West Cliffs ranked first in Golf World’s Top 100 Best-Value Courses in Continental Europe, with nearby Praia D’El Rey ranked fifth.
Portugal’s Silver Coast is the only destination represented twice in the top five. The ranking assesses the relationship between course quality and green fee, focusing on the overall experience delivered for the price rather than simply identifying Continental Europe’s cheapest rounds.
The two courses sit less than 10 kilometres apart and around one hour north of Lisbon, allowing visiting golfers to combine two contrasting layouts within the same trip.
West Cliffs Takes Top Position
Cynthia Dye designed West Cliffs across 200 hectares of dunes, coastal vegetation and natural terrain overlooking the Atlantic. Opened in June 2017, the 6,980-yard, par-72 course uses frequent elevation changes and exposed landing areas to create a demanding strategic test.
Every hole offers Atlantic views, and the routing asks golfers to judge angles from the tee and manage uneven ground. The dunes provide definition without separating the course from its coastal landscape.
West Cliffs was named the World’s Best New Course at the 2017 World Golf Awards and will celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2027.
Praia D’El Rey Adds a Contrasting Test
Praia D’El Rey opened on June 14, 1997, and was designed by American architect Cabell B. Robinson. Its two loops offer different playing characteristics, moving between pine-lined inland holes and more open, links-style terrain beside the Atlantic.
Deep bunkers, sloping greens and sandy dunes contrast with lush fairways. The changing landscape also demands different styles of shotmaking, from controlled approaches among the pines to flighted shots in the coastal wind.
The adjoining Praia D’El Rey Marriott Golf & Beach Resort was named Portugal’s Best Golf Hotel in both 2024 and 2025. The course reaches its 30th anniversary in 2027.
“This recognition goes far beyond price,” Praia D’El Rey golf sales director Tiago Monteiro said. “It reflects the exceptional quality of our championship courses, year-round conditioning, spectacular natural setting and the standards of service our guests experience from the moment they arrive
“As international demand for high-quality golf travel continues to grow, recognition such as this gives us an important platform to showcase everything the Silver Coast has to offer and further establish the region among Europe’s must-visit golfing destinations.”
Silver Coast Clubs Work Together
The Silver Coast stretches for roughly 240 kilometres between Lisbon and Porto, combining Atlantic beaches with historic towns and year-round moderate temperatures.
Praia D’El Rey and West Cliffs have now joined Royal Óbidos Scenic Resort and Guardian Bom Sucesso Golf in a coordinated effort to promote the region. All four courses are located within a 10-kilometre radius, giving golfers several distinct layouts from a single base.
For more details and to book click HERE for Praia D’El Rey or HERE for West Cliffs.
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Simon Bale
Simon Bale is the publisher of Golf Today. A low single-figure handicap golfer, he was previously a major shareholder and course reviewer for Top100GolfCourses.com for over a decade, starting in 2010. Through this role, he developed extensive knowledge of golf course design and architecture while playing more than 300 courses worldwide.