One designer touched both, thirty years apart, but the Old Course and the Millennium play nothing alike. Here's how Vilamoura's most-compared pair actually differ, and which one suits your game.
Vilamoura has five golf courses, but the Old Course and the Millennium are the two that get compared most, mostly because they sit at opposite ends of the resort's history: one is a 1969 classic that's just been named Portugal's best, the other is a Y2K-era course built from recycled holes of an older layout. Here's how they actually differ.
One architect, thirty years apart
Frank Pennink laid out the Old Course in 1969, and it's stayed the benchmark for Vilamoura golf ever since, remodelled by Martin Hawtree and reopened in 1997. Hawtree's fingerprints are on the Millennium too — he designed it from scratch in 2000, reusing nine holes that had originally belonged to the old 27-hole Laguna course and building an entirely new back nine around them. So in a sense, the same designer shaped both, just at very different points in his career and with very different briefs.
Old Course: recently crowned the best in Portugal
At 6,254 metres par 73, the Old Course plays through mature umbrella pines with five par-5s that reward strategic play over raw power, and it hosted the Portuguese Open in its early years. In 2025 it was named Portugal's Best Golf Course at the World Golf Awards, and it's currently under fresh investment from new management, with bunker, tee and green renovations completed in 2024. It's also the highest-rated course in our own data for the area, at 4.6 out of 5 across 489 reviews.
Millennium: newer, wider, more forgiving
The Millennium plays a shorter 6,176 metres par 72, with wide fairways and gentle undulations that suit mid-to-high handicappers without feeling dumbed down for better players. It shares a relaxed clubhouse terrace with the neighbouring Laguna course, overlooking the closing holes — a nice spot to watch the sunset if you're playing late in the day.
Which one should you play?
If you want the course with the pedigree, the recent award and a proper test through mature pines, play the Old Course — it's priced accordingly, from €214. If you'd rather a friendlier, wide-open round that won't punish a stray drive as hard, the Millennium is the better fit, and considerably cheaper, from €123. Neither has an on-site hotel, but both sit within easy reach of Vilamoura's marina hotels, so accommodation isn't the deciding factor here — the golf is.
Want the numbers side by side instead? Open the course comparator to see the Old Course and Millennium's price, par, handicap limits and facilities pulled straight from our live course data.
