Vale do Lobo Royal Golf Course

The Vale do Lobo Royal Course, is located just 30 minutes away from Faro airport, in the Algarve, Portugal. For visitors to the Algarve, looking for a fantastic golfing break, the Vale do Lobo Royal Course is not only convenient but lives up to its reputation, as being one of the top 100 golf courses in the whole of Europe.

The Royal Course is very well maintained, with both fairways and greens in excellent condition. The fairways are gently undulating, especially through the back nine holes, which are the latest additions to the course, having been added in the late 1990’s. The Royal course is surrounded by pine trees, with lovely lakes and wild flowers, making for a very pleasant setting. However, do not let the backdrop lull you in to a false sense of security, as playing the course is far from being a stroll in the park.

The Vale do Lobo Royal Course hosted the 2003 Portuguese Open and therefore, players can expect a good test of their golfing ability. The length of the course, 6,166 yards is by no means the longest the majority of visitors will ever play but features more length than the Ocean Course and has plenty of water hazards and bunkers, which must be avoided in order to record a low score. The rough on the Royal Course, is also tough and unforgiving, making accuracy off the tee crucial, to avoid dropping shots.

Stand out holes on the Royal Course, include the 9th, with the almost island green and the 16th, which is often used as the image to advertise Algarve golf around the world. Measuring at 224 yards from the back tees, the 16th is the signature hole and requires a tee shot, over three spectacular cliffs, to reach the green. However, with a narrow fairway and tricky green, the 18th hole is a real challenge, so concentration is paramount, until the final putt has been made.