Espiche Golf Course

Espiche is South African architect Peter Sauerman's design, opened in 2012 in a protected nature reserve five minutes from Lagos, in the western Algarve. The front nine runs out past the village of Espiche; the back nine climbs into the hills behind it, through olive, fig and almond trees, with the Serra de Monchique on the horizon.

It's a par-72 of just under 5,900 metres, built to follow the land's natural contours rather than reshape them. Expect rolling, undulating ground, a few blind tee shots, tight landing areas and large, undulating greens that reward touch over power. Water shows up on two or three holes, and dense native scrub lines the fairways throughout, so accuracy off the tee matters more than distance.

The clubhouse, designed separately by architect Nadine Berger and built on the ruins of an old farmhouse, with the original stone worked into its lower walls, opened in 2014 and took third place in Golf Inc. Magazine's Worldwide Clubhouse of the Year the following year, the first club outside the United States to be recognised in the category. It's home to the Gecko restaurant, alongside a driving range, academy, locker room and pro shop. Book a round at the course that put sustainable Algarve golf on the map.

Course Map