Vale do Lobo Ocean Course
Vale do Lobo's Ocean Course carries the pedigree of few others in the Algarve: it was shaped by Sir Henry Cotton, a three-time Open Champion and the first professional golfer ever knighted for his service to the game. Two of his original nine-hole layouts, opened in 1968 and 1972, were finally combined into today's eighteen in 1995, completing a vision he never got to see finished.
The course builds gradually, its fairways undulating past a protected nature reserve before easing down toward the Atlantic. Everything sharpens on the closing stretch. The 11th and 14th, both testing par 4s, deliver some of the finest views in the region, and the par-3 15th plays right along the beach, close enough to hear the sea over your backswing. It is a round that rewards shot-shaping over brute force, exactly the kind of test Cotton favoured, and one that guests consistently rate among their Algarve favourites.
Facilities include a full driving range, a resident academy, and a clubhouse restaurant well placed for a post-round drink with a view. The Ocean Course sits alongside its sister course, the Royal, giving golfers a natural two-round pairing without leaving the resort. For anyone chasing that classic Algarve postcard, holes along the water, sea breeze in play, Cotton's design still delivers it.
Reception: 6:45am to 7pm(Summer) / 6pm(Winter)
Golf Clubs: Standard
Club House: With Restaurant and Snack bar
With driving range
With an Academy
Trolleys: Manual and Electric
With locker room
Pro Shop: 6:45am to 7pm(Summer) / 6pm(Winter)
Golf Lessons: Resident professionals
With putting green
Juniors: Up to 16 years oldVale do Lobo Ocean Course - latest comments and reviews
Kelly Bains
2026-10-05
very busy so getting buggies was a challenge
Søren Rasmussen
2026-10-04
very good
Mr. Nicholas
2026-10-01
Amazing set up. The greens could be in better condition.
Stuart Johnston
2026-09-30
Course in excellent shape. Some lovely holes by the ocean. Recommended.
Hans Peddemors
2026-09-27
Great course
Lucy Mitchell
2026-09-19
Course was ok, not as good as other courses we played. Also buggy bar ran out of sandwiches and then only got back round to us by hole 14 and we needed food and water for a while.
Philip Leslie Martin
2026-09-17
Never played it as my voucher was different to the confirmed booking request so I missed my tee time still waiting for a reply from tee times.
As we played the Royal yesterday and that was excellent I have given 10
Simon Reece
2026-09-16
Always enjoy this experience. A number of challenging but fair holes, leading you to the breathtaking views on the back 9. Loads of Greenkeepers maintaining the course on the day we played it, but all we welcoming and courteous.
Paul Harwood
2026-09-12
An interesting course with quite few blind holes. Par 3s more memorable than the Par 5s
Jean-Luc CHABANNE
2026-09-05
Very Nice golf course, very good quality and pleasant, good survey
Ian Beattie
2026-09-01
We played Ocean in 2025, and it was in good condition for out return visit in 2026, tees and farways well maintained and greens a lot better than Ocean course, our favourite this year
Liam Boyd
2026-08-19
all good
Tecnicals
*Parkland - Mainly Parkland, with 5 links style holes around the coastline
*Undulated - More so on the back 9
*Mixt Course -
*Buggy Recommended - Essential
*Signature Hole - 11th
*Water hazards - Few holes on the front 9
*Tree Lined - A few Eucalyptus and Cork trees strategically placed
*Exposed - On the links holes
*Dogleg -
*Comments - Excellent course, hard to do 36 points
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