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Vilamoura Pinhal
Vilamoura is 19 Miles from Casa Esperanca. From the EN 125, take the
road to Vilamoura, turn right and continue until you find a turn to
your left, with a sign indicating the club.
Founded: 1976
Architect: Frank Pennink redesigned Robert Trent Jones Jr. in 1985
Holes: 18
Length: 6300 mtrs Yellow
Par: 72
On the way to the east of Algarve, a large property was transformed
into a tourist resort, as the result of the imagination and power of a
man who believed in the potential of the southern-most province of
Portugal, showing the methodical, integrated and controlled ways that
should be emulated by our tourism. This man was Cupertino de Miranda,
who laid the foundations of Vilamoura in a way to be regarded as an
example to be followed. We owe the benefits of Vilamoura to him, no
matter what ups and downs this resort has been through.
The Vilamoura golf courses are a reality that have turned it into one
of the popular golfing destinations in Europe, with three separate
layouts one of them with 27 holes, and a further one still in the
planning process.
The Pinhal Golf Course (ex. Vilamoura 2), inaugurated in 1976, is
another one of Pennink's assignments. For urban development reasons
Vilamoura 2 was modified in 1985 by Trent Jones, who retained l1 holes
of the previous layout.
The different golf design concepts of the English and American schools
are easily recognised here. The Americans quietly readjust the terrain
at their convenience, while the British have a kind of reserve and
sometimes a certain refinement. Although this is an excellent example,
we feel that the Pinhal Golf Course should have been re-planned by an
architect of the some school to maintain the course character.
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