The rankings of the best golf clubs and courses in Portugal according to golfers, the Golfers' Choice Awards 2016, are known!
Golfers have awarded Monte Rei Golf & Country Club with the title of best golf club of Portugal in 2016, with an average rating of 9,19. The Golfers' Choice rankings are compiled based on 300,000 reviews from golfers across Europe on Leadingcourses.com.
Three in a row for Monte Rei Golf & Country Club
Over 250,000 golfers visit Leadingcourses.com each month. Based on their rankings, Monte Rei Golf & Country Club, with an average rating of 9,19, has been voted 'best golf club overall' in Portugal in the Golfers' Choice Rankings. The rankings for best golf club are compiled based on numerous aspects influencing the quality of the golf club, such as the golf course itself, the overall impression of the club, maintenance, facilities such as practice facilities, clubhouse and the perceived value for money.
Playing at Monte Rei is quite an experience. Visitors praise the warm welcome, the service, the great layout of the course and the tranquillity. It's the third year in a row that Monte Rei Golf & Country Club is rated as the best golf club in Portugal. "We are delighted to be voted the number 1 golf club in Portugal in the Golfers Choice Awards", says David Shepherd, Director of golf at Monte Rei. "Any award or recognition of what we do well is great but when the award is voted for by our customers it is extra special. We look forward to continuing to improve the course presentation and the golfing experience in 2016 and 2017 and look forward to receiving more feedback via Leadingcourses.com."
Just as in 2014 and 2015, Oceânico O'Connor Jnr Course comes in 2nd place. Golfers especially value the course itself and it's hospitality. It's remarkable to see that no less than four of the courses of Oceânico are listed in the top-6. There are no changes in the top-3 in 2016 as Royal Óbidos maintains its third place. This club, with a Severiano Ballesteros designed course, opened just a few years ago.
Monte Rei also has the best golf course
When golfers only rate the course itself - so without looking at other elements, such as the appreciation for the clubhouse and practice facilities - golfers again choose Monte Rei Golf & Country Club as their number 1. The Championship Course of Monte Rei receives a rating of 9,20. Laranjal, one of the golf courses of Quinta do Lago is runner up, with a 8,86. Just like last year, Royal Óbidos remains in third place. The Old Course of Clube Golf Oceânico Old Course makes a nice move from 8th to 4th place and The Estela Golf course of Estela Golf Club wins six spots and moves from 11 to 5.
Oceânico offers good value for money
If you are price conscious golfer, then the courses of Oceânico are a good choice. They might not be very cheap, but according to golfers they do offer great value for money. If only the price-quality ratio is taken into account, then Oceânico O'Connor Jnr Course scores an 8,29. Royal Óbidos is runner-up with almost exactly the same rating, they get an 8,28. The new number three in this ranking is Espiche Golf. This club, located in the less touristy Western Algarve, scores an 8,18.
It is remarkable to see that most of the top ranked clubs have fairly high green fees. The rack-rate for 18 holes at Royal Óbidos for instance is 100 euro and at Oceânico O'Connor Jnr you pay a rate of 200 euros for 18 holes. Golfers are convinced though that the price, although high, is fair.
Hospitality important for Monte Rei
Not only the quality of the golf course, but also the service level and customer satisfaction are important for the experience of the golfer. When it comes to hospitality, Monte Rei Golf & Country Club does a terrific job. They score a 9,20. Runner-up is Espiche Golf with an 8,70 and Royal Óbidos Spa & Golf Resort completes the top-3 with an 8,45.
Golfers' Choice rankings, most up to date and transparent
Every year numerous rankings circulate, announcing the best golf courses in a specific country. The Golfers' Choice rankings of Leadingcourses.com stand out because they are based on the opinions of actual golfers, all of them available online at any time. This makes these rankings the most up-to-date, transparent and independent in the golf industry. Rankings are only compiled if enough reviews have been gathered for that specific country. In 2016, rankings will be published for The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Sweden, Turkey, Cyprus, Spain, Wales, Scotland, Morocco, Tunisia, Mauritius and the United Arab Emirates in addition to Portugal.
High reliability
At the end of 2015 more than 300,000 reviews of golf courses (in eight different languages) were available on Leadingcourses.com. All reviews on Leadingcourses.com are verified and manually approved by a dedicated content team. Golfers who have reviewed multiple golf clubs receive a higher status and his or her review will therefore have more weight (and thus impact) in the overall score of a club. To avoid any manipulation of its rating, various checks and balances are in place to track and signal questionable conduct by users. A golf club is only included in the rankings if they have received sufficient reviews.
About Leadingcourses.com
Leadingcourses.com's aim is to help golfers to play on the best golf courses available, based on their handicap, demands and location. For instance, golfers can quickly see how other players with a similar handicap value a certain club or course. Obviously they can also view the overall rating, based on all opinions. The site was founded in 2007 and has an active golf community. At the end of 2015 it had over 300,000 reviews on its site and more than 20,000 golf clubs and 24.000 golf courses were mapped in more than 125 countries. As Leadingcourses.com values cultural differences, the site is available in eight different languages.
