The Old Course is Frank Pennink's original design for Vilamoura, laid out in 1969 as one of the first courses built in the resort. Martin Hawtree remodelled it in 1996, keeping Pennink's routing intact while bringing the course up to modern standards. Set in the heart of Vilamoura, twenty minutes from Faro airport, it's known across the Algarve as the Grande Dame of the region's golf courses, and hosted the Portuguese Open in 1979.
It's pure parkland golf, routed through mature umbrella pines that do most of the defending. Fairways roll gently, with a few steeper slopes, and doglegs come mainly on the back nine. Water only enters the equation once, on the 4th, the course's signature hole: a par-3 that asks for a precise tee shot up and over a large pine, to a green guarded by water on the far side. The buggy here is optional rather than essential.
The clubhouse has been rebuilt in recent years, with a British-style restaurant and snack bar, and the driving range now runs on TrackMan technology, with an on-site academy staffed by resident professionals. Locker rooms and a pro shop round things out. Book a round at one of Vilamoura's original courses, and one of the Algarve's most storied.
- Location
- Vilamoura
- Founded
- 1969
- Designer
- Frank Pennink|Redesigned by Martin Hawtree em 1996
- Green Keeper
- Armando Santos
- Holes
- 18
- Par
- 73
- Course Map
