Vila Sol (Prime & Challenge) - Algarve - Portugal

I played Vila Sol Prime and Challenge the same week I played San Lorenzo several years ago. At the time I had not played many of the world’s top golf courses, and I was not as consistent a player as I am now. I was longer off the tee but did not control the ball as well with the driver down to 5 iron. The short game is about the same. I played both San Lorenzo and Vila Sol with rental clubs, but the rental set I had at Vila Sol was not good, resulting in a high score from the back tees of 6771 yards. Me and those rental clubs decided to bring the many trees on the course into play on several holes. What’s the joke they say when you have a bad day of golf? “at least I got to see more of the golf course.”

I thought San Lorenzo was better than Vila Sol because I liked most of the routing at San Lorenzo and the way it incorporated water as a means of defense on several holes. The views at San Lorenzo of the estuary, beach and ocean as well as a bird habitat were also good, but really do not factor into my rating. Although I criticized San Lorenzo for its lack of bunkers, I thought Vila Sol was missing about 30-40 bunkers that would improve the golf course. The primary defense at Vila Sol are the trees. The other negative I would say about Vila Sol is that it feels too straight. While there are perhaps five holes that dogleg, two of the holes dogleg too much such as five and ten, although perhaps I am blaming poor hole design for my inability to control my rental clubs.

The course is primarily flat with a few areas that are raised. There really is no inspiration provided by views of the surrounding landscape other than the various types of trees, which I thought were too many or the thicker groupings of trees were in the wrong spots. As an example, the third hole, a par 4 of 421/407 has two trees nearer the green that pinch in too much.

The greens are a bit boring partly due to the lack of bunkers or bunkers that do not provide adequate defense such as on the fourth hole, a long par 3 of 208/177 where they are two bunkers left but the first one is well short of the green and the second one is not close enough to the green. Too many of the holes only have a single bunker or none at all at the green site or fairway.

Among the holes I favored were eight, a 546/528 par 5 with trees lining both sides and a creek that goes all the way down the left side and then cuts back in front of the green. I liked nine, a short par 4 of 319/311 that big hitters can try to drive. I liked it because it was the rare green that had three bunkers so perhaps on another course it would not have been favored. The fourteenth, a par 5 of 500/473 had a nice three-tiered green on it. Seventeen and eighteen, back to back par 4’s of similar length 404/383 were above average only because the gentle doglegs on both holes were better conceived.

Obviously, when Donald Steel was awarded the design, I believe it was likely he was given a certain amount of land to build the golf course, reserving other land for housing which has been built that eats into the course in four-five areas. Nine additional holes were later built which makes one wonder whether Mr. Steel could have built a much better course if he had been given all of the land on which to build a single course. Maybe he was and this is still the result, but for me the course is too short, too straight, poorly designed on a few holes and without primary defenses of bunkering to challenge the very good players.

This is a decent resort course and worth playing if you are vacationing in the area or have a home there. It is definitely not one you would go out of your way to play, unless you have a bucket list of playing courses that have hosted an European tour event.

Vila Sol was in reasonable condition last weekend, and an ok venue for a society outing, but a very typical resort course where it's hard to lose a golf ball in a worthy, but ultimately unsuccessful, attempt to keep up pace of play.

Hole-by-Hole Review of Vila Sol Golf Course:1. Vila Sol’s opening 3 holes are regarded as one of the most difficult starts in the Algarve. A straight tee shot favouring the right side of the fairway will give you a look at the green. Take an extra club as the green is raised and most people will miss short.2. A straight, but tight, Par 4. Accuracy from the tee is necessary to give you a chance to find the green.3. The hardest hole on the course. Once again the drive must be precise and long to reach the corner of this right-to-left dogleg. The second plays uphill and at least one more club should be taken.4. A pretty Par 3 across a valley. Avoid going left at all costs. There is room short and right to bail out.5. This dogleg right around the water requires a straight tee shot up to 220m. The second plays across a small valley and must be struck well to make the carry.6. Nice Par 5 played from an elevated tee. Long hitters need to be aware of the water hazard from the tee. Shorter hitters must negotiate the water with their 2nd shot. A par here is a good score.7. Signature Par 3 hole across the water. If you can hold your nerve and carry the water, try and keep the ball below the hole as the green slopes severely from back-to-front.8. Long dogleg Par 5 with OOB right and water left. Keep it straight and beware of the creek which cuts across the fairway around 50m short of the green.9. A short Par 4 which offers a brief respite from the previous few holes. Accuracy is still a premium though, as an errant tee shot can lead to a bogey or worse!10. This Par 4 dogleg requires a precise tee shot of around 220m to give you a view of the green.11. Straight away Par 5 which can be reached in 2 by the longer hitters. Fairway slopes from left to right.12. Tight dogleg left Par 4. The tee shot must again be placed accurately to allow a good view of the green. The uphill approach may require an extra club.13. Really pretty Par 3 played downhill from an elevated tee position. Choosing the right club is the challenge here.14. Tough Par 5 which requires another straight tee shot. The lay-up must be carefully planned as there is a pond short of the green. This 3-teired green makes the approach shot and putting extra difficult.15. A good Par 3 requiring a well struck iron or hybrid club to make the carry to the green. Big bunker on the right awaits any stray shots.16. Slight dogleg right Par 4. A straight tee shot will leave you a good look at this large elevated green. Favour the right side of the green as it slopes from right-to-left.17. Blind tee shot where the fairway narrows the further you hit it. Once again, accuracy is at a premium on this tricky Par 4.18. The final hole is another strong Par 4. Tight tee shot which should favour the right hand side as much as possible to avoid being blocked out for your 2nd shot. The approach is played to a green in front of the clubhouse and patio, so save your best for last!19-27. These holes form the 9 hole Academy course and give a great opportunity for training your short game.Good luck!Rob Cheney is a leading PGA Pro with extensive knowledge of golf in the Algarve and over 15 years of coaching experience. Rob is also one of few to authorised with Stack&Tilt and Aimpoint certified. www.robcheneygolf.comAlgarve Holiday Fun provide discounted green fees for golf courses, and cheap tickets for attractions and events, across the Algarve. www.algarveholidayfun.com

I find Vila Sol a very pleasant though demanding (BT) course with excellent greens. Try to play 1-18 (nice variety), 19-27 not being worth it (boring...). Warm-up practice highly recommended since holes 1 to 3 require length and precision! The scenery lacks a bit of magic: the nice hole nr 6, par 5, runs alongside a noisy road. No effort to mask it.Since I was invited by a member, the greenfee was ok (65€). Clubhouse nothing special with average service.

Played Vila Sol on 8/6/13.Our overall golf experience was marred somewhat by the poor service review, but please see below an objective assessment of the course itself.All in all it is a nice course, quite picturesque, quite varied and in reasonable condition.Although the course does not "stand out" it is a good challenge and there are some nice holes.Unfortunately it resides in an area where there are an awful lot of good courses and, in relative terms, Vila Sol is not in the same class as the Old Course or San Lorenzo and IMO it also does not match Quinta Do Lago, Pinhal or the Ocean....putting it in the Millennium and Laguna bracket.It is comprised of 3 x 9 holes (we played Prime & Challenge) so there is a danger of congestion at the change over. We caught the course on a busy day and delays to our start time and resuming at the tenth led to a round that was close on 6 hours to complete....so beware.We chose Vina Sol because we were on a 3 round break and wanted a third course on a budget. 65 Euros per head including buggy was good value.Given the quantity and quality of golf in Vilamoura I would suggest that choosing Vila Sol is largely a factor of getting good tee times at a good price as opposed to the quality of the course and overall service standing out relative to the other courses in the area.Nice to have ticked the box, but we shan't return.

lovely course but like many in the pestana group they dont seem to have any course marshalls to request that slow players let quicker players through.It took us 5 hours plus to go round and we were a 2 ball. Course in great condition and probably the best in the pestana group. Not too tough and would imagine lower handicappers would have to play off the whites to get full benefit from the course. greens true and tee boxes great. all standard of players would enjoy this course.

The choice of courses on the Algarve and especially around Vilamoura/Quarteira is plentiful and really enjoyable. I recently played at Vila Sol for the first time and had a great time there. The style of the course is similar to the Old course in Vilamoura in the sense that there are many tree-lined fairways, nicely designed holes and also this is a very popular course. The tight driving holes put a premium on accuracy off the tee and the first three of the course highlight this brilliantly – these are all par-4’s and have SI’s of 3, 7 and 1 – a very tough start. The first hole to mention in detail is the par-4 5th, a tee shot of around 210 yards avoiding the water hazard on the right will leave an approach of around 130 yards but there is more water on the right-side near the green to consider. The very next hole is a par-5 with more water – this time it is at around 275 yards from the yellow tee on the left side but eating right into the fairway – with tee being elevated, a 3-wood is the smart play. The opening hole on the back nine is a monster dog-leg from the right and again the tee shot is key to set-up the approach. The 15th is probably the best looking par-3 with the whole hole surrounded by trees, a little bit of water (shouldn’t be in play though!) and a three-tiered green. The final two holes end the round on a high note; the 17th is around 390 yards with a slight move to the right and has a fairly wide landing area from the tee but this narrows at the green and the 18th, another par-4 of similar length turning left with around 130 yards to go is a tough finish especially if you are looking for a par to win your match. As mentioned earlier, I had a great time here and I think there is nice buzz around the course, the resort and the clubhouse/terrace – The only thing that the club management team need to watch is, because the course is busy, it is a little worn in places – they just need to rope off certain areas and manage the golfing traffic to avoid looking too over-played.

Just back from playing (July 2011). This was a real disappoimtment. Whilst the holes are well placed, the greens were very poor. They had just been cored so were like playing a Scottish course in spring! Compared to Vilamoura Old which I played the day before, it was not in the same league both in quality and facilities.

A really nice course slightly let down by clubhouse service. We played 1-18 and enjoyed all the holes, especially 9-18. Greens in good condition after plenty of rain over preceding few days. I would definitely go back for the course but service would make me think twice - we had specifically booked to play 1-18 but golf course reception sent us out on 19-27 followed by 1-18. We were told we would have to play the course this way until our starter said there was space on 1-18. Also took an age to be served in the clubhouse. It's in the pack in terms of quality when you compare it to other algarve courses but below average in terms of service

It was a case of planes, trains and automobiles to get to the 1st tee on time, as I left my bed at 3am in Oxford to make it Vila Sol for 11am. Thankfully my friends, who arrived the previous day, had spent the night getting to know the local Port, so the journey left me at no disadvantage.Once out on the course, the previous night and early morning had to be forgotten pretty quick, as the first 3 holes are very tough, requiring good drives and better approach shots to get the round underway. The remaining holes on the front 9 are a bit more varied, with the par 5 5th, par 3 6th and the short par 4 9th being for me personally, the pick of a very solid opening 9 holes. After some much needed food at the hut, you are presented with 2 fairly open holes, before the course winds its way back into the surrounding pines again, putting a massive premium on solid driving and the ability to shape your shots. The pick of these holes for me, was the attractive par 3 13th, the par 5 14th and the par 4 17th; but only because this hole provided my personal highlight of the trip. This was my first taste of golf in Portugal, and I thoroughly enjoyed the course with only the last 3 holes letting this track down. The general condition was good, although the fairways were soggy and played long due to rain they had experienced a few days before we arrived. The greens at Vila Sol will ask you all sorts of questions. They ran at a fair pace, but you really have to be the right side of the pin and close, or there is a chance of the odd 3 putt, as I found out to my cost. I would like to play here again, but in an area providing plenty of options it may be a while before I do so.