The Algarve is Europe's favourite golfing destination for its many world-class golf courses, excellent amenities and warm playing conditions, making golf on the Algarve a truly unique and all round unforgettable experience.
Portugal's southernmost province is justly famous for its spectacular scenery along a fabulous coastline. The year round sun and warm climate attracts many enthusiasts to play in the peak season of October to May. Each golf course offers a unique design taking advantage of the local landscape allowing the golfer a challenging yet pleasurable game. 
It was the legendary Henry Cotton who first put the Algarve on the golf map by transforming a rice field at Penina into a beautiful course after the necessary earthworks took place and planting 300 thousand trees. Tourism was beginning in the Algarve region and, immediately after Penina course was opened, the courses at Vale do Lobo and Vilamoura appeared. A few years later, another emblem of world golf was built at Quinta do Lago.
Since then, many professional golfers have followed in his footsteps in designing courses, including Nick Faldo, SeveBallesteros and Arnold Palmer. Although none of the existing courses are more than 15km from the coast, the terrain varies from the steep hillsides of Parque da Floresta to the near sea-level flatlands of Vilamoura III and Salgados. More than half the Portuguese courses are in the Algarve region and have been designed and are maintained so well that some of them are counted among the main European and Worldwide courses.
There are 39 golf courses on the Algarve, which have turned the Algarve into one of the premiere golfing destinations in Europe, all of which are listed below in location order, but using Faro/Algarve Airport as the all important 'Golfers holiday hub', with approximate distances from the airport included.
Thus we start from the central Algarve, giving the prospective golfer the choice to go East or West from the moment they land at Faro Airport, as follows:
The 39 Algarve golf courses are given the priority distances from faro airport, and location order, (nearest town) to enable the keen golfer to plan the maximum benefit from their golfing holiday, as follows:
CENTRAL ALGARVE: Course Name/s Km to Faro A/P
ALBUFEIRA (3) Balaia Pine Cliffs - Salgados 35 Km
ARMACAO de PERA (3) Faldo O'Conner Oceanico Academy 35 Km
VILAMOURA (6) Oceanico Laguna - Millennium Old Golf Course 20 Km
Oceanico Pinhal Oceanico Victoria Vila Sol 20 Km
ALAMANCIL (6) Laranjal Ocean Pinheiros Altos 12 Km
Quinta do Lago South - Royal - San Lorenzo 12 Km
TAVIRA (1) Quinta do Lago North 12 Km
WESTERN ALGARVE:
Sagres (1) Parque da Floresta 90 Km
Lagos (2) Boavista - Palmares 70 Km
Portimao (2) Alamos - Morgado 55 Km
Alvor (4) Alto Golf Penina Championship - Penina Academy 55 Km
Penina Resort 55 Km
CARVOEIRO (3) GRAMACHO - PINTA - VALE de MILHO 55 Km
SILVES (1) SILVES GOLF 55 Km
EASTERN ALGARVE:
TAVIR (3) Benamor - Quinta da Ria Quinta de Cima 30 Km
OLHAO (1) Colina Verde 30 Km
VILA REAL de SANTO ANTONIO (3) Castro Marim - Monte Rei Quinta do Vale 55 Km
