with golf breaks.ie instead and paid in euros. They organised the transfers as well. Not travelling until April so can't give an opinion on whether or not we might the right call.

Maverick.ie · 24-02-2015 8:39pm

It never ceases to surprise me that lads that would crib about paying e50 for a round of golf here, will pay the off the wall prices for golf in portugal.

Dbu · 25-02-2015 12:19pm

Maverick.ie wrote: »

It never ceases to surprise me that lads that would crib about paying e50 for a round of golf here, will pay the off the wall prices for golf in portugal.

Why does it surprise you?

Maverick.ie · 25-02-2015 1:19pm

because most of the golf courses, especially around Villamoura are mediocre, the pick of them is the Old Course which is about on a par with the old course in kells yet look at the price difference per round. e122 for a round on Laranjal in march ?? e150 for the faldo or O'Connor as for e90 or thereabouts, for the laguna or Millenium

PARlance · 25-02-2015 1:47pm

Going to book myself a holiday to the Costa de Kells this summer.

Dbu · 25-02-2015 3:37pm

Maverick.ie wrote: »

because most of the golf courses, especially around Villamoura are mediocre, the pick of them is the Old Course which is about on a par with the old course in kells yet look at the price difference per round. e122 for a round on Laranjal in march ?? e150 for the faldo or O'Connor as for e90 or thereabouts, for the laguna or Millenium

Would have to disagree with a lot of what you said IMO.Cant comment on Kells as have never been:D
TBH the old course would be at the back of the queue with me

slave1 · 25-02-2015 3:56pm

Don't want to go too far OT but some of the best value I've had in the last few years is the Headfort (Kells) offer of €60, a round on both courses with a fry in between (midweek)...

searay · 25-02-2015 8:39pm

PARlance wrote: »

Going to book myself a holiday to the Costa de Kells this summer.

A couple of years ago we booked into the headfort arms in Kells for Saturday night and played the new on Saturday and old on Sunday. The highlight was the"beach party" in the nightclub beside the hotel featuring an outdoor pool and three Brazilian carnival dancers.

Best golf holiday ever!

Golf in portugal

Comments