The Algarve's Golf Capital
Loulé municipality is the undisputed centre of Algarve golf. With over 15 courses concentrated around Vilamoura, Quinta do Lago, and Vale do Lobo, it offers the highest density of championship-quality golf in Europe.
Quinta do Lago South Golf has hosted eight Portuguese Opens, while San Lorenzo consistently ranks among Europe's finest. The Vilamoura complex alone offers six courses, from the classic Vilamoura Old Course to The Els Club Vilamoura, Ernie Els's championship redesign of the former Victoria course. Vale do Lobo Royal Golf features the famous clifftop par-3 16th, while Vale do Lobo Ocean Golf threads tighter fairways through the pines, and newer additions like Ombria Golf bring mountain golf to the mix.
This is where serious golfers come to play — and where the infrastructure, from pro shops to 19th-hole restaurants, matches the quality of the courses themselves.
All Courses in Loulé
Quinta do Lago South Golf
Eight-time Portuguese Open host with conditioning to match the pedigree
Quinta do Lago North Golf
The 2014 Welling-McGinley redesign gave the estate's second course its own identity
Quinta do Lago Laranjal
The hillside Quinta course with more character and a lighter green fee
Vale do Lobo Royal Golf
The clifftop par-3 16th across red sandstone ravines to the Atlantic
Vale do Lobo Ocean Golf
The tighter, more strategic sibling that rewards precision through the pines
San Lorenzo
Joseph Lee's masterwork along the Ria Formosa, and worth every euro
Vilamoura Old Course
Frank Pennink's 1969 pine corridor layout that rewards precision over power
Ombria Golf
Mountain golf in the Serra do Caldeirão, a world away from the coastal resorts
Laguna Golf
The most forgiving of Vilamoura's four courses — flat, open, and water-lined
Millennium Golf
Hawtree's varied layout and the most underrated course in Vilamoura
Pinhal Golf
Pine forest golf away from the Vilamoura tourist bustle
Pinheiros Altos Golf
Three distinctive nines through pine, cork and olive at Quinta do Lago
Vila Sol Golf
Donald Steel's 27-hole layout where natural terrain does the talking
The Els Club Vilamoura
Ernie Els's private championship club — Europe's first Els Club, built on the former Victoria site
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