Course Information.

This course runs through an old olive grove dotted with bunkers and is the home of a golfing academy run by David Leadbetter.

Situated close to Carvoeiro in an old olive grove, Vale da Pinta is a championship course that can be adapted to suit any kind of game. It was designed by Ronald Fream, who closely followed the American design for golf courses, with big deep greens protected by 59 reasonably sized bunkers. The challenges posed by the course are adaptable to differing levels of skill. This is achieved by using five sets of tees at each hole, which offers a variety of different first shots.

"Some of the trees on the course are more than 700 years old. It is even thought that one of the olive-trees is over 1200 years old!."

The course was originally an 18-hole one designed by Sir Henry Cotton, but in 1972 another loop of nine holes was added. It hosted the Portuguese Ladies Open in 1987 and recent work has given it yet another dimension: the various loops have been redesigned and divided into two 18-hole courses (the Ocean Course and the more famous Royal Golf Course). Vale do Lobo is a luxury tourist resort only 13 kilometres from Faro international airport and has a good-sized 245-metre practice course ideally suited to all kinds of golfers.