Same operator, very different ages — Silves has been open since 2006 with a reputation for excellent conditioning, while Pestana Ferragudo only opened its doors this month. Here's what we know about both.
Both courses belong to the Pestana group and sit inland from the coast, but that's about where the similarity ends. Silves has been open since 2006 and has a settled reputation for excellent conditioning. Pestana Ferragudo, on the other hand, only opened its doors on 1 September 2026 — so this comparison is really the old guard against the newest course in the Algarve.
Eighteen years apart
Silves was designed by Fausto Nascimento and Peter Booth and opened in 2006 near the ancient Moorish town it's named after. Pestana Ferragudo, designed in-house by Pestana, is only a few weeks old at the time of writing — a genuinely new addition to the region's golf map, part of a wider residential development in Ferragudo village across the river from Portimão.
Silves: a known quantity, praised for its conditioning
Silves plays 5,615 metres par 70 over gently hilly terrain, with panoramic views over orange and olive groves and a layout that rewards accuracy more than power — a standout run of par-3s and four memorable par-5s. It's consistently well-regarded for how well it's maintained, which matters when so many Algarve courses struggle with conditioning in the peak summer months.
Pestana Ferragudo: too new to have a track record
Ferragudo plays 5,841 metres par 73 — longer than Silves — through parkland terrain that makes full use of the natural landscape. Having only opened this month, there's no track record yet on conditioning, pace of play or how it holds up once summer traffic properly arrives. If you're an early adopter who likes trying a course before the reviews pile up, this is your chance; if you'd rather wait for it to bed in, that's a reasonable call too.
Which one should you play?
If you want a reliable, well-conditioned round with an established reputation, play Silves — green fees start from €75. If you're curious about the newest course in the Algarve and don't mind being one of its first few thousand rounds, Ferragudo is worth the detour; check current rates directly with Pestana since pricing wasn't yet published for this course at the time of writing.
Want the numbers side by side instead? Open the course comparator to see Silves and Pestana Ferragudo's par, length and facilities pulled straight from our live course data.
