Furnas Golf Club

Overview: Furnas Golf Club is set in the uplands of São Miguel in the Azores, close to the volcanic landscape and geothermal springs for which Furnas is known. The 18-hole parkland course combines old fairway corridors, lush vegetation, and a cool mountain setting, with Japanese cedars and island planting giving the round a character unlike mainland Portugal. Mackenzie Ross established the original design, and the current par-72 course uses the folds of the land to create a mature, green, quietly varied sequence rather than a heavily engineered resort layout.

History: The first nine holes were established by Mackenzie Ross in 1936, making Furnas the first golf course on São Miguel. It was expanded to 18 holes in the early 1990s, with Bob Cameron and Chris Powell credited with extending the layout while respecting the original style. The core date therefore describes the beginning of the course’s history, while the present 18-hole routing includes that later expansion.

Did You Know? Furnas sits in one of the Azores’ most active geothermal areas, where steam, warm ground, and volcanic vegetation are part of the surrounding landscape. The course is not a volcanic spectacle in the usual sense; its appeal is subtler, with dense greenery and old tree lines occupying land shaped by island geology. That contrast gives the round a distinctive sense of place.