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Description and
map
The Old Course, ex Vilamoura 1, is a challenging Par 73 set in a
lush green landscape, which has already hosted the Portuguese Open.
It has recently been redesigned to match the best European golf
courses.
This is the oldest of the three Vilamoura courses that form part of
a luxury resort development close to fantastic beaches. Course
designer Frank Pennink wanted to create a course in the Algarve that
would remind players of those beautiful, challenging inland British
courses.
Opened in 1969, it hosted the Portuguese Open in 1979, won by Brian
Barnes. The verdant fairways of the course, renovated in 1997, run
through surrounding pine trees, adding an extra challenge to the
game. This is a very attractive course with a great variety of
holes, perfectly maintained due to a sophisticated new irrigation
system and with well-trained staff.
The Par 3 holes are all different and visually very beautiful,
representing the toughest challenge on the course. They require
careful selection of irons and near perfect ball control. Over the
rest of the course trees play a decisive role, lining the doglegs
and punishing any careless strokes. The greens are small, especially
on the shorter holes, where there is simply no margin for error.
A unique feature of this course is that it is a Par 73, but due to
the change of position between the holes 5 and 18, there are no
longer four Par 5 among the last nine holes.

Text provided by the Portuguese Tourist
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