Vale do Lobo Royal Course

The Royal Golf Course is one of two championship layouts at Vale do Lobo Resort, alongside the Ocean course. It was designed by American golf architect Rocky Roquemore, who worked from original drawings by Sir Henry Cotton. Rolling fairways run between umbrella pines and past lakes edged with wild flowers, and the closing stretch reaches the coast.

The course

The Royal is an 18-hole, par 72 layout measuring about 6,005 metres from the back tees, with three sets of tees on every hole. It opens with a narrow par 5 cut through the pines, and the front nine mixes short, heavily bunkered par 4s with longer holes where laying up is often the sensible play. The 6th is rated the hardest hole on the card. The 9th is a scenic par 3 whose saucer-shaped green is almost entirely surrounded by water, so a soft, accurate tee shot is needed.

The back nine brings dog-legs guarded by water, elevated tees and greens that call for more club than they appear to. The 15th is a short but tricky par 4 with sandy waste on one side and bunkers on the other. The 16th is the course's signature hole: a par 3 played from the clifftop across a ravine and a large bunker, with views over the beach and the Algarve coastline. Wind can make it very demanding. The 17th follows from a fine elevated tee with a long uphill approach.

Practice and facilities

The Golf Academy has a raised area for teaching beginners and warming up, plus a grassed short-game zone with bunkers, short practice areas and a putting green. Lessons are available from a resident teaching professional and the resort's golf professionals.

The Golf Club sits in the Parque do Golfe complex at the centre of the resort. Here you'll find the clubhouse, a Nevada Bob's golf shop, a fitness centre with a physiotherapist who specialises in golf injuries, the Royal Spa, and Spikes Restaurant and Bar, whose terrace looks over a garden and suits golfers and non-golfers alike.

Good to know

Tee times can be booked directly with the golf reception by phone or email. A handicap certificate is required, with limits of 28 for men and 36 for ladies. Members, guests and visitors are all welcome, and players are asked to follow the club rules. The resort also hosts annual events such as Amateur Week and Foursomes Week.