Central Algarve: An eclectic mix of stunning tracks
et on flat land besides Salgados Beach and Salgados Lagoon Nature Reserve, Salgados is a demanding layout with 16 holes played over water hazards. It’s a tough test, especially when the wind blows, as the course is very open with little vegetation. The 563-yard 6th is considered one of the toughest holes in the Algarve.
Pine Cliffs is a delightful, beautiful nine-holer of 2,434 yards. Its four par 3s and five par 4s are laid out on cliffs 200ft above the Atlantic. It is famous for its spectacular par-3 6th, Devil’s Parlour, which is played over an ochre-coloured ravine in the cliffs. Off the whites it is a scary 215 yards; fortunately there are other tees available – from the yellows it is only 150 yards.
Set to open in the autumn of 2022, Ombria resort’s 18-hole signature course – designed by Jorge Santana – wends around natural water hazards and mature woodland. The greens and fairways were designed to blend seamlessly into the surrounding landscape. Off-course, the magnificent clubhouse was built into the existing ruins of an old castle and is the perfect spot for your post-round analysis, with wonderful vistas, a sports bar and a restaurant.
Originally designed by Frank Pennick, Dom Pedro Pinhal opened in 1976 and was remodelled by Robert Trent Jones Jnr in 1985. Subsequently more work has been done to extend its overall length. Traversing undulating parkland and with fairways sometimes dotted with, and more often edged by, umbrella and Atlantic pines, Pinhal now measures 6,948 yards off the tips. Ponds and streams come into play on five holes.
Dom Pedro Old Course opened in 1969. The most scenic of its holes is probably the 4th, with various tee options allowing it to be played from 124 to 178 yards. To get to the large green, the ball has to fly a pond and a bunker. Three other bunkers lurk around the green to gobble anything wayward. The back nine opens with another par 3 (125-167 yards) requiring a carry to the green – in this case over a valley. Hit the putting surface or end up playing from the rough on an upslope.
Dom Pedro Laguna is set apart from the other courses in Vilamoura in that it has few trees. Instead, the challenge is to avoid the water hazards. Five of the holes are, at least in part, doglegs around water. One of these is the par-5 15th, which requires water to be crossed on the second shot to set up an approach to a green tucked away to the right. Do we need to point out that laguna means lagoon in Portuguese?
Laguna shares a clubhouse with Dom Pedro Millennium. This is not all it has shared as the course, which opened in 2000, comprises nine new holes and a refurbished inward half
which had previously formed part of the original 27-hole Laguna course. There is little water in play, and all of it is on the back nine. The 17th doglegs around a lake, and 18 is bordered by water for its closings stages.
Dom Pedro Victoria has hosted the World Cup and is the home of the European Tour’s Portugal Masters. Arnold Palmer was the architect and the later stages of the round are awash with water hazards. The 12th is played to an island fairway and the 14th has a fairway in two parallel parts, with water separating them. Then 17 is the signature hole, with water hazards and waterfalls running down the whole of its right border and around the green, which is tucked away to the right. Then 18 is the reverse, with water threatening the hook shot, not the slice.
Vale do Lobo Ocean offers plenty of variety, with tight holes mingled with those which allow the golfer to wander off the tee without undue penalty. There are flat fairways and steep ones, straight holes and single and double doglegs, oceanside holes and inland holes. It’s emblematic holes are two challenging and spectacular par 4s – the 11th and the 14th, which treats golfers to some spectacular views – and the par-3 15th, which runs alongside the beach.
The 9th at Vale do Lobo Royal is a par 4 with water wrapped around three sides of the green. But the most famous hole, probably in the whole of Portugal, is the 16th. This par 3 involves a carry over two chasms in the ochre-coloured cliffs to reach the green in one. However, there is a bail-out option as the fairway
runs to the right of this for those who wish to play it as a dogleg. From the white tees it is 235 yards; from the yellows, 208 yards.
Quinta do Lago South has just reopened after a £7million renovation which has seen the course upgraded to improve the views, especially later in the round, and its sustainability. Some holes have also had a slight redesign, notably the dogleg 8th. The front nine holes wind their way through the parkland and favour a draw, while the back nine, which loop around the lake, reward a fade. This track has hosted the Portuguese Open eight times.
Quinta do Lago North had its own redesign in 2014, by Beau Welling in conjunction with former European Ryder Cup captain Paul Mcginley, who has an academy at Quinta do Lago. The layout is notable for some clever and attractive green complexes and a huge lake which dominates the doglegged 12th. The only other time water appears on the layout is alongside the par-3 2nd.
Quinta do Lago Laranjal runs through a former orange grove, with five lakes and flamboyant bunkering providing the main hazards. The nines have been reversed since it opened in 2009. The 18th has an S-shaped fairway weaving through water hazards. When water is not present, players can afford to give it a go off the tee as large expanses of open areas ensure the wayward drive is rarely punished.
San Lorenzo borders the Ria Formosa Estuary and salt water lagoons. After a gentle opening few holes, the 5th, the shortest hole on the layout, opens up a magnificent vista of golden beaches and the Atlantic Ocean. Then the stroke-index-one 6th ups the drama. Standing on the tee, looking out to the sea, the temptation is to cut the corner; but get it wrong and you will land in dense shrub. The course is exclusive to its members and guests of Dona Filipa hotel and Amarante Formosa Park hotel.
Pestana Vila Sol hosted the Portuguese Open in the 1990s. It has three loops of nine, ranked in order of difficulty – Prime, Challenge and Prestige. The last of these might appeal to those who only want to experience sand beneath their feet when on the beaches of the Golden Coast – it has only five bunkers.
Pinheiros Altos offers 27 holes with three contrasting sets of nine – the Corks, Pines and Olives, with the Corks nine the longest of the three. You can enjoy stunning views of the region, but watch out for the par-5 8th hole, which is a double dogleg of nearly 600 yards! All three loops are positioned within close proximity of the beautiful clubhouse.
Faro is the main international airport of southern Portugal and the old town’s cobbled streets are ringed by medieval walls. The cathedral offers panoramic views over the city.
Sightseeing cruises run from Faro to Ria Formosa nature reserve. The nature reserve stretches for more than 35 miles along the coast – a maze of lagoons, marshland, salt pans, islets and channels providing an ecosystem that is one of the most important wetland habitats in Europe.