Plan a Perfect Golf Holiday in Portugal

 I am not a natural sportswoman but if I had to pick a sport which appeals it would probably be golf. I love walking around the golf course near our home where there are beautiful views and a variety of birds and other wildlife to admire.

It's a gentle sport which still provides health benefits and of course there's a huge social side to the sport too. My son worked for a while at a golf club bar and restaurant and I was very envious of the members who enjoyed the clubhouse even when they weren't playing.

A couple of years ago when visiting my mum at her home on the beautiful island of Cyprus I went along to a stunning golf clubhouse where she was performing with her choir.

The views from that course were out of this world, situated high up where there was a cooling breeze. I watched the sun dip down over the sparkling ocean and could totally see why people like to spend their holidays golfing in a range of locations.

Golfers can literally play all over the world with golf holidays in Portugal being particularly popular. I visited Portugal years ago with my family and have very happy memories of the country with its amazing food, culture and of course, wineries producing port, the counties famous fortified wine.

Team that with beautiful beaches and an amazing climate and you can see why so many people want to travel there. Golfers have the benefit of some amazing courses with the added benefit of the country being a great destination for any non-golfing partners.

Here's some top tips for anyone wanting to golf overseas:

• Label your golf clubs very clearly and multiple times to ensure they don't get lost.
• Choose a course that's suitable for your ability. If you are a beginner a challenging pro course could be very disheartening and if you are a seasoned player an easy course might not give you the excitement you crave.
• Consider wearing an outfit suitable for golfing to travel in and pack golf shoes in hand luggage in case your luggage goes astray.
• Check your airline's weight allowance and cost of transporting golf clubs before booking flights.
• Make sure your equipment is insured.
• Consider hiring equipment at your destination to avoid transportation costs and the hassle of checking them in and potentially having your favourite clubs lost or damaged.

Once you get to your golfing destination you might be keen to spend as long as possible on the course but bear in mind that golfing overseas can be a very different experience to in the UK when it comes to the weather.

Make sure you take sunscreen, a hat and bottled water out with you and consider avoiding playing at the peak of the day when UV levels can be dangerously high, especially when there's no shade. Remember that alcohol can be dehydrating so if you want to make the most of the clubhouse make sure you include water between "proper" drinks.

Finally, you might be crazy about golf but try and make time to explore the country you are visiting. Portugal in particular has a wide range of environments and cultural attractions to offer and it would be a shame to miss them.