Brazil is a sleeping giant of golf, with a small but rising collection of serious courses spread between the towers of Sao Paulo, the mountains and beaches of Rio, and the wild coast of Bahia. Here are the ten we rate most highly, ranked, with our verdict on each and how to play it.
Photograph: Clube de Golfe 1 FBV - Randall Thompson, Fernando Oliveira (Oliver), via Google
Brazil has fewer than a hundred eighteen hole courses for a country of its size, so a national top ten leans on a handful of standout private clubs, one Olympic legacy course and a clutch of modern resort layouts. We weighed design pedigree, conditioning, the drama of the setting and, crucially, whether a visiting golfer can realistically get on, since most of the best clubs in Brazil are private and play is arranged through members or trips. The new arrival at the top, Santapazienza, is the first South American design by Tom and Logan Fazio and has already broken into the global top fifty.
Below it sit the Olympic course in Rio, open to the public and built by Gil Hanse for the 2016 Games, and a cluster of historic and modern private clubs around Sao Paulo and Rio. Every fact here was checked against the published rankings and club records at the time of writing, and where a designer or year could not be confirmed we have described a course by its character rather than invent a detail. The verdicts are ours and the order reflects our editors’ view; reasonable people will reorder the field below the top three. If you want any of these built into a costed trip, that is exactly what our concierge does.
The new number one and a genuine world top fifty course, the first South American design from Tom and Logan Fazio, several years in the making within an enormous, densely forested private estate. Big, bold and beautifully conditioned, it has lifted Brazil onto the global map almost overnight. Access is private and best arranged well in advance.
The course Gil Hanse built on sandy ground for the 2016 Olympic Games, laid out on gently rolling terrain with native vegetation and a links like openness rare in Brazil. It is the most accessible great course in the country, genuinely open to the public, and the obvious centrepiece of a Rio golf trip. A modern classic with real architectural merit, not just an Olympic souvenir.
Rio’s most prestigious club, dating to 1921 and set in a spectacular natural amphitheatre south of the city, hard against the Tijuca rainforest with the ocean below. The front nine climbs into the hills and the back runs toward the beach, framed by mountains and forest. A private members club of real history and one of the most beautiful settings in South American golf.
The historic heart of the Brazilian game, formed by British railway engineers at the start of the twentieth century and now completely hemmed in by the city on all sides. Tight, mature and tree lined, it is a period piece that survives in the middle of a megacity, and a fascinating round for anyone interested in how the game took root in Brazil. Private, with access through members.
Brazil’s great clifftop course, designed by the American architect Dan Blankenship and opened in 2004 on the bluffs above the beaches of Trancoso in Bahia. The closing stretch runs along the edge of red cliffs that fall to the Atlantic, with a short par 3 played out toward the ocean. The most resort friendly of Brazil’s top courses and the reason to fold the northeast coast into a trip.
A polished modern parkland laid out by the American architect Brian Costello in 2006, set within a private residential estate about an hour from downtown Sao Paulo. Generous, well conditioned and quietly testing, it is one of the most respected of the new generation of Brazilian country clubs. A comfortable championship round and an easy anchor for golf around the city.
The Palmer course at the upscale Fazenda Boa Vista development sits lightly on the land, threading native tropical vegetation with classic, time tested design principles. A second course by Randall Thompson adds variety on the same estate. Manicured, exclusive and family oriented, it is one of the most complete golf and leisure properties in the country. Private, with limited visitor access.
A mature, traditional parkland club formed in 1958, where members first played nine holes before a second nine was added in 1969. Tree lined and well established, it is one of the longstanding pillars of golf around Sao Paulo and a pleasant, old school round. A private club best reached through members or a planned trip.
Another from Dan Blankenship’s busy Brazilian portfolio, an eighteen hole course set within a residential estate just outside the Parana state capital of Curitiba in the cooler south. Rolling and parkland in feel, it is the leading course in southern Brazil and a worthwhile detour for golfers exploring beyond Rio and Sao Paulo. Private estate access.
A handsome old Rio club set in a green valley where tight, tree lined fairways have been routed cleverly around ponds and streams on a relatively small site. Intimate and shot demanding rather than long, it is a fine traditional counterpoint to the modern courses on this list and a classic part of the Rio golf scene. Private, arranged through members.
Designers, founding years and settings verified June 2026 against published rankings and club records, with courses described by character where a designer or year could not be confirmed. Most of Brazil’s leading clubs are private; the Rio Olympic course and the Bahia resorts are the most accessible. Always confirm visitor access and fees directly before booking. Check tee time availability.
Tell us whether it is Rio and the Olympic course, the private clubs of Sao Paulo or the cliffs of Bahia, and roughly when. One concierge arranges the access and the base and costs the trip to the head, with no obligation.
Santapazienza Golf Club, the first South American design by Tom and Logan Fazio, is the clear number one and Brazil’s only course in the global top fifty. The Rio Olympic course built by Gil Hanse for the 2016 Games is the best you can play openly, and the historic Gavea in Rio is the most beautiful.
Most of Brazil’s leading clubs are private and arrange play through members, so a planned trip is usually the way in. The Rio Olympic course is genuinely open to the public, and the resort courses on the Bahia coast such as Terravista welcome visitors, which makes them the easiest marquee rounds to book.
Brazil plays year round, but the most comfortable window in the south, around Sao Paulo and Rio, runs through the cooler, drier months from April to September. The northeast coast of Bahia is warm all year, with the driest spell from roughly September to March.
Two clusters lead the way: Sao Paulo, home to most of the top private clubs, and Rio de Janeiro, with the Olympic course, Gavea and Itanhanga. The wild card is the Bahia coast in the northeast, where Terravista gives a clifftop round worth folding into a beach trip.
New course openings in South America, the rise of Brazilian golf and the booking windows worth moving on first. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designers, opening years and settings verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.