Vale do Lobo Ocean Course

Vale do Lobo's Ocean Course carries the pedigree of few others in the Algarve: it was shaped by Sir Henry Cotton, a three-time Open Champion and the first professional golfer ever knighted for his service to the game. Two of his original nine-hole layouts, opened in 1968 and 1972, were finally combined into today's eighteen in 1995, completing a vision he never got to see finished.

The course builds gradually, its fairways undulating past a protected nature reserve before easing down toward the Atlantic. Everything sharpens on the closing stretch. The 11th and 14th, both testing par 4s, deliver some of the finest views in the region, and the par-3 15th plays right along the beach, close enough to hear the sea over your backswing. It is a round that rewards shot-shaping over brute force, exactly the kind of test Cotton favoured, and one that guests consistently rate among their Algarve favourites.

Facilities include a full driving range, a resident academy, and a clubhouse restaurant well placed for a post-round drink with a view. The Ocean Course sits alongside its sister course, the Royal, giving golfers a natural two-round pairing without leaving the resort. For anyone chasing that classic Algarve postcard, holes along the water, sea breeze in play, Cotton's design still delivers it.

Course Map