Opened in 1990 and designed by Toseph Lee, Vilamoura Laguna makes full use of the wet, marshy ground near the sea. It is the most recent of the Vilamoura courses, comprising three loops of nine holes (Pinhal, Marina, and Lago) for a total of 27 holes.

The layout is very different from the two other Vilamoura courses. Here the golfer can drive off more confidently because of the greater width of the fairways. On the Pinhal Course, strategically placed bunkers are the main difficulty, while on the Marina and Lago Courses the water is a near-permanent obstacle, not to mention the bunkers, 88 of them over a total of 27 holes.

Lee may have designed a course that is visually intimidating, but because it is not very long, the golfer may complete it without great difficulty. The result is that the satisfaction of the golfer, after finishing his holes, is even greater.

There are several ways to play this course, as one soon discovers at hole number 5 of the Lago Course, which is 315 meters for a par 4, with a lake covering the right-handed dog-leg. Here the player's options for the first shot range from a driver to a number 5 iron; the player must reflect that by choosing a wood the second shot will significantly be shorter. But this also puts the water into play, which so significantly increases the risks.