Aptdo 1011,
Carvoeiro, Algarve 8400-908
Office
+351 282 340 900Pro shop
+351 282 340 900Fax
+351 282 340 901Website
Visit websiteGolf pro
Carlos Ribeiro (PGA, Golf Professional)Academy
Pestana Golf AcademyThe Course:
18 holes. Open parkland. Undulating terrain - several slopes to climb.
Surroundings:
Residential and rural countryside
Designer:
Ronald Fream (designed the opening four and closing five holes).
Above distances are for the Gramacho course. Also at this Pestana Resort is the 18-hole Vale da Pinta course (par-71; 6687 metres from back tees).
37.124824
-8.487281
10 km E of Portimao
From the A22 motorway (Faro - Portimao) take exit 6 (Carvoeiro) and follow the N124 / N125 direction Lagoa Sul / Carvoeiro. After 4.4 km in Lagoa turn right direction Carvoeiro / Golfe. After o.4 km bear right at roundabout, direction Pestana Golf. After 1.5 km bear right at roundabout, direction Pestana Golf. After 1.6 km just before mini roundabout turn right direction Vale Oliveiros / Pestana Golf. After o.7 km turn right at Vale Oliveiros sign and after o.5 km turn left into Gramacho Golf.
Gramacho
The Gramacho course (a member of the Pestana Golf Resorts group): A very good opening sequence of four holes and a great closing stretch from the short par-4 14th, could put the Gramacho course on a level with its neighbouring sister course, Vale da Pinta. However, the middle section of Gramacho doesn't quite get the measure of its sibling.
Gramacho's newer middle section, from the 5th to the 13th, is played in a very open and undulating area, where penal rough between the fairways is limited (although old stone walls make several appearances). In this area you get the feel of an American-style resort layout, where resort members can enjoy a relatively easy-going time, perhaps honing their skills for the tougher demands of the Vale da Pinta course. Some holes, like the par-5 6th, invite you to hit the ball as hard as you like, then go find it ... wasn't that Arnold Palmer's philosophy?
What marks this course out as something above the ordinary, are the excellent par-3s (star of the show is the superb water-lined 10th), the spectacular views over surrounding hills, towns and sierras, and the greens - often oddly shaped but fast and full of very testing slopes. Good quality bunkering around the greens is also noteworthy. Although smart new real estate is very evident around the course, it is set far enough back not to be particularly bothersome from the tee.
Stay&Play at Gramacho (Pestana Resort): onsite accommodation available, see DidYouKnow section below.
Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends.
Must book in advance. Maximum handicap: men 28; women 36.
Contact club for full details, discounts, packages, etc. [Last updated: 2023].
Soft spikes only. Players generally walk this course. Golf carts available for hire.
Good
A member of the Pestana Golf & Resorts group, whose golf facilities include: Gramacho, Vale da Pinta, Silves, Alto and Vila Sol located on the Algarve, and Beloura, which is located outside Estoril, near Lisbon.
Onsite accommodation is available at this Pestana Resort in the Vale d'Oliveiras Quinta Resort & Spa, which offers 22 rooms, two suites and 80 apartments as well as a large choice of leisure and wellbeing facilities, two restaurants and two bars.
Portugal's 44th best course (Golf World, 2022).
Apartado 1299, Vale Covo, Praia do Carvoeira, Algarve.
+351 282 351 100
Visit websiteLocated in the picturesque town of Carvoeiro, this 4-star hotel is ideal for beach holidays or exploring the area's great array of golf courses. Set on a cliff top at praia Vale Covo, the rooms of this crescent shaped resort face out onto the Atlantic Ocean.
No
Vale da Pinta; Gramacho
Morgado; Penina; Palmares; Oceânico O'Connor Jnr; Oceânico Faldo.
PO Box 146, Penina, 8502 Portimao, Algarve.
+351 282 420 200
Visit websitePenina Hotel & Golf Resort is considered one of the top destinations on the Algarve and is home to a wide array of sporting and leisure facilities. The resort offers a celebrated championship golf course, two 9-hole courses, olympic size swimming pool and FIFA-sized football pitch (used by the likes of Chelsea for winter training). The hotel also has a Penguin Village for children, tennis courts, beach club and an impressive selection of restaurants and bars.
Penina
Palmares; Morgado
Vale da Pinta; Gramacho; Oceânico O'Connor Jnr; Oceânico Faldo.
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