Amendoeira Faldo

Faldo's design philosophy

Nick Faldo won six Majors through course management rather than raw power, and that thinking runs through his design at Amendoeira Resort. The course sits inland from the coast in the Silves countryside, on gently rolling terrain scattered with holm oaks, olive trees, and crushed limestone waste areas that give the layout an almost Arizona feel. It's a course that asks you to think before you hit.

Faldo's stated principle was straightforward: "When you stand on the tee, the golf hole tells you what to do." In practice, that means wide landing areas with clear visual cues, but real consequences for ignoring them. Centreline bunkers split fairways, forcing a choice of line off the tee. Water appears on several holes without dominating. The greens sit on elevated platforms with firm frontal bunkering, and the two-tiered complexes on the back nine demand precise approach play. It rewards the golfer who picks the right club and the right side, not just the one who hits it furthest.

The course suits mid-handicappers who enjoy strategic options and don't mind an inland setting. Low handicappers will find enough challenge from the back tees at 6,598m, while higher handicappers benefit from the multiple tee positions and relatively open fairways. It's a resort course with genuine design quality, which is a combination the Algarve doesn't always deliver.

Course design

The layout has a distinct front-nine/back-nine character. The outward half plays across more open, gently undulating ground, with wide fairways framed by desert-style scrub bunkers and scattered oaks. The 8th, stroke index 1, is the hardest hole on the course: a large centreline bunker forces you to choose between a shorter approach from a narrow landing area or a safer drive that leaves a longer second shot.

The back nine climbs into more dramatic terrain. The holes are hillier, with elevated tees offering views across orange groves and towards the Monchique mountains. Blind or semi-blind tee shots appear more frequently, and the green complexes become more interesting. The two-tiered greens on several back-nine holes add a layer of putting difficulty that the front nine only hints at.

Faldo used waste bunkers and rocky outcrops rather than traditional sand traps, which suits the dry inland landscape and gives the course its distinctive look. The rough is sparse Mediterranean scrub rather than thick grass, so offline shots are usually findable but rarely offer a clean lie. It's a course where the visual intimidation often exceeds the actual difficulty, provided you play the sensible shot.

Natural setting

The inland location, about 10km from the coast, offers a different Algarve to the busy resort strips. The countryside around Silves is quiet: cork oaks, carob trees, and orange groves rather than apartment blocks and beach bars. From the higher points on the back nine, the Serra de Monchique fills the northern horizon, and on clear days you can pick out the outline of Foia, the Algarve's highest point.

The sheltered inland position means less wind than the coastal courses, which is a relief if you've spent a week fighting the prevailing westerly. Summer temperatures run hotter than the coast, so early tee times are worth booking between June and September. The course is quiet for wildlife: you'll hear birdsong rather than traffic, and the occasional rabbit bolts across the fairway on the back nine.

Signature holes

The 4th (par-5, 546m): the first real test. A reachable par-5 from the tee, but a dry barranca filled with rocks crosses in front of the green. The drive needs to avoid fairway bunkers left to leave any chance of going for the green in two. Most mid-handicappers will lay up short of the barranca and pitch on. It's a satisfying birdie when you get the strategy right.

The 11th (par-3, 149m): short but intimidating. The tee shot carries water to a long, two-tiered green with hazards tight on both sides. At 149m from the back tees it's a comfortable mid-iron, but the green narrows at the front and the water collects anything short or left. When the pin is on the upper tier, take the extra club.

The 12th (par-4, 319m): the best hole on the course. You drive from an elevated tee over a wooded valley to a ridged fairway above, with the hole doglegging right. A magnificent cork oak guards the right edge of the green, blocking the direct line for anyone who takes the aggressive tee shot down the right side. Playing left off the tee leaves a straightforward approach but from further out. It's a classic Faldo risk-reward hole.

The 18th (par-5, 496m): a fitting closer. The fairway threads between bunkers on both sides, narrowing progressively as you approach the green. The putting surface sits in a natural hillside amphitheatre, with the orange-coloured bluffs behind creating a memorable backdrop. Going for the green in two is tempting but the bunkering tightens around 100m out, and the smart play is often a controlled lay-up and a precise wedge.

The experience

Amendoeira is a resort operation, and the experience reflects that. The course shares the resort with the O'Connor Course next door, and resort guests get preferential tee time booking and package rates that bring the cost down meaningfully from the published green fee. Walking is permitted but not recommended given the distances between some greens and tees; a buggy is included in the green fee, which takes the sting out of the €€€ pricing.

At €145–175 during peak season, it's competing with courses that offer more polished conditioning, but few in the central Algarve offer this level of design thinking at this price point. The pace of play is generally reasonable; the resort doesn't overload the tee sheet the way some busier coastal venues do. Midweek rounds in spring and autumn are the sweet spot: the course is quieter, the temperature comfortable, and the conditioning at its best.

Conditioning

Conditioning is decent for a resort course but doesn't reach the heights of the premium venues. The greens are well-maintained and generally true, running at a moderate pace. Fairways are kept in good shape through peak season, though the dry inland climate means they can firm up considerably in summer. The waste bunkers are low-maintenance by design, which keeps the overall presentation consistent.

Winter conditioning holds up reasonably well thanks to the sheltered location, though you'll notice the difference from peak season. The course doesn't pretend to be a manicured championship venue, and at this price point it doesn't need to. It's honest, well-kept resort golf.

Last reviewed: 6 March 2026