Where are the World Golf Awards winning Portuguese golf resorts?

I know you might be skeptical when you see Portugal to win 5 times in a row Europe’s and World’s Best Golf Destination at the World Golf Awards.

However, I see that there is a real performance behind the winning of these awards and titles.

Let me give you some examples (Source: Tourismo de Portugal: Portugal an investment destination in tourism, 2017):

• The share of tourism in GDP between 2011-2017: from 4,6% to 7,8%
• Tourism balance between 2011-2017: from 5172 million Euros to 10860.7 million Euros.
• Receipts from tourism: 15153 million Euros (2017) vs 12681 million Euros (2016) vs 5720 million Euros (2000).
• Portugal’s position in the 2017 Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index: 3rd in the Mediterranean region, 7th in EU28, and 14th in the World Rank.

This constant application to the World Golf Awards shows me that it is able to drive measurable behavior and revenue.

We should not forget that the Portuguese golf resorts were/are ready to follow and exploit the latest tourism trends (e.g. wellness tourism, gastronomy, wine tourism, sustainability, etc.) with great success.

I will talk about a little bit later in this post why should golf resorts and clubs be proactive on review sites like Leadingcourses.com or TripAdvisor.

Portuguese golf resorts & the World Golf Awards

Since the launch of World Golf Awards in 2014, the best performing Portuguese golf resorts and hotels were:

• Monte Rei Golf & Country Club (the 2nd 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Course is under construction now),
• Hilton Vilamoura as Cascatas Golf Resort & Spa (as best golf hotel in 2018, 2017)
• Quinta do Lago – South Course (2014, 2017)
• Vidago Palace (2014, hotel category)
• Pine Cliffs Resort (2015, hotel category)
• Oceanico Faldo Course/Amendoeira Golf Resort’s Faldo course (2016)
• Royal Óbidos (2015, golf course)
• Penha Longa Resort (2016, hotel category)

If I were a judge at the World Golf Awards, I would not neglect the Michelin-star restaurants of

• Monte Rei Golf & Country Club,
• Penha Longa Resort,
• Pine Cliff Resort,
• Quinta do Lago.

Portuguese golf resorts & review sites

I have just read a recent survey of Podium that found

• 60% of consumers looking at online reviews at least weekly;
• 93% say online reviews do impact their purchasing decisions;
• 82% of consumers do read reviews before making a purchase decision;
• two-thirds of consumers (68%) are willing to pay up to 15% more for the same product or service if they are assured they will have a better experience.

This tells me that beyond awards like World Golf Awards, we should take review sites (e.g. Leadingcourses.com) seriously by active participation (=answering every review where it makes sense) and providing high-quality images and videos that show off our golf club/resort brand.

Let’s see who the best performing & most engaged Portuguese golf resorts are on Leadingcourses.com!

Here is my TOP3:

1. Monte Rei Golf & Country Club: 203 reviews, 1 video, 366 photos + all reviews are answered.
2. Espiche Golf: 197 reviews, 2 videos, 148 photos + all reviews are answered.
3. Praia del Rey: 185 reviews, 297 photos + all reviews are answered.

It was important also for me the big number of reviews. I hope my recommendations will help you to have a great golf holiday in Portugal.

If you have any questions then please feel free to use my live chat service or simply comment below.

This article is brought to you by Tee Times Golf Agency.