This new course was designed by Sir Henry Cotton and is located in an area of Algarve that until quite recently had no infrastructures at all for golfers.

In 1986, Sir Henry Cotton was inspired by an old church in the Quinta de Benamor to set up what was to become the clubhouse of the first golf course in the eastern region of Algarve. But the legendary British champion and golf architect died in the following year and the project underwent a number of changes, introduced by Howard Swan and Raymond Jones, before its final layout was eventually decided upon. The course was officially opened in 2000. Although the church’s treasures were completely stolen over the years, it is now being fully restored, so it can be reopened for religious worship; the clubhouse has been built next to the church and the estate’s old manor house.

The course is an undulating one, although not excessively so, offering views over the mountains to one side and the sea to the other. Here, the most common trees are the carob, the olive-tree and the fig-tree. In each half of the course, the first few holes are the easiest to play and birdies can be obtained without too much difficulty, although the following ones are longer and therefore harder to play. The greens are reasonably wide and the ball is retained here quite easily.

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This spectacular 18 hole course is in the Ria Formosa Natural Park and spreads along an almost flat surface of 660.000 m² down to the Ria Formosa itself, hanging over it and with a stunning view of the sea.

It is a par 72, comprising two loops of 9 holes and each loop with two par 5, five par 4 and two par 3 holes. Its total length is about 6.016 meters.

Five lakes were strategically built along the course, specifically near green 5, 10 and 14. Hole 16, par 5, is played between the two biggest lakes. The green of the par 3, nr. 17 is limited by one of these lakes where an island with varied bird-fauna may be found. Besides the beauty the lakes render to the course, they are also used as water reservoirs for the irrigation and are nourished by a stream.

Most of the night irrigation water is recovered through drainage, reaching the through an intelligent modulation of the ground.

The greens, smoothly undulating, are well protected by bunkers. Greens, tees and fairways are covered with Bent Crenshaw and the roughs with Poa Pretensis with Fescuas.

There will be no real estate construction in the Ria Course.

More than 300 trees, such as olive and carob trees have been transplanted in order to maintain the ancient border of the course and the typical features of the region landscape. It also looks like as if the course is of the same age as its centenary trees. From any place of the site, one can see both the mountains and the sea. The surrounding orange trees and vineyards give their contribution to make the course country landscape even more beautiful.

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