Vilamoura's fourth course is an exciting addition to one of Europe's finest golfing destinations. It demonstrates the technical and aesthetic excellence which the on-going "Vilamoura XXI" improvement and expansion programme seeks to achieve.
Martin Hawtree's completely new front nine holes are a perfect complement to the extensively reshaped original 'North' loop of the millennium's first nine holes are over rolling parkland, the remainder are set between umbrella pines, such a distinctive feature of this part of the Algarve.

The par-4 first rises from the tee in a dog-leg to the right. Long hitters may be tempted to try to carry the encroaching trees which form a barrier on the right-hand side of the fairway. At 300 metres it is not overly long, but there are awkwardly placed bunkers to catch a good drive or a wayward approach shot.

The par-3´s - the third and sixth - are a delight, both visually and to play. The sixth offers more of a test. There is a lake on the left and that makes club selection paramount. When a course is as visually appealing as this one, it is hard to determine which hole will linger longest in the mind, but the twisting and turning par 4 seventh is a contender. Shadows of trees, and mounds and hollows dissecting the fairway conspire to confuse, but a well struck and very accurate drive will set up a comfortable approach to the green.
The second nine opens with a benign par 4 of 335 metres. An elevated tee affords views inland to the hills. The rolling fairway makes you want to open the shoulders and look for a relaxed, comfortable shot to the generous green.
The eleventh - a par 5- has fairway bunkers and requires accuracy to score well.
The par- 4 sixteenth invites a drive to the right side of the fairway where there is a strategically placed bunker.

Perhaps the most distinctive change in the back nine- the former 'North' holes -has been the swapping of the par's on the seventeenth and eighteenth. The seventeenth is now a beautifully designed par-4, with subtle undulations in the fairway making the approach distance difficult to judge.
For those familiar with the finishing hole as it used to be, there is a treat in store. Now extended and rating a par 5, the new design still tempts the confident player to try for, the green in two, setting up a real 'eagle' possibility.