Amendoeira Faldo Course: 2026 Access and Booking Update
Sir Nick Faldo's desert style course in the central Algarve, a former winner of Portugal's Best Golf Course, remains one of the region's most distinctive tests. Here is where the Faldo Course stands for 2026, green fees and how to play it.
The news: the central Algarve's design statement, open for 2026
Among the central Algarve's deep field of courses, the Faldo Course at Amendoeira keeps a distinct identity for 2026: a desert style layout that looks and plays unlike the pine and lake parkland around it. It remains a resort course open to visiting golfers, sold both as a stand alone green fee and within stay and play packages at the Amendoeira resort near Alcantarilha and Silves.
Its standing has not changed for the new season. The practical news is the same each year, the seasonal rates and the booking windows, and the reminder that this is a course you either love for its boldness or find a touch artificial; we set out below who it suits and how to get the most from it.
The course, and what makes it different
The Faldo Course was designed by Sir Nick Faldo and plays as a par 72 of around 6,598 metres, laid out in rolling hills with waste areas, firm turf and large, contoured greens that give it a desert resort feel rare on this coast. It was named Portugal's Best Golf Course at the 2016 World Golf Awards and sits high in the country's course rankings, the more demanding of the two championship layouts at Amendoeira alongside the O'Connor Jnr course.
What makes it different is the architecture. Where much of the Algarve is classic Mediterranean parkland, the Faldo Course commits to a sandy, strategic, target golf style, asking for precise lines and careful positioning rather than width and forgiveness. That polarises players, and that is rather the point.
How to play it in 2026
Access is straightforward: book directly or through an Algarve golf package, with stay and play deals available alongside the resort accommodation. Green fees have been quoted from roughly 99 to 175 euros depending on the season and time of day, often with a buggy included and twilight rates lower. Treat those figures as indicative for the 2026 season and always confirm directly before booking, as resort and seasonal pricing changes.
On timing, the Algarve golf year peaks in spring and autumn, when conditions are firm and warm without the high summer heat, and winter stays mild and playable. Book the popular spring and autumn weeks ahead, take the buggy on the bigger walking gaps, and pair the Faldo Course with the gentler O'Connor Jnr layout for a balanced couple of days at Amendoeira.
Our take
Our take is that the Faldo Course is the central Algarve's most interesting design and a genuine change of pace from the parkland norm: low handicappers will relish the precision it demands, and higher handicappers should play the right tees and embrace the buggy. It earns its awards on character and conditioning rather than on being everyone's favourite.
For a 2026 Algarve trip, build the Faldo Course in as the design highlight, confirm the green fees and any stay and play deal directly, and travel in spring or autumn. Tell us the dates and the group and one concierge maps the whole Algarve week around it.
Plan your Algarve golf trip
From the bold Faldo Course at Amendoeira to the Algarve's classic parkland and links, tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge builds and costs the trip, with no obligation.
Questions
Can visitors play the Amendoeira Faldo Course in 2026?
Yes. The Faldo Course is a resort course open to visiting golfers, bookable directly or through an Algarve golf package, with stay and play deals offered alongside the resort accommodation. Book tee times ahead in the busy spring and autumn windows and confirm availability before travelling.
What are the green fees on the Amendoeira Faldo Course for 2026?
Green fees have been quoted from roughly 99 to 175 euros depending on the season and time of day, often with a buggy included and twilight rates lower. Treat these as indicative for the 2026 season and always confirm directly before booking, as resort and seasonal pricing changes.
Who designed the Amendoeira Faldo Course?
The Faldo Course was designed by Sir Nick Faldo and is a par 72 of around 6,598 metres in the hills near Alcantarilha and Silves in the central Algarve. It was named Portugal's Best Golf Course at the 2016 World Golf Awards and is a desert style layout of waste areas and firm turf.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course, design and access details verified June 2026 from club and golf travel sources; conditions and green fees change, so always confirm directly before booking. Last reviewed June 2026.