Portugal is home to some of the finest golf courses in Europe. From Monte Rei Golf and Country Club in the eastern Algarve to Oitavos Dunes near Lisbon and the back-to-back world award-winning courses at Terras da Comporta, Portugal's top golf courses offer a depth and variety that rivals any destination on the continent. At Garmany, we have curated this guide to help serious golfers identify the courses that deserve a place on their Bucket List — and the ones that deserve to anchor their next Garmany Portugal Experience.
There is a fact about Terras da Comporta that is worth stating plainly: the Dunas Course was named the best new golf course in the world in 2024. The Torre Course was named the best new golf course in the world in 2025. Back to back. The same estate. No other golf development anywhere on earth has achieved this. Designed by David McLay Kidd, the Dunas Course winds through ancient cork oaks, native vegetation, and sweeping Atlantic dunes with the Sado Estuary visible from multiple holes. The routing is seamless, the conditioning exceptional, and the experience of playing here is unlike anything else in Portugal.
No. 1 in Portugal · Best New Course in the World 2024
Designed by Sergio Garcia's team alongside European shaper Conor Walsh, the Torre Course offers precision and refinement where the Dunas delivers scale and drama. Together they make Terras da Comporta the most celebrated back-to-back golf development in the world — and a destination that demands two full days from every serious golfer who visits.
Best New Course in the World 2025
Designed by Jack Nicklaus and consistently ranked as the finest golf course in Portugal, Monte Rei is set across more than 1,000 acres of panoramic Algarve hillside just 3.5 miles from the Atlantic. As a private members club, Monte Rei limits access in a way that makes every round feel genuinely privileged. The conditioning is without peer in Portugal. Access requires prior arrangement, and your Garmany Concierge Team handles every detail.
No. 1 in the Algarve · Jack Nicklaus Design
Designed by Arthur Hills and set within the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park just minutes from the Atlantic, Oitavos Dunes is the anchor course of every Garmany Lisbon Experience. The par 3s at Oitavos rival the best in the entire country. Access is reserved for hotel guests and club members, making it genuinely exclusive — and genuinely worth arranging.
Anchor Course · Lisbon Experience
Where the Algarve golf story began. Designed by Frank Pennink and opened in 1969, the Old Course winds through ancient umbrella pines on a par-73 layout that underwent extensive renovation by Martin Hawtree. It remains the standard against which all other Algarve courses are measured — and a course that every serious golfer visiting the region must play.
Algarve Icon · Since 1969
Ernie Els' complete redesign of the former Victoria course, reopened in 2025 as the only private club in the Algarve. A modern, bold design of genuine quality and ambition set alongside the Vilamoura marina. The risk-reward calculations are clear and compelling, and the post-round conversation is invariably the most animated of the week. Access by prior arrangement.
Private Club · Algarve's Only
A former host of the Portuguese Open Championship. William Mitchell's classic parkland design completed a $7.8 million renovation in 2020. The par-3 15th, playing almost 200 yards entirely over water, is one of the most demanding and most photographed holes in the country.
Portuguese Open Host
Designed by Cynthia Dye McGarey and opened in 2017, West Cliffs is one of the most scenic courses built anywhere in Europe in the last decade. Links in character with striking elevated views of the Atlantic from virtually every hole — bold, windswept, and exhilarating. A natural addition to any Lisbon and Cascais golf Experience.
Silver Coast · Links Character
An hour north of Lisbon, Praia D'El Rey delivers some of the most memorable ocean golf in the country. Five holes on the back nine run parallel to the Atlantic through wind-blown dunes — a links experience of real drama and genuine beauty. A natural companion to West Cliffs for Guests wishing to explore the Silver Coast.
Ocean Golf · Silver CoastBeyond the featured courses, the Garmany Portugal portfolio includes a further selection of outstanding layouts — each one a quality recommendation for the right Guest and the right occasion.
Completely remodelled by Beau Welling with input from Paul McGinley in 2014. A course of considerable strategic variety and outstanding conditioning — a natural companion to the South Course.
Redesigned by Robert Trent Jones Jr. above the Alvor estuary with panoramic views of the Atlantic and Lagos Bay. One of the most visually stunning courses in Portugal.
A Robert Trent Jones Jr. design set within the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, built next to a 14th-century monastery now housing a Ritz-Carlton. The natural companion round to Oitavos Dunes.
Located on the extraordinary Troia Peninsula, accessible via ferry. Robert Trent Jones Sr. routed it through a towering pine forest with views of the Atlantic and the mountains. A regular on European top 100 lists.
The anchor course of every Garmany Porto Experience. Links in character, set among coastal dunes north of Porto on the Atlantic coast — a course that consistently surprises those who play it for the first time.
Terras da Comporta's Dunas Course is currently ranked the number one golf course in Portugal by Golf Digest. Monte Rei Golf and Country Club, designed by Jack Nicklaus, is consistently ranked second and is widely considered the finest course in the Algarve.
Portugal currently has several courses ranked in Golf Digest's top 100 international courses, including Monte Rei Golf and Country Club. Terras da Comporta's Dunas Course, ranked number one in Portugal and named the world's best new course in 2024, is expected to feature prominently in future world rankings.
Both are outstanding. Quinta do Lago is home to the South Course, a former Portuguese Open host, and the North Course. Vilamoura's Old Course is one of the oldest and most celebrated in the Algarve. Most Garmany Guests who visit the Algarve play courses from both estates across a full week.
Most top courses in Portugal require a handicap certificate, particularly private or semi-private clubs like Monte Rei and Oitavos Dunes. Your Garmany Concierge Team handles all access requirements and documentation on your behalf.
