Belas Clube de Campo & Lisbon Sports Club : 2 captivating Golf courses just minutes from Lisbon, Cascais & Sintra
- Apr 30
- 6 min read
Imagine teeing off at dawn, mist clinging to the Serra da Carregueira, eagles riding thermals above your ball flight, the silhouette of Sintra's palace-crowned mountains framing every approach…
Within a compact 30-kilometre arc west of Lisbon, two courses have quietly earned reputations among Portugal's finest. Belas Clube de Campo rolls through deep forested valleys with the Serra de Sintra as its permanent backdrop. Lisbon Sports Club winds through ancient woodland alongside a creek that never quite leaves you alone.
Together, they make a golf trip to the Lisbon region something genuinely special. Add Sintra's fairytale palaces, the Atlantic cliffs of Cabo da Roca, the glamorous marina in Cascais, Lisbon's pastéis de nata and you have one of Europe's great golf holidays.
Par 72 · 18 holes · Architect: Rocky Roquemore · Opened: 1997 · Handicap: Men 28 / Ladies 36
📍Nested within the Mata de Belas and the Serra da Carregueira Forest Park, Belas Clube de Campo carries the quiet weight of history. These forested hills were once the retreat of Portuguese nobility, and the sense of privilege hasn't entirely left. Wildlife is abundant, the flora extraordinary, and the Serra de Sintra views are the kind that stop you mid-backswing.
🏌🏼♂️The Course: Rocky Roquemore let the land do the work. With a magnificent view of the Serra de Sintra, the course develops through hills and valleys, surrounded by the local landscape and its great variety of fauna and flora. Recognised as one of the best courses in Portugal, this is a Championship Golf Course, par 72, with 18 holes and 6,109 metres. Its challenging and competitive layout offers some of the best greens in the Lisbon region and guarantees unique moments of interaction with nature. The occasional fox and songbirds are all part of the experience.
The Academy: One of the region's best. PGA professionals offer individual lessons, group clinics, and programmes for every level and age, year-round. With excellent training areas that allow the sport to be played all year round, you’ll be able to begin and perfect your practice in a unique environment, in full contact with nature.
The Club: Founded in 1998, with over 300 members, Belas is one of the first and most emblematic golf clubs in the Lisbon region. Visitors are welcome every day. After your round, the terrace restaurant - good food, cold drinks, uninterrupted course views - is the only logical next stop.
In this corridor of Portugal, excellence comes in pairs: Belas Clube de Campo sets the stage and Lisbon Sports Club delivers an equally memorable, though entirely different, experience, less than a 10-minute drive away.
Par 69 · 18 holes · Architects: Hawtree & Sons · Opened: 18 holes completed in 1992 · Club origins: 1861 · Handicap: Men 28 / Ladies 36
📍Tucked into the Serra da Carregueira without a house or development in sight, Lisbon Sports Club is one of Greater Lisbon's last truly unspoiled golf environments. A creek winds alongside the fairways for almost the entire round. Eagles circle overhead. Rabbits sprint across the rough. It is, in every sense, a living, breathing piece of Portugal.
🏌🏼♀️The Course: Designed by respected British firm Hawtree & Sons, the layout follows a classic Scottish template: undulating fairways, genuine elevation changes, and narrow tree-lined corridors that make every hole feel distinct. A water ditch accompanies play throughout, keeping concentration levels honest. Don't be fooled by the 5,261-metre total, this course demands course management, precision and an ability to handle fast, subtle greens. More than 40 tree species line the fairways, creating a forest biodiversity found nowhere else in Greater Lisbon. No surrounding developments, no distractions. Every round here feels like a genuine escape.
The History: Few clubs carry a richer story. Founded in 1861 by British expats as the Lisbon Cricket Club, it evolved into the Lisbon Sports Club in 1922. By 1949 it was one of the four founding members of the Portuguese Golf Federation, alongside Oporto Golf Club, Estoril, and Miramar. The Lisbon Golf Cup, contested since 1917, is the third oldest golf cup in Portugal. A living institution, not just a club.
The Restaurant: Chef Rui Costa runs a kitchen that offers a strong selection of traditional Portuguese cuisine alongside lighter options, served either in the dining room or on a pleasant balcony overlooking the grounds. An ideal setting to unwind after your round.
🚗 A Perfectly Connected Golf Escape
Both courses are just a short drive apart, making a two-course day entirely feasible, or a relaxed two-day golf itinerary a pleasure to plan.
Travel Times Between the Two Courses:
. Belas Clube de Campo ↔ Lisbon Sports Club: ~8 minutes
. To Lisbon: ~20 minutes
. To Sintra: ~15–20 minutes
. To Cascais: ~20–25 minutes
. To Lisbon Airport: ~25 minutes
🏨 Where to Stay ?
From palatial mountain resorts to chic seaside addresses, every hotel here is within easy reach of both courses and the best of the Lisbon Coast. Here are 6 outstanding hotels within 10–25 minutes of both courses:
Penha Longa Resort 5⭐ (~15 min), Linhó, Sintra
A Ritz-Carlton resort on 220 hectares of Sintra Natural Park pine forest, built around a 14th-century monastery. The 194 rooms and suites all have private balconies; dining includes two Michelin-starred restaurants. On-site: a 27-hole championship course by Robert Trent Jones Jr. (top 30 in Continental Europe), a 1,500m² spa, pools, tennis, horse riding, and a Kids' Club. The benchmark for luxury on the Lisbon Coast.
Pestana Sintra Golf 4⭐ (~15 min), Quinta da Beloura, Sintra
Adjacent to the Beloura 18-hole course and 3 km from Sintra's UNESCO historic centre. The 137 rooms and suites have Sintra Hills views; facilities include a Physio Spa, three pools, tennis courts, gym, and a garden bar made for post-round drinks. Excellent value for a golf-focused stay.
Onyria Quinta da Marinha Hotel 5⭐ (~25 min), Quinta da Marinha, Cascais
A full golf resort between Guincho beach and the Sintra mountains, with direct access to the Robert Trent Jones Sr.-designed Quinta da Marinha course (18 holes, par 71). All bedrooms have a large balcony to provide guests the wonderful green views and in order to appreciate the tranquility of this area Aesthetic choices and high quality materials transform every room into a cozy and welcoming area.
Onyria Marinha Cascais, Vignette Collection 5⭐ (~25 min), Quinta da Marinha, Cascais
The boutique sibling of Onyria Quinta da Marinha; 68 rooms, 4 suites, and 12 private villas set beside a former royal hunting pavilion, surrounded by Atlantic pine forest. Walking access to the Quinta da Marinha golf course. Enjoy outdoor pools, intuitive wellness and cuisine inspired by the sea and the mountains. Intimate luxury without the resort scale.
Pestana Cascais 4⭐ (~25 min), Cascais seafront
Right on the Atlantic, with sea-view rooms, an ocean-side pool, padel courts, spa, and the Oceano restaurant. Guincho beach and Casino Estoril are minutes away; five golf courses within 10 km. A brilliant base for golfers who want the full coastal experience between rounds.
Vila Galé Cascais 4⭐ (~25 min), Cascais Marina area
Overlooking the Atlantic and just steps from Cascais Marina, the hotel offers an ideal blend of comfort, location and value for golfers. Spacious rooms provide a relaxed base close to several top courses. Facilities include a restaurant, two bars, outdoor pool, wellness centre, sauna and family-friendly amenities. A perfect choice for a convenient, coastal golf stay in the heart of Cascais.
🏰 Beyond the Course... 🌊 🎰
The Lisbon Coast and Serra de Sintra region is one of Western Europe's most richly layered cultural destinations. When the clubs are packed away, here's where to go:
Sintra & the Pena Palace (~15–20 min from the golf courses): A UNESCO World Heritage Site of fairy-tale palaces, mystical gardens, and cobbled streets lined with travesseiros and queijadas.
Cabo da Roca (~30 min from the golf courses): The westernmost point of continental Europe. Towering cliffs, crashing Atlantic waves, and horizon views that put the world in perspective.
Cascais Town, Marina & Beaches (~20–25 min from the golf courses): The glamorous old-money resort town: whitewashed streets, a smart marina, the wild Guincho Beach, and the dramatic Boca do Inferno sea cliffs.
Estoril (~20 min from the golf courses): Casino do Estoril, Tamariz Beach, and the old-world glamour that reputedly inspired Ian Fleming to write his first Bond novel.
Lisbon (~20–25 min from the golf courses): The Jerónimos Monastery, Alfama's fado alleys, Bairro Alto's restaurant scene, and the original pastéis de nata at Pastéis de Belém (trading since 1837). One of Europe's greatest capitals, on your doorstep.
The Lisbon Region golf corridor is one of Europe's best-kept secrets. At Belas Clube de Campo, you play a certified championship layout through ancient hills, watched over by the Serra de Sintra, on greens that rival anything on the continent. At the Lisbon Sports Club, you walk a course that has been loved by golfers for over a century, where every fairway tells a story, every water ditch demands respect, and every bird song makes the moment sweeter. Between rounds, you sleep in palatial resorts or stylish coastal hotels, eat some of Europe's finest food, drink excellent wine, and discover a landscape of fairy-tale palaces, dramatic cliffs, golden beaches and one of the world's great capital cities on your doorstep.
This is a golf trip that feeds every appetite: the competitor, the nature lover, the culture seeker, the gastronome and the person who simply needs to breathe good air and be somewhere beautiful.
