It was in this Region that the visionary Sir Henry Cotton designed the first golf course in an old rice field - the Penina, today an international standard.

In Lagos, next to one of the best beaches in the Algarve, Praia da Luz, the landscape of the Boavista golf course includes regional species like the almond tree and carob tree, with excellent views of the sea and the Serra de Monchique mountains.

The Palmares course, the scene of the oldest amateur tournament - the Almond Blossom Tournament played since 1977, has two different landscapes: some of the holes are by the sea, others offer spectacular views over the Bay of Lagos, and the rest face the Serra de Monchique.

Part of the Le Meridien Penina tourist resort, it is one course of 18 holes and two courses of 9 holes. It was on this course that Sir Henry Cotton used to play, using a donkey he christened ‘Pacifico’ as a caddie.

On the shore or inland, flat or hilly, choices abound. Each of the golf courses in this region will give you several birdies and eagles and, who knows, maybe a hole-in-one.