The Els Club Vilamoura

Vilamoura Victoria was once a staple of the Algarve holiday scene, but is now the private Els Club. Its Arnold Palmer-designed course has been reimagined by Ernie Els, and the clubhouse experience is top-notch. The club reopened in July 2025 following a partnership between Els and Arrow Global, a group making major development investments in Portugal. If you are invited to play at The Els Club, you will receive an email stating you will be treated as a member for the day. The high-end service was evident as soon as we pulled into the car park, where we were greeted by a friendly chap who offered to load our clubs into our buggy. Equally on point were the lady at registration and the team who took our orders and delivered breakfast, bolstered by a complimentary ginger shot to help us on our way. We ate overlooking the course, then made our way to the world-class range, complete with Trackman technology, Pro V1 practice balls, a chipping area, and a scarily quick practice green. In our buggy was a welcome bag containing tees, a pitch repairer, and marked balls. Honestly, I could not have been more relaxed about starting a round. The course features five par-fives, five par-threes, and eight par-fours, offering a variety that both entertains and demands strategic thinking. Bunkers and water are its main defences, although I can attest that balls can easily disappear into the gnarly rough. The opener is a par-five, where avoiding the sand traps on both sides of the fairway provides the springboard for a birdie opportunity. Water first emerges on the par-three fourth, with a lake directly in front of its sloping green. It’s a lovely preview of what to expect on the back nine. The ninth is a peachy par-four, with trees screening holiday properties on the left and a giant sand-scrape with small islands to the right of the green. “Have you played the new back nine yet?” inquired a golfer as we were about to embark on the 10th. “The best nine holes in Portugal.” That was quite a claim, I thought, given that we had recently played Quinta Do Lago South and had previously enjoyed West Cliffs. However, with the club set to host the inaugural Portugal Invitational on the PGA TOUR Champions this summer, the course is clearly being tuned for the world's best. And I can report that its extensive water features, and the questions they pose regarding strategy, make it a valid contender for that "best nine" title. The 10th has water down the right, but the sting in the tail is the hidden pond behind the hole. I flushed my approach shot, but the ball ambled over the green and down the slope towards the drink, just clinging to the edge. That was a precursor to the exciting new 11th—a par-five where water snakes from the left, across the fairway, and then cuts in front of a massive green. There is so much going on that I would need to play it several times to truly understand the route to success. My best moment came on the 14th—a dreamy par-three over a lake with the clubhouse as a distant backdrop. My tee shot flew over the big bunker guarding the green and landed six feet from the pin. My curving, downhill putt plopped into the cup for a birdie. However, just as a great victory seemed within my grasp, I fell foul of the 15th—a superb par-five flanking the lake. My blind second shot was far too greedy, and I lost two balls in a thicket of trees to the left. The finale is stunning, beginning at the par-four 16th, which demands a drive away from the water before a decision over whether to take on the long shot into a well-guarded green. Mid-handicappers would be best advised to play it as a five. Mrs W held a slender lead going into the 17th—a long, straight par-three with water along its entire length. I duffed my tee shot but narrowly missed out on a big move when my chip ran around the cup. Consequently, I needed to win the 450-yard final hole by a couple of shots. We both hit fine drives, avoiding the bunker on the right, followed by decent seconds into a dip in front of the green. I knew my chip had to go in, but there was no joy for me; Mrs W saw out her win without a hiccup. The venue deserved such a tight finish, and we completed our day with delicious sea bass back in the clubhouse. It felt a shame to say our goodbyes. I can well imagine why people would want to be members of the Els Club for more than just a day.