Is Lisbon and its surrounds the best golfing location in Europe?
This destination has not attracted the same level of business as the Algarve, but it is an area deserving of attention by the discerning travelling golfer as it offers such a rich range of golfing delights and experiences.
The cluster of golfing venues around the north of Lisbon in Cascais offer a range of top-quality courses that will delight and live long in the memory.
The setting and landscape of these venues situated within sight and influence of the Sintra-Cascais National Park is wonderful, offering serene and beautiful countryside in wooded hills.
History
During World War II, Portugal was a neutral country. Due to this neutrality, Cascais and Estoril evolved into a haven for exiled European noblemen and people of influence and wealth. They moved to the area and developed some luxurious properties that included many embassies from a range of countries. This in turn led to this area becoming a hotbed for espionage and intelligence gathering. Ian Fleming of James Bond fame operated here, and his first book Casino Royale is based upon the casino that still exists in Cascais adjacent to the harbour. He stayed at the Palacio Estoril Hotel. When the movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was made in 1968 starring George Lazenby, the entire cast took over the same venue for the duration of the filming. Many other locations around Cascais featured in that film to provide additional authenticity.
Cascais Area
How do I describe a city like Lisbon that contains areas of the vibrancy of Cascais? The strap line used by the tourist board is “stay for a day or a lifetime.”
At the end of my visit, I understood the rationale of this ambitious statement as I felt like I wanted to move here permanently. This is one of the few places I have visited in the world where I immediately felt at home.
Cascais sits within the Sintra National Forest, a globally recognised World Heritage Site, covered by a variety of UNESCO portfolio because of its importance to the history of the world.
Quinta da Marinha Golf Course
My time in Cascais included staying at the exceptional Quinta da Marinha and playing its resort-style course.
“The five-star hotel based at Quinta da Marinha was graded by TripAdvisor in 2022 as being in the top 1% of all the luxury hotels in the world. Renovations and upgrades are still planned to allow it to maintain its excellent standing and reputation. It is superbly located and framed by a playable resort golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones Junior. This is a well-designed and maintained resort golf course that was an enjoyable golfing experience.”
You can see more by reading this new review.
Penha Longa Atlantic Championship Course
Penha Longa was another highlight of my time in Cascais, with this layout fitting remarkably well into the landscape – and the food available is rather good too!
“I genuinely felt blessed and grateful at the opportunity to enjoy and test myself against this venue. Penha Longa provided some of the finest golfing gastronomy it’s ever been my pleasure to devour and enjoy.”
See more insights by reading my full review.
Oitavos Dunes Golf Course
Formerly a venue on the European Tour, Oitavos Dunes is a wonderful layout, visually spectacular and thrilling to play.
“Oitavos Dunes is a sandy landscape, very natural with some jaw dropping great views to the ocean. All the short holes are superb. The greens are impeccably true and evenly paced.”
If you want to know more, check out my new review.
Ecology & Sustainability
On the first evening after a pleasurable round of golf and a swim, our group enjoyed the magnificent Lake House. It is situated away from the main hotel at Quinta da Marinha, providing a superb venue for presentations and large groups and functions within easy walking distance of the main facilities.
The decking provided around the exterior of this building providing extra extraordinary views over the lake and the golf course and I considered myself very lucky to have experienced this venue during a beautiful sunset. The soundtrack of the venue was simply a delight as the local wildlife, especially the toads and frogs came to life as the sun waned.
This room was used by the tourist board to house around 150 guests to hear a presentation, led by Bernardo Correa de Barros, President of Cascais Tourist Board, showcasing a phone-based app that had been devised to assess and measure the ecological impact of a visit to the area and then providing a bespoke response once the impact had been calculated.
The app then offers the tourist the chance to mediate the impact by making a specific donation to a project that has been affiliated to the scheme.
I have calculated my personal impact and then made a choice of one of four projects that are local to Cascais. Cleverly the way they are described allows me as a tourist to become more aware of all the areas and specific sustainable projects that are being supported.
It’s quite clear that sustainability of the ecology of this area is an important factor within the political environment.
The Cascais Golf Passport
We also learnt about a golf passport that has been implemented as a partnership between the clubs and the tourist board. It allows the visiting golfer to visit a single website and make direct discounted bookings with any of the partnership clubs to create a bespoke travel itinerary.
It’s very easy to use and should prove to be an excellent benefit to the travelling golfer.
“Cascais is at the vanguard of digital innovation with the mission to help improve the lives of its visitors and residents.” Said Bernardo Correa de Barros, President of Visit Cascais, the region’s tourism board.
“Golfers can book with confidence knowing this the fastest, simplest, and most cost-efficient means to play at multiple courses in Portugal. This is a world first for the golf travel industry and has been achieved through the close collaboration between us as a technology provider, the Visit Cascais tourist board, and each of the golf clubs, to deliver a fully integrated and highly functional booking solution for tour operators and consumers.”
How Does The Cascais Golf Passport Work?
The Cascais Golf Passport (also known as the digital golf passport by visit Cascais) is a convenient prepaid bundle allowing you to play multiple signature courses on the Lisbon coast in one simple package. You can watch this explainer video to help.
How does it work:
1. Decide upfront to play on 3, 4 or 5 different courses during your stay.
2. Courses you can chose from include:
Oitavos Dunes Links Golf Belas Clube de Campo Lisbon Sports Club Penha Longa Atlantic Quinta da Beloura Quinta da Marinha
3. Book through the platform: Use the visit Cascais website to book all your tee times in under a minute, no need to contact each club separately.
4. Play each course only once: Each round in the passport must be at a different course.
5. Valid on weekdays: Valid from Monday to Friday. Weekends and bank holidays must be requested.
6. Handicap requirement: you must have an official handicap of <28 for men and <36 for women.
7. Digital and refundable: Each round is redeemed via a stamped ticket/coupon. It is refundable up to 30 days of your first tee time.
The Cascais Golf Passport is brilliantly designed for players seeking variety, convenience and value. The digital platform lets you stroll through booking and focus on scoring on the golf courses.
If you want to know more, please visit https://visitcascais.com/en and see our travel partners Golfbreaks for the best deals and packages, plus all the golf information you could need.
Related Content
Quinta da Marinha Golf Course Review
Penha Longa Atlantic Championship Course Review
Oitavos Dunes Golf Course Review
What Makes Lisbon The Ultimate Golf And City Break Destination
10 Reasons to Play Golf in Lisbon
