Where In Spain And Portugal Offers The Best-Value Golf?

Travel specialists Leading Courses have set out to examine, using their data, where the best value green fees can be found within Spain and Portugal on a regional basis.

To do this, they analysed the course ratings from verified golfers in the Golfers’ Choice rankings.

Across Continental Europe as a whole, there were 360 golf clubs which achieved a rating of 7.0 and above from golfers.

Of these, 243 fell into the Recommended category and 60 into the Outstanding category. Between them, Spain and Portugal have almost half of the Recommended courses.

Understanding the categories

Outstanding courses (ratings 8.5 and higher) tend to be bucket-list venues that many golfers aspire to play. Often highly priced, they are positioned at the pinnacle of the market. These courses aim to deliver unforgettable experiences that combine prestige, world-class design and exceptional service.

Recommended courses (ratings 7.5 to 8.5) represent the core of European golf. These are more the day-to-day courses that most golfers play, from regional member clubs to high-quality resorts. Although they may lack the prestige of the biggest names, these clubs provide reliable quality and often outstanding value for money.

Assessing Value

To access the value of a course, Leading Courses devised a Green Fee Value Index (GVI). This metric was calculated by dividing a club’s green fee by its rating, creating a euro-per-rating-point score. The lower the GVI, the greater the value.

As green fees often vary according to the time of year, Leading Courses used the highest available green fee in September, as that is when demand peaks and clubs reveal the value they attach to their product.

The ratings were taken from verified golfer reviews from the Golfers’ Choice rankings as of 1 January 2025.

Spain: The Findings

With more than 400 golf courses, Spain is Europe’s strongest destination for golf travel, attracting golfers from across the continent. The value for money picture, however, differs greatly by region.

For example, Andalusia is the flagship region of Spanish golf. It sets the benchmark for luxury with ultra-high green fees and a concentration of resort and private courses that feature in the Outstanding category. International demand allows these clubs to price at the very top.

But the Basque Country is one of Spain’s most underrated golf regions. Courses such as Real Nuevo Club de San Sebastián Basozabal combine championship-level design with green fees that are far below the national average. This makes the Basque Country one of Europe’s best value destinations, offering top-tier golf in a setting defined by rugged coastline, gastronomy, and authenticity.

In between these extremes lies Catalonia’s market of two halves. On one hand, it has internationally known resorts such as PGA Catalunya, which command prestige pricing. On the other, its regional clubs provide accessible golf at mid-tier levels. This diversity creates one of the widest price spreads in Spain.

Portugal: The Findings

Portugal has a relatively compact golf market with around 80 courses, yet it plays a major role in international golf tourism. The Algarve is the country’s flagship destination where premium resorts dominate.

Around Lisbon and Cascais the market is split, with affordable member-oriented clubs on one side, and world-class venues such as Oitavos Dunes and West Cliffs on the other.

Madeira occupies a niche position where elevated prices are justified by the exclusivity of the island setting, although the number of courses is limited.

In contrast, Northern Portugal is the quiet achiever, with courses priced under €100 that still achieve solid ratings, making it the best value-for-money option in the country.

Five main conclusions

• Premium doesn’t necessarily equate to poor value for money. Destinations such as Mallorca and the Algarve prove high-end markets can deliver good value if the experience matches the price.
• Northern Spain offers Europe’s best value cluster. The Basque Country and Murcia have a euro-per-point metric which is among the lowest in Europe.
• Island golf commands a premium: the Canary Islands and Mallorca operate at higher price levels than the mainland.
• The mid-market courses rated between 7.5 and 8.5 consistently deliver the best value for money, offering strong experiences without the price inflation of the elite tier.
• Value for money is regional, not national The data shows that regional differences can be larger than cross-border ones — comparing Andalusia to Murcia or Dublin to the Basque Country tells a more accurate story than comparing Spain with Portugal as a whole.