Vilamoura Victoria Golf
The Victoria is the championship course of Vilamoura, an Arnold Palmer design that hosted the European Tour's Portugal Masters from 2007 to 2022 and ranks among the best modern layouts in the Algarve. After a renovation led by Ernie Els it reopened in 2025 rebranded as The Els Club Algarve, and now runs as a private members club rather than a daily fee resort course.
Photo: The Els Club Vilamoura via Google.
The verdict
The Victoria opened in 2004 as the flagship championship course of Vilamoura, an Arnold Palmer design laid out on a grand, open scale with wide fairways, big greens and water threaded through the back nine. It quickly earned its stripes as host of the Portugal Masters from 2007, a fixture on the European Tour calendar through 2022, and it remains one of the most respected tournament layouts in the country.
An important note for anyone planning a round: following a renovation overseen by Ernie Els, the course reopened in July 2025 rebranded as The Els Club Algarve and now operates as a private members and invitation only club. Public daily green fees are no longer published, so access has tightened considerably from its resort days. Plan around the access rules below, and see our best of Portugal ranking and the golf in Portugal guide for alternatives.
Vilamoura Victoria at a glance
- Course opened
- 2004
- Designer
- Arnold Palmer
- Type
- Championship
- Par
- 72
- Yardage
- About 6,651 m
- Access
- Private members
Designer, year, par and the 2025 rebrand verified June 2026 from the resort, GolfPass and recent Algarve golf reporting. The Victoria, designed by Arnold Palmer, opened in 2004 and hosted the Portugal Masters from 2007 to 2022, a par 72 of about 6,651 meters from the Palmer tees. It was renovated under Ernie Els and reopened in July 2025 as The Els Club Algarve, a private members and invitation only club; public daily green fees are no longer published. Access and terms change; always confirm directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
Palmer built the Victoria on a generous, tournament scale, the fairways wide off the tee but the challenge ramping up around the greens, where bold contouring and clever bunkering reward the precise approach. It is a course that lets the big hitter open the shoulders while still testing the short game and nerve, exactly the balance a European Tour event demands.
The water arrives on the back nine and shapes the closing stretch, the kind of finish that produced drama year after year at the Portugal Masters, with the par 5 closing hole a genuine risk and reward decision in front of the grandstands. The Els renovation has reworked greens and bunkering and modernized the conditioning while keeping the essential Palmer routing.
It remains a benchmark layout in the Algarve, a course built for championship golf and now presented to a private membership. For visiting golfers the door is narrower than it once was, so the Victoria is best approached as an aspiration to confirm rather than a tee time to assume.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | Private members and invitation only club since the July 2025 relaunch as The Els Club Algarve; public daily green fees no longer published |
| Green fee | Not publicly listed; access via membership or selective stay and play arrangements, confirm terms directly |
| Booking | Enquire with the club or through a trip planner; availability for visitors is limited and not guaranteed |
| On the day | Long, open championship layout with water on the back nine; standard golf dress code with collared shirts |
| Getting there | In the Vilamoura resort near Loule, about 25 km and twenty five minutes from Faro airport |
| Best months | Spring and autumn are ideal; mild year round across the Algarve |
Access and status verified June 2026; the Victoria reopened as the private The Els Club Algarve in July 2025, so always confirm current terms and availability directly before planning a round. Prefer guaranteed tee times? Our trip desk can build a round at the open Vilamoura courses.
Where to stay nearby
Vilamoura is built for golf trips, with hotels of every level a short drive from the courses, the marina lined with restaurants and bars, and tee times across several resort layouts bookable from one base. Staying in the resort keeps transfers short and the evenings sociable.
With the Victoria now private, build a Vilamoura golf week around the open resort courses: the pine forest of Vilamoura Pinhal, the water and links feel of Vilamoura Laguna and the heritage of the Vilamoura Old Course.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Vilamoura.
Build an Algarve golf trip
We track access at the Victoria and The Els Club Algarve, set you up in the Vilamoura resort near the marina and build the rest of an Algarve golf week around the courses you can play. Tell us roughly when and who is traveling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Vilamoura Victoria questions
Who designed Vilamoura Victoria and when did it open?
The Victoria course was designed by Arnold Palmer and opened in 2004 as the championship layout of the Vilamoura resort. A par 72, it hosted the European Tour Portugal Masters from 2007 to 2022.
Is Vilamoura Victoria now The Els Club Algarve?
Yes. After a renovation led by Ernie Els, the course reopened in July 2025 rebranded as The Els Club Algarve, run as a private members and invitation only club rather than a daily fee resort course.
Can visitors still play Vilamoura Victoria?
Public daily green fees are no longer published since the 2025 relaunch as The Els Club Algarve. Access is now through membership or selective stay and play arrangements, so confirm availability and terms directly before planning a round.
What is the par and length at Vilamoura Victoria?
It is a par 72 measuring about 6,651 meters, or roughly 7,273 yards from the Palmer tees, a long, modern championship layout built around generous fairways, large greens and strategic water.
Related
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Tee time windows, course access changes and the trips worth taking. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designer, year, par and the 2025 rebrand to The Els Club Algarve verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.