Pestana Gramacho Golf Resort

Overview: At Gramacho, eighteen fairways form a par-72 routing near Carvoeiro, blending rolling Algarve ground with old carob and olive trees, exposed rock, dry-stone features, and carefully placed water. Ronald Fream and Nick Price shaped a routing more intricate than the resort label suggests, with several greens serving different combinations and fairway lines that can change the best approach. The course rewards imagination around the greens, but its central discipline is position where natural trees and stone features close the direct route.

History: Gramacho opened in 1991 as a collaboration between Fream and Price, the former world number one whose playing knowledge informed the design. The course later became known for European Seniors Tour and Ladies European Tour qualifying events. Its story is both architectural and competitive: a resort course using existing Mediterranean vegetation while offering enough variety for high-level tournament preparation.

Did You Know? Gramacho has 18 fairways but 27 individual greens, allowing different hole combinations and changing targets within the same course. That arrangement explains why the layout can be played more than once without every approach feeling identical. It is an example of creating variety by reusing green complexes rather than simply adding more land or more holes.