Amendoeira Golf Resort - Faldo Course

Overview: The Faldo Course at Amendoeira occupies a rugged inland site near Alcantarilha, where exposed rock, dry ground, native vegetation, and sharp elevation changes create a distinctive Algarve setting. Sir Nick Faldo’s par-72 design uses strategic lines rather than simple width, asking players to decide when to challenge a bunker, water feature, or sloping landing area. The course has a desert-like visual character, but its interest comes from how the routing moves between open hillsides and enclosed holes around the natural contours.

History: The course officially opened in October 2008 as the first of Amendoeira’s two championship layouts. Faldo worked with the existing terrain to preserve its rocky character, while the neighboring O’Connor Jnr course was developed as a contrasting companion. The project established a modern golf destination in the central Algarve, but the Faldo routing remains identifiable through strategic bunkering, angular greens, and its strong use of elevation.

Did You Know? Faldo described the design idea as a thinking golfer’s course, visible in hazards placed to influence the second shot as much as the drive. Rock outcrops and orange groves are not simply scenery around the holes. They divide the course into distinct visual rooms, giving the round a more architectural rhythm than a continuous resort fairway.