Azores Golf

The road to 125 years of golf in Portugal: a journey through time

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Golf in Portugal has a rich history that dates back almost 125 years. The story began in 1890 when the Oporto Niblicks Golf Club, now Oporto Golf Club, emerged as the first course on the Iberian Peninsula and the fifth in continental Europe. 24 members gave life to the founding golf club in Portugal.

Initially enjoyed by Britons who had left their country, golf found its home near the mouth of the Douro River in Porto. By 1900, the golf course had expanded from 9 holes to 18. As the 20th century progressed, Lisbon also embraced golf, and the Lisbon Sports Club and Estoril Club created their courses, expanding the niche.

Today, the Oporto Golf Club honours its history. Its undulating holes wind through the Portuguese geography with the same charm as the holes on the best courses in the United Kingdom. Philip Mackenzie Ross remodelled the course in the late 1950s and was responsible for maintaining the original imprint.

 

Sir Henry Cotton’s vision to transform golf in Portugal

In the 1960s, Sir Henry Cotton’s vision transformed the Algarve by introducing the Penina Resort Championship course. At this crucial moment, it integrated golf into the region’s tourism offering, laying the foundation for future developments. Cotton also designed Vale do Lobo and one of the golf jewels in the south of the Algarve: Quinta de Benamor. A par 71 of 6,100 yards that shines among hills and leafy trees.

The late 1970s and 1980s saw a boom in golf courses in the Algarve, with iconic designs such as Palmares, Vilamoura Old Course, and San Lorenzo enriching the landscape. At the end of the 1980s, Portugal had 23 courses.

The 1990s saw a golf boom, which doubled the number of courses, surpassing 50 in the millennium. The Algarve remained a hotspot, but other regions, including the north, the central continent, Madeira and the Azores, joined the golf scene. In that decade, we founded Tee Times Golf Agency, offering Portugal golf breaks to worldwide golfers who began hiring our services.

As The Clubhouse Algarve Magazine explains, Oporto Golf Club proudly claims the Skeffington Cup, created in 1891, to be one of the world’s oldest continuously contested golf trophies. This rich history illustrates the development of the sport, becoming an integral part of Portugal’s culture and sport.

In 2024, we commemorate 75 years of the Portuguese Golf Federation as we approach the celebration of the 125 years of the Oporto Golf Club. Golf in Portugal is an example of a harmonious coexistence between sport and nature, with spectacular golf courses that serve as a perfect transition between land and sea. The century we live in promises to add more colour and personality to Portugal’s golf legacy. And we will be there, providing the best service for those who choose to enjoy their Portugal golf holidays with us.

Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro, Portugal’s golf courses offer something for everyone. From the Algarve’s stunning coastal courses to the Oporto’s historical courses, Portugal is a golfing paradise that should be on every golfer’s bucket list. So, why not book your next trip to play golf in Portugal today and experience the country’s rich golfing history for yourself?

Portugal golf holidays – Portugal with new air routes in the summer

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Portugal with new air routes in the summer

Portugal with new air routes

Ryannair is an important partner for the development of tourism in Portugal and so the Tee Times Golf Agency considers these new routes of great importance, as the frequency of flights is vital to encourage travelers, especially golfers both for the Algarve and for Lisbon.

Operating already in Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Ponta Delgada and Terceira (Lajes) airports, Ryanair announced that two new routes, Lisbon-Cologne (Germany), with two weekly flights, and Faro-Belfast (Northern Ireland), with daily flights, will be included in their new summer programme, plans to operate a total of 121 routes in Europe and 595 flights during the high season.

For Ryanair, this is an optimistic message of hope and confidence in the return of trips for this summer being favourable with the European Union’s proposal for the creation of “green certificates” that allow citizens of the Member States to travel between the different countries during the summer, although, they think that should not be a discriminatory factor among voyagers.

Ryanair currently operates at 240 airports, has 77 bases in 40 countries and expects to receive more than 200 new Boeing aircraft in the coming years.

Azores Ladies Open 2017 | 21st to 23rd April | Terceira Island Golf Club

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Azores at Portugal

The 7th Edition of the Azores Ladies Open, which was yesterday presented at BTL, has two great news: a new date and the increase in prize money, returning again to Terceira Island Golf Club, and to its famous Terceira Golf Course, where the tournament took place also in 2013 and 2015.

After being born in 2011, on the island of São Miguel, in Batalha Golf Course, with 25000 euros in prize money, the Azores Ladies Open distributes in 2017 35000 euros in prize-money, an increase of 5000 € from 2016.

Although the Ladies European Tour Access Series (ROSHAN) presente tournaments with  40000 and  even 50000 euros, the ability of the Azores Ladies Open to follow the general rise in prize money consolidates their position in the second division of the European Ladies professional golf association .

Azores tourism and the golf courses, such as Terceira Golf Course, can show the whole world that follows these tournaments by the media that it is possible to play golf in the Azores in April, at a time of year when this practice is prohibited in many countries still subject to harsh winters».

British Diana Barnard, Director of the LETAS tournaments, pointed out:

«The Ladies European Tour Access Series, which will now celebrates his eighth year, is pleased to return to the stunning  Terceira Island Golf Club, for the seventh edition of the Azores Ladies Open.

«The Terceira Golf Course is both overwhelming and a fabulous test to golf. The players and I would like to thank the Club for receiving us again on this spectacular stage.

«My sincere thanks to the Regional Secretariat of energy, environment and tourism of the Azores, SATA/Azores Airlines and all other sponsors for your continued support to LET Access Series and women’s golf in Europe.

«This tournament contributes to the development of the careers of young professional golfers and we checked earlier that participants reached later, a huge hit on the Ladies European Tour and even to represent their countries at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.»

Portugal only have three golf tournaments counting for world rankings of professionals and to the Olympic rankings. The Azores Ladies Open is the only women’s tournament with this status. The others are masculine: the Open of Portugal @ Morgado Golf Resort, from 11 to 14 may, and the Portugal Masters, from 21 to 24 September. The change of date causes the Azores Ladies Open to be the first major golf event of the year in our country.

In sporting terms, the Azores Ladies Open has brought to Portugal a few players that end up later by shine in main circuits of Europe and the United States, and last year there were several Olympic athletes in Rio de Janeiro who had competed in previous editions of the race of the Azores.

The Sixth Edition, in 2016, was also important for the professional national champion, Susana Ribeiro, achieve the highest placement ever in a tournament, for a Portuguese professional  10th place shared with three other women, with a total 221, 5 strokes above Par after rounds of 79, 70 and 72.

«Is my best tournament ever in LETAS , one where I obtained the best rating, with the best result. Of course it’s great to break records and make history», said Susana Ribeiro, whose presence is scheduled again this year in the Azores at Terceira Golf Course.