Amendoeira Faldo

Course notes

About the course

The 18 hole Nick Faldo Golf Course is located close to the village of Amendoeira and it is impressive to play and has the challenges to be a real talking point in the Algarve. With so many courses in the region this is no mean feat. In a modern twist of a traditional recipe, cacti and wild herbs replace the role of heather, attractive oaks and ancient olive trees take the place of a lush woodland, and desert scrub bunkers of crushed limestone replace the Berkshire sandy tracts in a golf course that revels in the classic principles of strategic play. With strategic play in mind, the course asks for careful positioning to score well. Rocky areas, meandering watercourses, good views to the distant mountains of Monchique, orange groves, all of these give the course its own character. The course first hole is a testing uphill, Par 4, offering a number of risk and reward opportunities. The downhill, Par 5, hole 4, encounters a meandering watercourse, which comes into play on three of the front 9 holes and two of the inward play. The inward 9 holes include several which will become the talking point of the 19th hole cognoscenti. Mastering the massive Par 5 hole 13th which has a descending fairway, which when the wind is behind the player, will demand consistent shot making all the way to the hole. The holes 14 and 15 continue to challenge the golfer, sometimes playing amongst rocky outcrops. After leaving the high ground to the west, the 18th brings the game to a close with a magnificent Par 5.