Amid all the other awe-inspiring activities the Azores offer, the islands are also home to three golf courses that draw players from around the world.  Here, golfing is a year-round activity with mild temperatures and spectacular landscapes at all the courses. The ocean is always in view and, while strolling the greens, players experience the exotic and diverse range of flora and fauna for which the Azores are known. Plus, the courses are designed by some of the best golf course architects in the business.

One local favorite is found on the main island of São Miguel just outside the town of Furnas. Operated by AzoresGolf, this nine-hole course was built in 1939 and designed by architects MacKenzie Ross. Another nine holes were designed by the architects Cameron & Powell. The par 72 course takes advantage of the vistas at 1,700 feet above sea level and has the added attraction of the occasional cloud passing through – not over! – the fairways.

The newer Batalha course on São Miguel, also by Cameron & Powell, takes advantage of the island’s natural features. Guidebook writer David Sayers described as, “one the world’s most intimate and exquisitely beautiful courses, given its mountain setting with sheltering forests and numerous elegant tree ferns.” Though it operated as an eighteen-hole course for 10 years, another nine holes were added to the Batalha course a few years ago, bringing its total to 27. The first nine offer sweeping ocean panoramic views, while the remainder plays through exotic woodlands with volcanic mountain views. The Batalha course is just a few miles outside of the main city of Ponta Delgada.