Algarve Golf Courses - Dom Pedro Marina Hotel

Laid out over low lying coastal terrain, this course, with its many water hazards and few trees, is considerably different from the other ones at the Vilamoura resort and many of its holes convey a links atmosphere.

The course includes several lakes which come into play on 11 holes and attract a variety of aquatic birds, amphibians, otters and terrapins.

There are a total of 79 bunkers across Laguna, while its exposed location means the wind often adds to the challenge.

The Millennium Course is particularly open, although some holes (the 3rd to the 7th) meander between pine trees. In this more wooded area, the fairways are narrower and require greater accuracy - while the rest of the course has a clear landscape enriched by lakes at the 4th, 17th and 18th holes.

The Old Course, Vilamoura, is a beautifully maintained, challenging par 73 set in a in a lush green landscape of umbrella pines. The course has recently been redesigned with its varied par threes particularly challenging.

The Old Course is, however, best known for its four back-nine par-five holes, of which the 16th is the best.

Pinhal is a rolling parkland layout where you play from lush fairways lined with umbrella and Atlantic pines to narrow greens. The course was originally designed by Frank Pennink with additions made by the famous Robert Trent Jones Jr in 1985.

Pinhal’s signature hole, No.17, tempts you with a dog-leg carry over the out-of bounds to make or break a hard earned score card!

The Arnold Palmer designed Victoria Course is the most recent addition to golf in the Algarve, and hosted the 2005 WGC World Cup of Golf.

Despite its difficulty through length, water hazards and fast greens, the course layout is quite flat, and amateurs can choose from different grades of difficulty from each tee.

Pestana Vilasol Golf is set within a beautiful valley of lakes and lush vegetation. It features 27-holes comprising of three nine-hole courses, the Prime, Challenge and Prestige.

The Prime loop is the most difficult of Pestana Vilasol Golf. The long and narrow fairways of the first four holes are renowned as “the most difficult start” on the Algarve.

The Challenge loop is better known as the back nine of Vila Sol. The challenge of this loop is that its greens are more hilly than either Prime or Prestige, demanding accurate approach play.

The Prestige loop is a shorter loop, but narrower. Accuracy and not length is by far the deciding factor on this nine.

Vila Sol was designed by Donald Steel, an English architect who above all likes to preserve nature and native vegetation, minimising earthmoving where possible.

The resort twice played host to the Portuguese Open in the 1990s and regularly hosts other professional events.