With 32 championship standard golf courses, high-profile tournaments, miles of golden sands and being under three hours from the UK, it is no wonder that the Algarve remains a golfing gem with UK visitors. Also with 18 further courses in the planning stages and the golfing visitors at an all time high, the Algarve is the perfect destination to ‘play away’.
January and February 2008 saw an increase in the number of rounds that were played compared to 2007 with a total of 159,980 rounds (+0.68%). Also in 2006, 1,054,478 rounds of golf were played and this grew in 2007 to 1,081,952, an increase of 2.61%.
With the mild winter climate, the Algarve is seeing many golfers taking advantage of the brilliant conditions out of season, and with many attractions off the green for non-golfers, it is a brilliant location for all the family.
A perfect time for golf enthusiasts to visit the Algarve is during the many high-profile tournaments. Vilamoura is hosting the PGA EuroPro Tour from 21st to 25th July at the Oce®nico Golf courses. The world’s best young golfers will face two tough courses in three days, the Oce®nico Victoria and the Oce®nico Millennium.
The Oce®nico Victoria, designed by Arnold Palmer, is the longest 18-hole golf course in Portugal. This Par 72 course comes complete with a 2,500m2 putting green at the start of the course and incorporates a series of lakes and waterfalls, creating a beautiful background and scenery for players.
The Par 72 Oce®nico Millennium golf course was opened in 1999 and has an attractive and challenging layout for golfers. The setting of this course within the surrounding countryside is truly outstanding and encompasses wooded areas and lakes. The front nine winds through forests, with the back nine being very open play giving golfers the opportunity to change their style of play throughout the course.
October is the month when the world’s greatest golfers travel to Vilamoura to take part in the Portugal Masters (16th -19th October).
Algarve Tourism www.visitalgarve.pt