Golf in Vilamoura: umbrella pines, a marina and four courses close at hand

Old Course Vilamoura

• Architect: Frank Pennink; Martin Hawtree (1997)
• Opened 1969
• 18 holes
• Par 73

Opened in 1969, it is the second-oldest course in the Algarve and Vilamoura's benchmark. Frank Pennink wanted to give British golfers the equivalent of the great inland courses of home: fairways lined with umbrella pines, small greens, especially on the par 3s, and accuracy off the tee rewarded at every turn. Renovated by Martin Hawtree in 1997, it plays as a par 73, a rarity. The 8th, the hardest hole, runs downhill for more than 400 metres in a gentle dogleg to a narrow green guarded by trees. A course for consistent players who love classic golf.

Signature hole. The 4th is the most picturesque hole: a shot over the course's only stretch of water, with an umbrella pine and a ring of bunkers around the green.

Pinhal

• Architect: Frank Pennink; Robert Trent Jones Sr.
• Opened 1976
• 18 holes
• Par 72

Pinhal, "the pine wood", was laid out by Frank Pennink and opened in 1976, then reworked some ten years later by Robert Trent Jones Sr., one of the American architect's rare signatures in Europe. Umbrella pines and maritime pines frame the fairways, streams and ponds come into play, and the terrain calls for a few uphill and downhill shots. The start is demanding, and the back nine holds a right-angled dogleg and some tricky par 3s. A varied par 72, more forgiving than the Old Course, ideal for a first day.

Signature hole. The 8th, a par 3 played entirely over a lake, asks you to choose the right club and commit to it.

Laguna

• Architect: Joseph Lee
• Opened 1990
• 18 holes
• Par 72

Designed by the American Joseph Lee and opened in 1990, Laguna was originally part of a 27-hole complex; nine of those holes were used to create Millennium. The scenery changes completely: flat ground, few trees, plenty of bunkers and lateral water on many holes, with a character close to links. A par 72 of 6,111 metres, it looks easy on a calm day and becomes a real test when the wind gets up. It shares its clubhouse with Millennium.

Millennium

• Architect: Martin Hawtree
• Opened 2000
• 18 holes
• Par 72

Martin Hawtree opened Millennium in 2000, taking nine holes from the former 27-hole Laguna and designing nine new holes around them. The result is a modern par 72, its fairways often lined with pines, wider and more forgiving than the historic courses, and enjoyed by golfers of every level. The par-3 6th, with water on the left and a large bunker on the right, is the standout hole of the front nine; the 16th, an uphill par 4, is the hardest on the back.