Lisbon Sports Club

Founded in 1922, Lisbon Sports Club can actually trace its origins back to the Lisbon Cricket Club, which was established by British people working on the railways some fifty years earlier.

The club’s first course was a 9-hole layout at Alto da Ajuda, with putting surfaces made of sand and oil, but a new 9-hole course was established at Casal da Carregueira in Belas following a move there in 1964.

Another five holes were added soon after – members completed a full 18-hole round by playing holes 2 to 5 twice – before the final four holes were brought into play in 1992.

The club is historically important within the country, as it was one of four founding members (along with Oporto, Estoril and Miramar) of the Portuguese Golf Federation in 1949.

Today, the course extends to a very modest 5,309 metres from the back markers, playing to a par of 69. There are six par threes and three par fives on the card, with four of the par fours measuring less than 300 metres.

Tree-lined fairways nestle in a valley, where raised tees and elevated greens characterise many of the holes in a wonderfully natural setting, free from any real estate development.

The 1st hole is an eye-catching par three, played downhill to a sand-protected green, followed by the toughest hole on the course, the 403-metre par four 2nd. Another par three arrives at the 3rd and this unorthodox order of holes continues for the rest of the round.