Golfe da Ilha Terceira

Terceira Island's only golf course has a genuinely unusual history. It began as recreation ground for American servicemen stationed at nearby Lajes Air Base, later developed and taken over by the Terceira Golf Club to become the 18-hole course played today, opened in 1954. It remains one of the more distinctive stories in Portuguese golf, a course born out of a military airbase and shaped into a proper test over the decades since.

Fairways run between stands of cryptomeria, giving the course real definition and shade from hole to hole. The par-4 5th, at 370 yards, is generally reckoned the toughest test on the course, demanding accuracy off the tee to set up the approach. It's a well-established club with a genuinely active local membership, one of the more significant golfing communities in Portugal, and the pro shop is worth a stop for its range and pricing.

Just 13km from Angra do Heroísmo and 10km from the airport, this is an easy, convenient round to fold into any Azores itinerary. For golfers wanting a genuinely different piece of Portuguese golf history, Terceira delivers it.