The Oporto Golf Course is located 17 kms to the south of Porto city beside the beautiful beaches of Espinho. Oporto Golf Club, after Pau, in France, the second oldest course in Continental Europe. It was established in 1890, when British residents in Porto created the club.
The Oporto golf course, north of Portugal, an authentic links (at the sea side) is relatively short. Its narrow fairways, together with the north wind, are the main obstacles, starting out with a difficult Par 4. Two memorable and challenging holes are Nr. 11, a Par 5 of 497 metres and hole Nr. 4, which is considered to be the most difficult of Oporto golf course.
As if to balance the difficulties of these earlier holes, each of Oporto course’s two halves concludes with a very accessible Par 5 hole, providing some exciting endings for competitions.
The Skeffington Cup, which since 1891 has been played annually in the club, is the oldest competition in the sport to have been played without interruption. This competition is played during the “Espinho Golf Week” when the members compete for the three famous cups, the Skeffington, the Kendell and the Dockery. They are considered to be the “ex-libris” of Portuguese golf.
The two holes on the Oporto Club Course that are considered most interesting as a challenge are the fourth and the eleventh. The fourth is a Par 4 of 390 metres and the eleventh is a Par 5 of 497 metres. A player has a chance of scoring a birdie of both the ninth and eighteenth holes.
