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Golf in Portugal

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  • 01-01-2020 9:28pm
    #1
    normanbond
    Registered Users Posts: 334 ✭✭


    We are taking a small society (18 lads) to Algarve Portugal.
    Any heads up on how to get the best rates on green fees?


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    #2
    thewobbler
    Registered Users Posts: 853 ✭✭✭thewobbler


    normanbond wrote: »
    We are taking a small society (18 lads) to Algarve Portugal.
    Any heads up on how to get the best rates on green fees?

    With 2-3 companies owning 80% of the courses, I don’t think bargains really exist anymore, unless you enjoy the risk of twilight golf.

    You’ll find that booking your golf exclusively through one of these companies will yield discounts. But if you’re going for a bucket list combo of courses across the companies, at peak tee times, you will be paying full whack.


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    #3
    Finlay Harp
    Registered Users Posts: 144 ✭✭Finlay Harp


    normanbond wrote: »
    We are taking a small society (18 lads) to Algarve Portugal.
    Any heads up on how to get the best rates on green fees?

    Try these guys.

    https://www.teetimes.pt/


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    #4
    JBan1984
    Registered Users Posts: 10 ✭JBan1984


    We used Golf4uspain and found them decent to deal with over the last 2 or 3 years. We have a group of 16 and have played Spain once and Portugal twice with them. They organised transfers, golf and hotel for us. Have no affiliation to them, worth getting a quote off them if nothing else


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    #5
    frostie500
    Registered Users Posts: 3,444 ✭✭✭frostie500


    Not so much for green fees but for anyone in the group interested there's a club rental company in faro airport that we're excellent for me last year. Cheaper for a week than taking clubs down with me and they were top quality


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    #6
    Putt it there
    Registered Users Posts: 158 ✭✭Putt it there


    I’d Second teetimes.pt . We have used them for 10 years now and never an issue. They have an offer on too where you pay 7 greenfees and get 8 so you will save a small few bob each there. Recently found a great little club rental company that will drop to your hotel and collect when finished for a fraction of the cost of clubstohire , they are called blue sky rental


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    #7
    prawnsambo
    Registered Users Posts: 13,009 ✭✭✭✭prawnsambo


    frostie500 wrote: »
    Not so much for green fees but for anyone in the group interested there's a club rental company in faro airport that we're excellent for me last year. Cheaper for a week than taking clubs down with me and they were top quality
    Is that clubstohire.com? You can book and pay for your clubs online and collect them at the airport. Have used them myself and found them very reasonable.

    Another option I've come across for golf is with some resorts that have free unlimited golf when you rent one (or more) of their houses. Boavista is one place that does this.


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    #8
    Putt it there
    Registered Users Posts: 158 ✭✭Putt it there


    prawnsambo wrote: »
    Is that clubstohire.com? You can book and pay for your clubs online and collect them at the airport. Have used them myself and found them very reasonable.

    Another option I've come across for golf is with some resorts that have free unlimited golf when you rent one (or more) of their houses. Boavista is one place that does this.

    Used to always clubstohire.com but they doubled all their prices recently - also the crowd we now use have free hotel delivery & collection and have the same sets. We are paying €45 (inc insurance) for a weeks rental in april


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    #9
    redarmy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,836 ✭✭✭redarmy


    AlgarveGolf.net


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    #10
    celtic_oz
    Registered Users Posts: 1,548 ✭✭✭celtic_oz


    Santo António - Parque da Floresta has recently changed ownership and was reasonable last year, you NEED a buggy tho


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    #11
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Putt it there wrote: »
    Used to always clubstohire.com but they doubled all their prices recently - also the crowd we now use have free hotel delivery & collection and have the same sets. We are paying €45 (inc insurance) for a weeks rental in april

    What's their address / website?


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    #12
    Putt it there
    Registered Users Posts: 158 ✭✭Putt it there


    [Deleted User] wrote: »
    What's their address / website?

    https://www.blueskygolf-rental.com/


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    #13
    CSWS101
    Registered Users Posts: 600 ✭✭✭CSWS101


    What courses would people recommend? Will have a rental car, based in Quinta Do Lago around September/October time


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    #14
    Finlay Harp
    Registered Users Posts: 144 ✭✭Finlay Harp


    CSWS101 wrote: »
    What courses would people recommend? Will have a rental car, based in Quinta Do Lago around September/October time

    Well you have Quinta North and South beside you. San Lorenzo not far as well as Laranjal.
    Into the Vilamoura area you have Pinhal, Vila Sol, Victoria, Old Course, Laguna, Pinhal.
    No shortage of golf.


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    #15
    ClutchIt
    Registered Users Posts: 709 ✭✭✭ClutchIt


    I played Salgados last year. Its a budget course but totally fine for a game. Good value.


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    #16
    Luckycharm
    Registered Users Posts: 1,538 ✭✭✭Luckycharm


    Finlay Harp wrote: »
    Well you have Quinta North and South beside you. San Lorenzo not far as well as Laranjal.
    Into the Vilamoura area you have Pinhal, Vila Sol, Victoria, Old Course, Laguna, Pinhal.
    No shortage of golf.

    I have having at green fees for around June, prices were really expensive very hard to get a greenfee under €100, I would struggle to pay that here for a top course, are they worth it?


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    #17
    thewobbler
    Registered Users Posts: 853 ✭✭✭thewobbler


    Luckycharm wrote: »
    I have having at green fees for around June, prices were really expensive very hard to get a greenfee under €100, I would struggle to pay that here for a top course, are they worth it?

    Yes and no.

    They’re more expensive than Irish courses. But they’re all pretty good to very good, and enjoy the sun. That’s what you’re paying for. And huh won’t regret it.

    Few things. Keep an eye out for green fees with buggies included, which tends to be the case in the top flight of courses, and this makes the price differential between them and the next tier much more manageable.

    You will get deals for staying in the one resort. Quinta does a 3 course package (the south is the best course I’ve played in mainland Europe, Laranjal is very good, I’ve not played north). Vale Do Lobo does some excellent deals for playing both (Royal is overrated, but the 16th is extraordinary, Ocean is a better course overall, but both take you through effectively a housing estate for long tranches). Pestana have a range of packages, as do Dom Pedro.

    Pinheiros Altos is very close to you and is unfairly overlooked. It’s often the cheap course in a package with San Lorenzo. To be honest I found it just as good. Something about San Lorenzo just felt it was all reputation and little outcome.

    If you’re not partying too hard, early morning tees are always cheaper. And they’re better too, because when the drinking golfers come out en masse before noon, you’ve little choice but to become one of them. 5 hour rounds and a drinks cart just kind of have that effect.


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    #18
    IAmTitleist
    Registered Users Posts: 388 ✭✭IAmTitleist


    Quinta North and South are top courses, as is Laranjal.

    The group of courses around Vilamoura range from poor (Pinhal & Laguna) to decent (Millenium) to very good (Old Course and Victoria).


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    #19
    First Up
    Registered Users Posts: 14,822 ✭✭✭✭First Up


    IAmTitleist wrote:
    The group of courses around Vilamoura range from poor (Pinhal & Laguna) to decent (Millenium) to very good (Old Course and Victoria).

    You think Pinhal is poor? I thought it was great - a real test.


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    #20
    seanl77
    Registered Users Posts: 125 ✭✭seanl77


    First Up wrote: »
    You think Pinhal is poor? I thought it was great - a real test.

    I agree 100% with you, love playing pinhal. A cracking course in my opinion


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    #21
    IAmTitleist
    Registered Users Posts: 388 ✭✭IAmTitleist


    It's close to 10 years since i played either Pinhal or Laguna, was my first trip to Portugal. Have been back 4/5 times since then and haven't thought about playing either again.

    They could have improved since then of course.


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    #22
    Luckycharm
    Registered Users Posts: 1,538 ✭✭✭Luckycharm


    thewobbler wrote: »
    Yes and no.

    They’re more expensive than Irish courses. But they’re all pretty good to very good, and enjoy the sun. That’s what you’re paying for. And huh won’t regret it.

    Few things. Keep an eye out for green fees with buggies included, which tends to be the case in the top flight of courses, and this makes the price differential between them and the next tier much more manageable.

    You will get deals for staying in the one resort. Quinta does a 3 course package (the south is the best course I’ve played in mainland Europe, Laranjal is very good, I’ve not played north). Vale Do Lobo does some excellent deals for playing both (Royal is overrated, but the 16th is extraordinary, Ocean is a better course overall, but both take you through effectively a housing estate for long tranches). Pestana have a range of packages, as do Dom Pedro.

    Pinheiros Altos is very close to you and is unfairly overlooked. It’s often the cheap course in a package with San Lorenzo. To be honest I found it just as good. Something about San Lorenzo just felt it was all reputation and little outcome.

    If you’re not partying too hard, early morning tees are always cheaper. And they’re better too, because when the drinking golfers come out en masse before noon, you’ve little choice but to become one of them. 5 hour rounds and a drinks cart just kind of have that effect.

    Supposed to be going over to Quinta in June but doesn't look like happening now but might get there next Xmas, Mum has just bought a timeshare there but I have never been.


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    #23
    Finlay Harp
    Registered Users Posts: 144 ✭✭Finlay Harp


    https://www.algarve-golfsociety.com/

    I’m a member of the society above.
    If you’re going to be in Portugal regularly then €30 gets you membership and gets you reduced rates at most Algarve courses through tee times golf.
    They play every Wednesday and Saturday and you normally get a round on a decent course like Vale de Lobo for about €55.
    You will also be playing with mostly English speaking people and it’s fairly competitive with a sweep every round.


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