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Oporto Golf Club

Oporto Golf Club sits near the beaches of Espinho, south of the city, and it's the oldest golf club in Portugal. Founded in 1890 by British port wine traders as the Oporto Niblicks, it laid out a rough nine-hole links on sandy ground before growing into the full eighteen holes played today. The club still hosts the Skeffington Cup, played every year since 1891 and widely regarded as the oldest continuously run golf competition in the world.

The course itself is a genuine, old-fashioned links, remodelled over the decades by architects including Philip Mackenzie Ross and Frank Pennink. The opening hole sets the tone: a par 4 played straight into the nortada, the prevailing north wind, to a narrow, two-tiered green. The 4th and 11th are widely reckoned the hardest holes on the course, while the 16th, a par 3, is the signature hole. Both nines close with a gettable par 5, which has settled more than one competition on the final green. This is a walking course, so leave the buggy at home and take in the tradition at your own pace.

A handicap certificate is required to play, and the clubhouse, a genuine piece of Portuguese golfing history, offers a restaurant that's a longstanding favourite with members. For golfers who care about where the game in Portugal actually began, Oporto Golf Club is essential, not just another round.