Vale do Lobo - Royal

Overview: Vale do Lobo Royal is a par-72 parkland course shaped by pine woodland, rolling ground, lakes, and the exposed cliffs of the Algarve coast. Rocky Roquemore developed the routing from Sir Henry Cotton’s original drawings, creating an 18-hole course that changes from inland positioning holes to dramatic coastal approaches. The design is remembered for visual theatre, but its playing character is more exacting than the scenery suggests. Fairway width, wind direction, and green angle matter at least as much as the view from the tee.

History: The Royal Course opened in 1997 as the later of Vale do Lobo’s two main 18-hole routings. Roquemore’s work drew on Cotton’s earlier concepts, linking the modern course to the resort’s first nine-hole developments while giving it a new championship identity. The course has also appeared in Portuguese Open history, adding a competitive chapter to a layout built around the coast’s natural edges.

Did You Know? The sixteenth is the best-known architectural moment, a par-three played across a dramatic cliff edge with the Atlantic below the target line. The ninth provides a different water problem around an island green, so the signature holes are not all about height and exposure. Together they show how Royal alternates landscape drama with precise target golf.