West Algarve

Palmares

Palmares Golf is billed as the golfing “jewel in the crown of the Algarve” and it’s certainly an eclectic Frank Pennink-designed course, which opened in 1975, with distinct flavours.

Sited above and along the Atlantic coast close to the Meia Praia beach, Palmares has a collection of links-like holes and park-like holes. Not only is the golf good and varied but also Palmares has some of the best views available from any Portuguese golf course.

“Palmares blends easily into its rural seaside environement, offering wonderful vistas of the coastline around the Bay of Lagos and, from the higher ground, the mountains of the Monchique inland.” Wrote Michael Gedye in his Golfer’s Guide Portugal. “The location presented Pennink with a unique situation – a hilltop dotted with flowering shrubs, almond and acacia trees, cascading down to a sandy stretch of linksland with dunes bordering the sea. He gasped at the challenge of combining links with parkland golf and produced a truly interesting course of wide variety that never ceases to charm and challenge. The spectacular views come as a natural bonus.”

Robert Trent Jones Jnr upgraded Palmares in 2010, dividing the property into three nines, “Lagos,” “Praia” and “Alvor”. Four holes on the Praia nine (two pretty par threes and two tough par fives) run along the shoreline and the second last greensite on this circuit is shared with the penultimate hole on the Lagos nine (where the only two water holes on the complex are featured).

The Alvor nine occupies the more hilly terrain at Palmares. The opening trio of holes on this loop sit on the least appealing part of the property, followed by three fairways that are laid out across a road in a lovely valley. After playing a fine par three near the water’s edge, the final two holes face directly uphill to the clubhouse.

Commenting on the Palmares project, Robert Trent Jones II: “Palmares Golf Course is special on so many levels. The expansive ocean vistas, dramatic elevation changes, quintessential Mediterranean intimate valleys, and expansive dunes land have blessed us with the environment to craft a golf course with an enormous depth of character and challenge.“

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West Algarve

Penina

Positioned in the western Algarve, Penina Hotel & Golf Resort is widely renowned as the true home of Portuguese golf. The Sir Henry Cotton Championship Course, is the first 18 hole course to have been constructed in the Algarve – and is legendary for some of the finest and most challenging golf in the world.

Set in a stunning 360 acre estate, amidst an impressive array of natural surroundings, the Penina Hotel & Golf Resort has been voted Portugal’s Leading Golf Resort by the World Travel Awards… whilst the marquee Sir Henry Cotton Championship Course has hosted 10 Portuguese Opens and scores of other prestigious tournaments.

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West Algarve

Faldo

Designed by Sir Nick Faldo with strategic play in mind this 6598m PAR 72 championship course demands careful positioning to score well.

“The land at Amendoeira is dramatic and the project has the potential to be a real talking point in the Algarve. With so many courses in the region, that’s no mean feat,” pointed out Nick Faldo, during his visit in 2007.

In a modern twist of a traditional recipe, cacti and wild herbs replace the role of Sunningdale’s heather, spartan Holm oaks and ancient olive trees take the place of a lush English woodland, and desert scrub bunkers of crushed limestone replace Berkshire’s sandy tracts in a golf course that revels in the classic principles of strategic play.

Nick said: “This was a very exciting project, which gave me a great opportunity to exploit my passion for design the same way I exploited my passion for playing. You have incredible views, beautiful undulating land and any time you have natural terrain like this, it is great fun to work with.”

“The real skill is that when you stand on the tee, the golf hole tells you what to do and if you do what it tells you there is reward but if you don’t you’re penalised. The back nine is quite hilly, which is fantastic because we’ve got some great views to complement the course.”

“I like my courses to be challenging to whoever plays them. There might be easy holes in some places, but they are a challenge because you have to think about them, and that is what I am after. The best compliment you can get in the design business is when players come off the course and say ’wow, that was a challenge,’ and that’s just what I planned at Amendoeira Golf Resort.”

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West Algarve

O’Connor

Designed by Christy O’Connor Jnr., this course complements the neighbouring Faldo Course and also takes full advantage of being situated in a fertile valley. Its various water features, both lakes and watercourses that are spread throughout the entire course, demand accuracy and test from all golfers, and the rich topsoil has been skillfully landscaped and planted with mature palm trees, affording a lush, ornamental setting like an extensive oasis.

This course has tees that are generally connected to the fairways, but its greater overall distance, the water hazards and big greens provide its challenge. Golfers must also be prepared to read the subtly contoured putting surfaces that are strong features.

Holes 7, 8 and 9, average length par 4’s, offer a particular challenge as all three run alongside lakes, so golfers’ concentration and accuracy of tee-shots as well as approaches are vital. 3rd and 17th holes are both excellent par 3’s.

Two consecutive par 4’s, the 14th and 15th with large rolling greens, are tough hurdles to overcome at such a critical stage of the round, and then the finishing hole, 356m off the white tee, requires a precision drive to set up the approach to a two tier green benched into the hillside. Christy’s 18th hole brings the course to a fantastic finish, a gentle climb with the river running along the right hand side. ‘This hole is a humdinger; once you get up here and look down on the golf course, you will feel you have been blessed.’

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West Algarve

Salgados

For beginners, the yellow tees provide an enjoyable game. For a more challenging game, the white tees make the most out for golfers with single number handicap.

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West Algarve

Morgado

Lying to the north of Portimao, Morgado Golf Course is laid out in a large and very quiet estate through undulating small valleys, in the Algarve countryside. Morgado Golf Course is probably one of the longest, par 73, in the Algarve. The immediate main characteristic factor is its large greens which place demand on good putting skills, not to forget the deep fairway bunkers: very testing!

The Morgado golf course is home to five Par 5’s, nine Par 4’s and four Par 3’s. Besides its length, Morgado has an impressive average green size (800 m2) and some beautiful lakes.

According to the architects, “from a design viewpoint the Morgado Golf Course looks very tough, but it plays fair. There are no forced ‘carries’ onto any greens, which means there are no obstacles, like bunkers or water bodies, that are completely in front of a green; there is always more than one route to get on the green. Wind, as it is usual in the Algarve, will play an important role in the challenge of the holes. Morgado Golf is a flexible course and the pin positions on the greens can either soften a hole or, make it more testing and dangerous”.

The Clubhouse, with its sober architecture and spacious social areas, has a perfect location and a wonderful view over Morgado Golf Course.

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West Algarve

Alamos

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West Algarve

Pestana Gramacho

After his success designing the Vale de Pinta course, Ronald Fream teamed up with the former world No. 1 Nick Price to create the unique design of Gramacho. With 18 holes and 27 greens, plus numerous different tee points, players are able to enjoy the same course time and time again but always with slightly different challenges.

Having hosted the Portuguese Ladies Open on a number of occasions Pestana Gramacho is recognized as a championship course enjoyable and playable even by those with a higher handicap.

Apart from the fantastic golf design, Ronald and Nick managed to incorporate the traditional landscape by utilizing the natural stone outcrops, historical dry stone walling and existing ancient trees with some artfully sculpted lakes and bunkers. The effect is a wonderful journey through the countryside.

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West Algarve

Pestana Vale da Pinta

Vale da Pinta Golf Course is a good championship golf course. It has earned a deserved reputation for the outstanding level of maintenance of the course, and its design, which makes it a challenge to golfers of all standards.|The rolling terrain is dotted with carob, fig, almond and olive trees, some of which are more than 600 years old, and a very special feature of this course is one olive tree that dates back more than 1200 years. The size of the greens is specifically matched to the length of the approach shot. It is certain to be appreciated by experienced golfers, for whom a round on this course will provide genuine excitement and a memorable and enjoyable days play.

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West Algarve

Pestana Silves

Silves is a serene spot at the foot of the Monchique mountain, but it is anything other than ‘a walk in the park’ – a drive at the opening hole has to flirt with water hazards on both flanks.

This course is for players – low handicaps will find it a serious challenge to come in under par. But high handicaps (with concentration) will be able to enjoy their round.

Most holes offer spectacular mountain views overlooking palm trees and olive groves, the surrounding cork and citrus farms generate a true feeling of authentic Portuguese golf.

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West Algarve

Pestana Alto

This is legendary golf course – is the last designed by architect Sir Henry Cottons, features the 600 meter par 5 known as the “Sir Henry challenge”, and what a challenge it is!

Pestana Alto is synonymous with design and play, and in a world of modern, complex course design, more and more people look back at the classics and see how course design should be: about challenge and playability for all handicap levels.

Located on the edge of the picturesque fishing village of Alvor, the rolling fairways and elevated greens test all and reward anyone who enjoys thinking about their game.

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