Vale do Lobo Golf and Beach Resort: Ocean

Sir Henry Cotton was instrumental to bringing great golf into the region of the Algarve. After World War II and post-retirement from his playing career, Cotton helped John Stilwell design the first 18-hole course, the Championship course at Penina. After the success of Penina, Cotton was highly sought-after in the region—and his next project was at Vale do Lobo. He designed two nine-hole courses, one of which became part of the Ocean course, supplemented by a new nine in 2003 by American architect Rocky Roquemore. The first nine presents tight shot-making demands as it winds through residences and cottages including several Florida-style holes that interplay with small lakes, including the third that requires a long approach over water. The second nine moves away from the campus toward the ocean where the 14th and 15th greens sit along the beach.