Their portfolio also boasts seven courses in the Algarve with five of them situated in Vilamoura - the Oceanico Vitoria (home to the Portugal Masters), Oceanico Old Course, Oceanico Pinhal, Oceanico Millennium and Oceanico Laguna - and the other two at the Moorish-style Amendoeira resort in Silves.

Situated some 35 minutes from Faro airport, this secluded community features 242 properties - mainly luxurious two and three-bedroom apartments - and golf courses designed by Nick Faldo and Christy O'Connor Jnr.

It is set in a 640-acre plot of what were originally orange and lemon groves in the foothills of the Monchique mountains and is blessed with the kind of glorious weather that makes the Algarve such a popular golfing retreat all year round.

But in addition to golfing facilities that include not only the two championship courses but a nine-hole par-3 lay-out, an academy course, a driving range, teaching and Callaway custom club fitting services and an extensive professional shop, the resort also boasts a plethora of other sporting amenities including football pitches, tennis courts, bowling greens and swimming pools.

The standard of facilities on offer has already seen Premiership outfits Aston Villa and Sunderland select Amendoeira as the destination for their pre-season training camps for the past couple of years.

It's a location certainly geared towards that level of clientele with quality permeating throughout and an attention to detail that saw 230 palm trees shipped in from neighbouring Spain to provide the kind of finishing touch that sets it apart.

The vibrant terracotta-coloured apartments have been finished to the very highest specification from the genuine porcelain floors and privacy-protecting mirrored patio windows, to the integrated appliances and video security screen systems - European Tour stars are amongst those who have taken advantage of the new facilities.

The two courses provide differing tests with Faldo's course laid out on the northern side of the resort in the foothills of the mountains and taking advantage of the barren, rocky and challenging desert-like terrain to provide, by common consensus, the more taxing of the two lay-outs.

The O'Connor Course was the setting for our round and, before heading out, we see the man himself enjoying a spot of lunch on the terrace of the expansive clubhouse.

The 62-year-old Irishman - whose design efforts have been commemorated with a bronze statue just metres from the course - found time to acknowledge us warmly despite being greeted by a succession of visitors.

Picturesque parkland trail

His track runs through the flatter land in the valley to the south of the plot and is a picturesque parkland trail that features numerous lakes and streams and offers sprawling views of the extensive orange groves that frame the area.

Accompanying myself and fellow journalist Alex around is Jose, a friendly local pro who managed a handful of outings on the European Tour circuit in the not too distant past.

While perhaps not immediately obvious given his carefree, indeed almost disinterested attitude and gait, that class quickly manifests itself as he finds time between texting on his iPhone and chain smoking to roll home 35-foot birdie putts on the first two greens.

Those first couple of holes, a rolling dog-leg of a par-five and a shortish-par-four, are perhaps indicative of the entire course offering as they do opportunity and ample targets from both tee and fairway, whilst ready to punish anything wayward. As O'Connor explains: "I really set out to make it very playable, but there is trouble lurking left and right if you lose a run of yourself."

Prophetic words it would turn out as I lose my opening drive left into a lateral water hazard to sign for a double-bogey, although the damage is repaired somewhat by a solid two-putt par at the second.

O'Connor has also taken trouble to ensure the course synchronises with the environment that surrounds it and that is illustrated no better than at the second par-five, the fifth, which climbs gently up to a raised green with orange groves running so tightly down either side of the fairway the fruit is close enough to touch.

"I wanted one hole with just oranges. This part of the Algarve is blessed with thousands of acres of orange groves and I wanted to bring some inside the course as well. I have managed to create such a hole, the fifth, which has orange groves left and right and should be a real beauty to play," O'Connor states.

Another par at the fifth is rather overshadowed as Jose nonchalantly chips in from a greenside bunker for an eagle although he seems to glean rather more pleasure from me failing to heed his warnings to stay left at all costs with my approach and finding a watery grave at the eighth.

O'Connor's Amen Corner

It comes in the middle of a three-hole run of par-fours (7th, 8th and 9th) that O'Connor describes as his very own Amen Corner with a prominent lake running from the ninth, through the eighth and into a portion of the seventh with a series of well-positioned bunkers adding a further degree or two of difficulty.

What turned out to be a triple at the eighth brings a rather calamitous end to a steady if unspectacular run of bogeys, although another solid five at the ninth ensures I hit the turn with the ship more or less righted.

Undoubtedly one of the more memorable holes, the par-four tenth is another dog-leg... and a substantial one at that. It features a virtual 90-degree turn to the right which offers the chance to try and cut off the corner from the tee - a risk and reward test on which O'Connor is keen.

Having taken a fairly cautious line from the tee I actually run out of fairway after connecting sweetly with my drive and am left cursing my conservatism as Jose goes on to reap the rewards for his show of bravado by finding a favourable lie in the rough having taken something approaching the Tiger line.

Winding back towards clubhouse, arguably the highlight of the back nine is the picturesque 14th which boasts another lake in front of a green which is far from the most generous on the course.

Classed as stroke index two it's easy enough to see why, with anything from the tee lacking in distance or straying right leaving a daunting approach over an expanse of water - an expanse I manage to locate despite producing the goods with my driver.

With light fading and the doddering fourball in front fraying nerves, a rather hasty end to the round ensues although Jose produces arguably his shot of the day at the par-five 16th as he effortlessly splashes out from under the lip of a greenside bunker to a matter of inches to set up his fifth birdie.

The 18th provides a fitting finale as it gently sweeps from right to left back up towards the clubhouse with a stream to the right underlining the ubiquitous threat of water on the course.

With the slick greens having slowed up somewhat over the course of the round, Jose's closing birdie putt pulls up short of the hole leaving him to tap in for a round of 67 which he dismisses as "ok, but a bit boring" with a smirk. Having finished in the early 90s I assure him I'd happily suffer the same tedium if that was the result.

The course itself, while unlikely to provide you with the sternest test of your golfing career, is never certainly boring. Indeed, its charm is that it offers enough to the golfer of every standard that you'll want to play it again.

At around 7,350 yards from the back tees and around 6,400 yards from the yellows it's long enough to ensure you have to remain focused to score well... unless of course you are former European Tour pro.

Stay in one of the villas or apartments in Amendoeira or any of the other Oceanico resort properties in the Algarve and play not only the Faldo and O'Connor courses, but Oceanico's five other courses as well.
Check out the golf packages available at Oceanico's website. Fly direct to Faro from both London (Gatwick / Luton) and Manchester with Monarch Airways.

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