Tivoli Alvor Algarve Resort *****

The 8 times consecutive host of the European Seniors Tour Qualifying final, Vale de Pinta golf in the Algarve, is rightly respected not just for its playability and challenging layout but for outstanding levels of beauty and enjoyment. Designed by the famous American golf course architect Ronald Fream and inaugurated in 1992 Vale de Pinta has earned its place as one of the best designed courses in the Algarve and in Europe.
Imagine the fairways of Bermuda grass, strategically placed sand bunkers, and greens clad in Pen Cross Bent grass. Not to mention ornamental lakes in a rolling terrain dotted with carob, fig, almond and olive trees (including one olive tree over 1200 years old!).

Silves is a serene spot at the foot of the Monchique mountain, but it is anything other than 'a walk in the park' - a drive at the opening hole has to flirt with water hazards on both flanks. This course is for players - low handicaps will find it a serious challenge to come in under par. But high handicaps (with concentration) will be able to enjoy their round. Most holes offer spectacular mountain views overlooking palm trees and olive groves, the surrounding cork and citrus farms generate a true feeling of authentic Portuguese golf.

The first 18-hole course to be built in the Algarve, the Sir Henry Cotton Championship Course has played home to the Portuguese Open on ten occasions... and is regarded by many as the finest course in the Algarve and beyond. 
Built and laid out by the three time British Open Champion, Sir Henry Cotton, the course is as challenging as it is satisfying... and as unforgiving as it is beautiful. Flanked by streams, water hazards and precarious ditches, the course boasts an array of subtle slopes and raised greens... well known for catching out even the most careful of golfers. The Par 73 course, is playable the whole year round and is currently taking bookings for this and next season.

After his success designing the Vale de Pinta course, Ronald Fream teamed up with the former world No. 1 Nick Price to create the unique design of Gramacho. With 18 holes and 27 greens, plus numerous different tee points, players are able to enjoy the same course time and time again but always with slightly different challenges.
Having hosted the Portuguese Ladies Open on a number of occasions Pestana Gramacho is recognized as a championship course enjoyable and playable even by those with a higher handicap.
Apart from the fantastic golf design, Ronald and Nick managed to incorporate the traditional landscape by utilizing the natural stone outcrops, historical dry stone walling and existing ancient trees with some artfully sculpted lakes and bunkers. The effect is a wonderful journey through the countryside.

Designed by Sir Nick Faldo with strategic play in mind this 6598m PAR 72 championship course demands careful positioning to score well.  "The land at Amendoeira is dramatic and the project has the potential to be a real talking point in the Algarve. With so many courses in the region, that's no mean feat", pointed out Nick Faldo, during his visit in 2007.  In a modern twist of a traditional recipe, cacti and wild herbs replace the role of Sunningdale's heather, spartan Holm oaks and ancient olive trees take the place of a lush English woodland, and desert scrub bunkers of crushed limestone replace Berkshire’s sandy tracts in a golf course that revels in the classic principles of strategic play.