The Golf Course - Oporto Golf Club

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The Golf Course
The Golf Course

The History of Oporto Golf Club is one of the longest and most interesting in worldwide Golf. It is considered one of the oldest golf courses in Continental Europe.

The Oporto Niblicks was started in 1890 by a group of British players involved in the business of Port Wine who created a makeshift Links of nine holes. The original course was called St. Skeff Links in honor of its first President and it was mainly made up of sand, some native grass and greens, with Par 43.

Mr. Skeffington was a highly respected personality among the English community in Porto and he was the first President of the Club. He gave his name to the oldest uninterrupted competition in the history of Golf still played nowadays. (Skeffington Cup)

In 1900 a new "Links" with 9 holes was designed and it was built a little further south of the original field. In the same year the first "Club House" was built and the name changed to Oporto Golf Club.

20 years after, nine more holes were designed and in 1934 the full 18-hole Course with characteristics of Links and par 73 was inaugurated.

Over the years the Course went through notable changes, especially in 1955 with improvements in the Fairways and the construction of 2 new greens, one of which designed and prepared by the famous architect Mackenzie Ross. The first hole, divided by a road and the railway line connecting Porto and Lisbon, was also modified in 1964 and this change was supervised by the well-renowned architect Frank Pennink. The visits of these two great architects are due to the interest they found in the Oporto Course during the construction of Vidago Golf and Vilamoura Golf (Old Course).

In 1978 a new Layout was designed, with a major change in the course, the construction of a Driving Range and a new "Club House", having managed to eliminate some of the road crossings which disturbed the normal course of playing.

Since then the conditions of the Golf Course in Greens, Fairways and Roughs have been improving, keeping the characteristics of a Links. The Course Par is 71.

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