Best Trips For True Golf Lovers
The Vale do Lobo Royal Golf Course is one of the oldest courses in Europe. This classic course is also popular for being the first course to be designed by the legendary Sir Henry Cotton in Vale. This also happens to be the first course to come up in this part of the Algarve. The Vale do Lobo resort that houses the Royal Golf Course is the largest in the region and is most famous for its lavish accommodation options and golf amenities it offers.
The originally designed course was later divided into two, namely – the Royal Course and Ocean Course. The Royal Course is considered by many golfers as the better of the two. To complete the Royal Course, to make an 18-hole golf layout out of the divided half, architect Rocky Roquemore was hired.
In 2003, an interesting arrangement was made to host the Portuguese Open. To make the tournament unique and challenging 13 holes of the Royal Course and 5 holes of the Ocean Course were used to create the 18 holes that hosted the annual golf tournament.
The signature hole of the course that most golfers describe as pure magic is the 16th located on top of the cliff. The popularity of this cliff top hole can be gauged by the fact that it’s one of the most photographed holes in the world. Though the signature hole is only 218 meters from the back tee point the stunning view of the beach and crystalline waters of the Atlantic are the magnets that attract scores of visitors to this course.
Golfers won’t be disappointed with the other holes as well. Visitors would also thoroughly enjoy the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th holes. The 16th stands out, but the rest of the course is equally challenging and visually pleasing. Compared to the Ocean Course, visitors would find that here there are more water hazards and sand traps, more uneven terrain, and longer fairways. The Vale do Lobo Royal is an 18-hole, par-72, 6175 meters golf course.
The architects of the course – Sir Henry Cotton and Rocky Roquemore, have ensured that the natural beauty of the landscape isn’t lost and that the course designed on top adds value to this already beautiful terrain.
What the professionals have to say about the Vale do Lobo Royal Golf Course? The Portuguese National Golf Champion Antonio Sobrinho has some useful advice to golfers. To avoid getting into trouble on this course, he counsels players to play the ball straight.
© Luangprabang-Tourism.org. All rights reserved. | How To Find The Best Spot Of The Golf World