Amendoeira Golf Resort (O'Connor Jnr.)

The future is bright for Christy O'Connor Junior's course at Amendoeira Golf Resort, which opened in October 2008, in fact, the architect “wanted one hole where it was just oranges”…

Christy O'Connor Junior explained: “I wanted one hole where it was just oranges. The whole of this part of the Algarve is blessed with thousands of acres of orange groves and I wanted to bring some inside the course as well. I have managed to create such a hole, the fifth, which has orange groves left and right and should be a real beauty to play. There is also a huge orange grove off to the left on the fourth hole.”

Part of the Amendoeira Golf Resort, which is located in the central Algarve district of Silves, the O’Connor course is a perfect complement to its highly rated sibling, the Faldo course, and this pair of 18-hole championship layouts are supplemented by a floodlit 9-hole par three track and a couple of practice chipping and putting areas – all that you might expect at a high-end modern golf complex.

Water, in the shape of ponds, creeks and wetland areas, comes into play at many of the holes, particularly on the front nine, so golfers of a nervous disposition are advised to stock up on golf balls before taking on this tough little cookie. Par threes at the 3rd and 6th are feature holes on the outward half, with pushed shots on either hole resulting in a wet golf ball.

The inward half presents a number of memorable holes, though the first of these at the par four 10th might be remembered for the wrong reasons because the acute angle of the right dogleg on this par four might be regarded as a little too severe by many. The 374-metre 18th hole also doglegs towards the target, but a little more gently this time, as the fairway rises slowly towards the two-tiered home green.