Golf in Madeira, Portugal

The Portuguese islands of Madeira offer year-round golf, courses designed by Severiano Ballesteros and Robert Trent Jones and an incredible 5-star golf resort.

Located in the Atlantic around 500 km west of Morocco, the three islands that make up the archipelago enjoy plenty of sun and temperatures ranging from 25°C in the summer to 18°C in the winter – perfect for playing golf. Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport is located around 14km northeast of the capital Funchal.

Casa Velha do Palheiro

The 5-star resort of Casa Velha do Palheiro is set in a former hunting lodge dating back over 220 years, once home to the Counts of Carvalhal. It’s part of the prestigious Relais & Châteaux hotel collection and is in a gorgeous location in the foothills of Funchal, surrounded by the Palheiro Gardens, the Palheiro Golf Club and a 150-hectare nature estate. It’s conveniently close to town and only 20 minutes from the airport.

This serene sanctuary has 38 guest rooms and suites which combine 19th-century elegance with contemporary design and facilities. The Junior Suites and Double Main rooms are set in the main house, some with elevated views over the terrace and lawn, while the Senior and Double Suites are in the Golf Wing, with more Double Suites in the Garden Wing.

Dining at Casa Velha do Palheiro comes with two options, the elegant Casa Velha Restaurant with its gourmet cuisine and selection of Portuguese and international wines, and the informal Vista Balancal Restaurant, with its Mediterranean and traditional Madeiran menu and golf course views. There’s also afternoon tea at the Tea House in Palheiro Gardens.

The Palheiro Spa is nestled within the peaceful Palheiro Nature Estate, seconds from the hotel. There are four exclusive treatment rooms where guests are invited to enjoy a wide array of authentic massages and beauty therapies, a Finnish sauna, a Turkish steam bath and a heated indoor pool. Guests can also lounge by the large outdoor pool and pool bar and stay in shape at the state-of-the-art Fitness Room.

The hotel organizes fishing on its own yacht as well as whale and dolphin watching and horse riding. On-site there is a tennis court, badminton, and croquet as well as an excellent golf course.

Palheiro Golf Club

The resort’s 18-hole, par 72 championship golf course lies adjacent to the hotel and meanders through maritime pines, botanical woodland and lush sub-tropical vegetation. Opened in 1993, It’s incredibly beautiful and was designed by Cabell B Robinson. At nearly 1,640ft above sea level, the course enjoys dramatic views of Madeira’s mountains and the Atlantic. The 6,656-yard course takes full advantage of Madeira’s hilly terrain, with ridges and deep valleys.

Santo Da Serra Golf Club

Along with Palheiro Golf Club, Santo Da Serra Golf Club, around 15km from Funchal, is the only other golf complex on the main island. Robert Trent Jones Snr’s 1991 redesign of this course created a spectacular 27-hole complex in a beautiful natural landscape, with stunning views of Porto Santo and the bay of Machico.

The Machico and Desertas nines form the 6,825-yard championship course, on which the European Tour’s Madeira Islands Open was held on 10 occasions. The 3rd and 4th on the Machico are regarded as the signature holes, sitting atop cliffs more than 2,200 feet above the Atlantic. The 9-hole, 3,193-yard Serras course, which opened in 1998, offers a delightful alternative, with lakes and mountain views along flatter terrain.

Porto Santo Golf

Porto Santo Golf lies a short flight or boat trip away on the island of Porto Santo. It hosted the Madeira Islands Open between 2009 and 2011. Laid out by Severiano Ballesteros, the 7,036-yard course, which opened in 2004 and was built to environmentally conscious standards, comprises two distinct nines, spanning an area of sand dunes and basalt cliffs.

The US-style southern route is dotted with lakes, requiring a precise game, while the northern route sits atop beachside cliffs. The signature hole is the 200-yard, par-3 13th which requires a shot over a gorge to reach a cliff-top green.

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