Pinheiros Altos Golf Course offers something almost no other course in the Algarve can: three distinct nines, so no two rounds ever look quite the same. The original Pines and Olives nines opened in 1992 under American architect Ronald Fream; a third, the Corks, was added in 2007 by Portuguese architect Jorge Santana da Silva, working the same Ria Formosa parkland into a genuinely different test.
Each nine has its own personality. The Pines runs through sandy, pine-lined terrain in classic Algarve style. The Olives opens out, flatter and dotted with lakes that force real decisions off the tee, and it's home to the course's most famous hole: a par-3 island green, one of the most talked-about holes in the region, requiring a precise, positive strike over water with nowhere to bail out. The Corks, the newest of the three, weaves through mature trees with a distinct character of its own. Whichever combination you draw, this is a course built on smart club selection and accuracy over raw length, bordering a natural park alive with birdlife most golfers only half-notice until the third or fourth hole.
The staff and clubhouse consistently draw praise, friendly, attentive, and genuinely helpful in getting golfers on and off in good time. Facilities include a full driving range, a resident academy, and a restaurant with views over the course. For golfers staying in the Quinta do Lago area who want variety without leaving the estate, Pinheiros Altos is worth returning to more than once, if only to see which two nines you draw next time.
- Location
- Quinta do Lago
- Founded
- 1992
- Designer
- Ronald Fream and Santana da Silva
- Green Keeper
- Sesinando Rodrigues
- Holes
- 27
- Par
- 72
- Course Map
