Even if your enthusiasm for golf has taken you to some pretty places, we reckon there is nowhere quite so stunning for a round as these Portuguese mid-Atlantic islands.

Madeira, known as the "floating garden", has a subtropical climate ensuring an amazing variety of flowers grow all year round. And the island is also home to the Laurissilva forest. Literally millions of years old, this prehistoric habitat has gained World Heritage status. The average temperature, varying between 18 and 25º C is ideal for a round of golf on the mountain courses with their sweeping views out over the Atlantic ocean and the lively city of Funchal, the island’s capital.

The Azores, the most westerly point of European territory is not only very green and beautiful but falls beyond concepts such as "pollution" and "stress".

Of the nine islands making up this archipelago, S. Miguel and Terceira have golf courses set in incredibly beautiful natural surroundings, dotted with majestic Japanese cedar trees. On Terceira, the city of Angra do Heroísmo, that in former times was the bridge between the New and Old Worlds, has also been recognised as World Heritage. Out in the ocean, whales break the surface to send their huge spouts of water gushing into the air. Whale spotting is just one activity to choose from in between rounds of golf.