Boavista - Algarve - Portugal

Offering panoramic views of the Bay of Lagos to the east and the Monchique mountains to the north, the 18-hole parkland course at Boavista Golf & Spa Resort is handily placed just a 10-minute drive from the old walled town of Lagos at the mouth of the Bensafrim River.

Opened at the start of the new millennium this Howard Swan-designed course is laid out across a pleasantly undulating landscape, where fairways weave around clusters of residential housing – or “harmoniously designed properties” as the resort describe them – on the opening and closing holes.

In the southwest corner of the layout, holes 6, 7 and 8 at the highest point of the course use the natural contours of the terrain really well to form an interesting triangular loop, with the par three 6th and par five 8th requiring forced carries across a rather intimidating ravine.

On the back nine, holes generally descend towards the clubhouse, with the right doglegged, 390-metre 15th regarded as the toughest hole on the card. The 418-metre 18th shouldn’t be underestimated either, veering right off the tee to a heavily sand-protected home green.