Benamor Golf

Overview: Benamor Golf sits on a gentle hillside near Tavira, with old olive, cork, fig, and almond trees giving the 18-hole parkland course a settled rural character. The par-71 layout uses natural slope, tree groups, and changing views toward the hills and sea to create a round where placement and rhythm matter. Its identity is tied to the surrounding estate, including the historic church near the clubhouse, rather than to a single manufactured resort feature.

History: The Benamor project began with a 1986 decision to develop golf on the estate, and Sir Henry Cotton prepared the original concept before his death. Later work by Howard Swan and Raymond Jones translated that idea into the course opened in 2000. This explains why Cotton is associated with the design even though he did not see the finished 18-hole course. It is a late project carrying an earlier architect’s intentions into a completed routing.

Did You Know? The old church is more than a landmark for finding the clubhouse. It reflects the long history of the Benamor estate and gives the first holes a setting predating golf by centuries. Around the fairways, olive and cork trees continue that sense of continuity, making the course feel rooted in Tavira’s countryside rather than assembled on an empty parcel.