Vila
Sol Golf Course Alto do
Semino, 8125-307 Vilamoura.
Markers
Holes 1-9
Holes 10-18
Holes 19-27
27
holes, 18-Par 72
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Yellow
Red
3241 m
3094 m
3079 m
3021
m
2943 m
2903 m
2728
m
2728 m
2583 m
Vila Sol, close to Vilamoura,
near the outskirts of Quarteira, was the first individual
creation of the famous English architect Donald Steel,
in Portugal.
Donald Steel is an architect who above all likes to
preserve nature and native vegetation, reducing earthmoving
to the minimum by using undulating terrain to create
the type of golf course that is within the English philosophy.
This is the counterpoint to the American School where
elevated tees and greens are indispensable.
The course being with a rather complicated 38l-metre
par 4, with a very tall pine- tree about 50 metres before
the green that makes the line into it more difficult.
The green hump backed and fast. A par here is always
a good start. Next, there is another par 4, more than
400 metres long, a classic one, in our opinion.
Describing it is not worth while; the best thing to
do is play it. The third one, another par 4, 385 metros
long demands a second shot to a green on raised ground
turning this hole into the most difficult on the course.
It should be mentioned that this must be the most testing
start to any Portuguese course, as can be seen from
the handicap stroke given to these three holes: 5, 3
and 1.
The 6th is a somewhat elaborate par 5, including a lake
in the middle, so we prefer the 499-metre 8th as a par
5, with a brook crossing the fairway to protect the
two-tiered green.
In the second nine, there are two par 3's of excellent
design, the 13th and l5th; the 18th has only the drawback
that the green is not visible from the tee. Another
interesting factor at Vila Sol is the excellent driving-range,
but above all very professional maintenance makes this
golf course a place where you play with pleasure.
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Yellow
Red