This
is the oldest of the four Vilamoura courses that form part
of a luxury resort development close to fantastic beaches.
Course designer Frank Pennink wanted to create a course in
the Algarve that would remind players of those beautiful,
challenging inland British courses. He achieved that perfectly.
Opened
in 1969, the verdant fairways of the course run through surrounding
pine trees. This is a very attractive course with a great
variety of holes.
The
Par 3 holes are all different and visually very beautiful,
representing the toughest challenge on the course. They require
careful selection of irons and near-perfect ball control.
Over the rest of the course, trees play a decisive role, lining
the doglegs and punishing any careless strokes. The greens
are small, especially on the shorter holes, where there is
simply no margin for error.
A unique feature of this course is the fact that Par is 73,
despite the fact that among its last nine holes there are
no less than four with a Par 5.
It was selected for the Portuguese Open in 1979, in which
Bran Barnes was victor.
|
