Palmares Golf Course climbs the hillside above the Bay of Lagos, on the Algarve's western coast, with Meia Praia beach and the Atlantic below. Frank Pennink laid out the original course in 1975. Robert Trent Jones Jr. reworked it in 2010, and it's since been ranked 26th in Golf World's Top 100 in Europe. That pedigree, matched with the setting, makes Palmares one to build a trip around.
Twenty-seven holes split into three nine-hole loops, Alvor, Lagos and Praia, playable in any order. Alvor climbs through pine-lined parkland with real elevation change. Lagos folds two lakes into its par three third and its par five sixth. Praia turns properly links, running through dune country with the Atlantic wind doing most of the defending. The 14th carries the course's signature hole status, and no two rounds at Palmares play quite the same.
The clubhouse looks out over the Alvor Estuary and the bay, with a restaurant, pro shop, locker rooms and a resident academy on site. Buggies are worth booking, given the terrain. Guests return to Palmares year after year, drawn back as much by the variety as the views. Book your round with Tee Times, and see why.
- Location
- Lagos
- Founded
- Reopened in 2010
- Designer
- Robert Trent Jones Jr
- Green Keeper
- Joel Nunes
- Holes
- 27
- Par
- 72
- Course Map
