The Lisbon and Centre area corresponds to the geographical regions of Lisboa, Alentejo, Coimbra and Central. Situated at the mouth of the Tagus River, Lisbon is reckoned to be one of the oldest cities in Europe with continuous habitation since around 1200BC. Further inland, the open plains, with their rich fertile soil, have been called the breadbasket of Portugal, such has been their agricultural importance to the country down the years.

Lisbon Sports Club offered its members participation in golf, football, cricket and tennis at the start of the 20th century but it took until 1922 before organised golf was established when a number of members founded their own golf club. Now, almost a hundred years on, there are twenty-nine 9-hole or 18-hole layouts to be found at twenty-five golf facilities within the Lisboa zone of the Federação Portuguesa de Golfe and more than a dozen of these courses feature in our national ranking chart.

There’s no denying the influence of American golf course design in the Lisbon area as architects who usually ply their trade on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean have fashioned many of the top layouts. Two of these courses were designed by Rocky Roquemore in the 1990s (Belas and Quinta do Peru), two are 1980s offerings from Robert Trent Jones Snr at Quinta da Marinha and Troia, whilst Robert Trent Jones Jnr, Cabell Robinson and Arthur Hills pitch in with one each at Penha Longa (Atlantico), Praia d’El Rey and Oitavos Dunes.