This was also the first golf course to be built in the Algarve, back in 1966. The experienced Cotton was one of the firsts to recognise the Algarve’s huge potential as a golfing destination. The quality and the success of his work encouraged the subsequent construction of many other courses that now exist in the region.

The hotel and golf club are unique when it comes to outstanding views, a calm and tranquil setting, and shows nature at its best. The golf club is a member of the Audubon Co-operative Sanctuary System.

The Penina Championship Course has several bunkers, almost four hundred thousand trees, plenty of water with wide greens and a vast tee area, making this a real championship course.

The sequence of the holes is very original, for the last nine holes both begin and end with two Par 5. Therefore, the first half of the course is Par 35, while Par for the other nine holes is 38. A new lake has been created to protect hole 5’s green and more water has been added around green 13, transforming it into a small island. These are some of the details included in the transformation of the original design, as well as the deepening of the bunkers and the rebuilding of tees according to modern techniques. 40 thousand tons of sand were used to build up the new fairways and 200 kilometres of electric wires were needed to install the new computerised irrigation system.
Two nine hole courses (now re-named the Resort Course and Academy Course) are the ideal complement to the Championship course.

Nearest Accommodation

Hotel Meridien Penina, Hotel Tropimar I Accommodation Algarve

Nearest Golf Courses

Morgado do Reguengo, Alto Golf, Palmares

Penina Golf Course Data

Architect: Sir Henry Cotton
Opened: 1966
Holes: 18 (Championship Course)
Par: 73
Length: 6.273 meters
Pro’s: Robert Liddle, José Lourenço Marcelino
Requirements: A Handicap Certificate.
Max. Men=28, Ladies=32
Dress Code: Soft spikes required
Facilities: Hotel, Driving Range, 3 Putting Greens, Pitching Area, Trolleys, Club Hire, Pro-shop, Restaurants, Bars.

At Palmares, which is close to the beautiful and historic western Algarve town of Lagos, Pennink has created a course of undeniable beauty and quality.

The reputation of the course – a Par 71 – derives from its skilful use of two different kinds of landscape, as well as its excellent level of maintenance.
So, after starting out on a difficult dogleg Par 4 from a high tee, the golfer soon gets into the links which run behind the beach of Meia Praia, a great expanse of white sand and high dunes.

At hole number six the course turns back inland in the direction of the clubhouse. From here on, the player faces just the opposite challenge, with holes designed along curvy valleys bordered by pine trees, and affording beautiful views over Lagos Bay and the Monchique mountains. It is a perfect mixture of links and inland golf. From the veranda of the clubhouse, set between holes 9 and 10, the view covers 25 km of Atlantic ocean coast.

Nearest Accommodation

Hotel Tivoli Lagos, Porto Dona Maria, Hotel Marina São Roque. Accommodation Algarve

Nearest Golf Courses

Penina, Morgado do Reguengo, Alto Golf

Pro’s Playing Tips

The first hole, a par 4, must be one of the most stunning in the Algarve. The tee is high up, looking directly out to sea. The fairway drops away steeply to a green which is tucked away out of sight. It’s a slight dog-leg to the right, a stroke index 4, so you have some sort of an idea of difficulty. A good drive and thoughtful approach, and there is the chance of an early par. The next five holes run along at sea level, parallel to the beach. It is usually the par-5 fifth which upsets the score. You have the back of the dunes running the entire length to the right side, and pretty much sandy waste on the left. The fairway is generous enough, but somehow the sand acts as a magnet for the second and third shots. The green is concave and if you fire in and run past the flag, somehow the ball never seems to run back.

The tenth is a 165-meter par 3 from an elevated tee to an elevated green, across the valley. It’s never the same shot; there is always the wind making it look further than it looks. You have a couple of par 4’s then… the twelfth – 400 meters, and the sixteenth that is 418 meters. From the back tee all you can see is the rising ground, A good drive and you should get to the top where you can see the green. But it’s not all straightforward, because the fairway then drops away to your left. If you are too far right, you will end up in the figs and olives. The seventeenth, although only 458 meters and a par 5 is a dog-leg left, pretty well all downhill. There is a great temptation to fire the second over the fairly open area of scrub on your left, looking for a certain birdie. Don’t.

Palmares Golf Course Data

Architect: Frank Pennink
Opened: 1975
Holes: 18
Par: 71
Length: 5.961 meters
Pro’s: Luís Espadinha & José Dias
Requirements: A Handicap Certificate
Facilities: Driving Range, Putting and Chipping Green, Trolleys, Buggies, Club Hire, Pro-shop, Restaurant, Bar, Snack bar.

Parque da Floresta, the centre of a resort, and its course runs over hills behind the fishing village of Salema, which is near the historic town of Lagos and not far from the Costa Vicentina Nature Reserve.

Its widely varying holes run through valleys and eucalyptus-covered ravines, while around the course olive, palm and pine trees are planted.

Nearest Accommodation

Parque da Floresta Resort I Accommodation Algarve

Nearest Golf Courses

Boa Vista, Palmares

Pro’s Playing Tips

In recent years there has been a considerable investment made in the course, including the addition of a Golf Academy and the redesign of several holes. From the opening par 4 that curves gracefully towards the early morning sun, to the majestic par 4 eighteenth set in a natural amphitheatre below the Clubhouse terrace, this course has already become famous for having some classic golf holes. The “Postage Stamp” par 3 fifth of just 113 metres to the smallest of bunker-surrounded greens makes an accurate tee shot essential.

The par 5 ninth ranks among the toughest stroke-index 1 holes ever designed. The picturesque, short par 3 eleventh – guarded on two sides by water – is one of the most inviting holes you could wish to play and is followed by a par 5 that leads up the “Valley of the Wells” to another elevated green.

Having played along the “Lost Valley” of the par 4 fourteenth, with its spectacular views to the village of Figueira and the sea, you are faced with the dramatic tee shot of the par 3 fifteenth. Here, on the tee, players are presented with an imposing view of a large, picturesque lake that has to be carried in order to reach the wide, but shallow, green.

Water again comes into play on the sixteenth and seventeenth where bold, yet accurate, tee shots will reap dividends for the brave, although both holes also prove rewarding to those golfers with higher handicaps

Parque da Floresta Golf Course Data

Architect: Pepe Gancedo
Opened: 1987
Holes: 18
Par: 71
Length: 5673 meters
Requirements: Handicap certificate preferred
Dress Code: Soft spikes, tailored shorts and collared shirts only
Facilities: Driving Rrange, Putting Green, Pitching Area, Trolleys, Buggies, Club Hire, Pro-shop, Academy, Children’s Nursery, Restaurant, Bar.

This was the last course designed by the legendary Sir Henry Cotton, the triple winner of the British Open. It embodies his belief that a golf course should test players with low handicaps, but also provides a pleasant game for golfers of only average level. After his death, the project continued by Peter Dobereiner, a well-known golf journalist.

The course, with the beautiful Monchique mountains as its back-drop, runs through two valleys and offers winding fairways and gently undulating greens.

Nearest Accommodation

Hotel Algarve Casino, Hotel Oriental, Hotel Avenida Praia, Club Praia Mar, Concorde Apartment
Accommodation Algarve
Nearest Golf Courses:
Penina, Morgado do Reguengo, Palmares

Pro’s Playing Tips

It’s easy to be lulled into a feeling that the opening hole – a par 3 of 163 meters, with no apparent hazards, could be e benign foretaste of what is to come. Don’t let yourself be fooled. Thereafter, virtually every hole demands precise planning of shots if you are to have the satisfaction of playing this great course well. The abundant trees and bushes, the placement of bunkers and incorporating dog-legs, result in a true test of golf. Elevated greens mean that deciding on which club to take will constantly be an influence. Perhaps the no hole illustrates this point as well as the par-4 fourth (400 meters). The fairway is generous, and there is a lake to the right. Yet it is exactly to the right that you must play the drive to have any sort of line to the two tiered green. The left approach is protected by a group of trees.

The seventh is a par 3 of 201 meters. The bunkers which are to the front right and left will severely punish anything at all wayward. The green is elevated and crowned, which means that chipping close can be difficult. A par is certainly worthy of celebration.

The tenth is a par 4, but the tee shot is blind and all you seem to see is the rising fairway with the trees which overhang it. Anything to the left rolls to a parallel fairway, with a divisional tree line. Off to the right is out of bound, or in a corpse of trees. So, providing you are on the fairway, it is just a mid-iron to the receptive elevated green. Easy!

The monster sixteenth – 604 meters – sports a lake on the left. The scant fairway, dotted with olive trees, slopes towards it. There seems no realistic landing area. Having said which, if you get a satisfactory drive in, then its just a l…o…n…g… w…a…y.

Alto Golf Course Data

Architect: Sir Henry Cotton & Peter Dobereiner
Opened: 1991
Holes: 18
Par: 72
Length: 6.125 meters
Pro’s: Robert Bridge and Leonel Altura
Requirements: A Handicap Certificate
Facilities: Driving Range, Putting Green, Pitching Area (with bunkers), Trolleys, Club Hire, Pro-shop, Children’s Nursery, Restaurant, Bar.

The original project is by the Portuguese designer Pedro de Vasconcelos, with more recent contributions from other Portuguese architects. But the final layout has been heavily influenced by Robert Muir Graves.

The 6,000 metre links, replete with water obstacles, is not very long, yet you will need all your skills to reach the greens. The accuracy of the drive is crucial for achieving good scores, thus making the course a pleasant experience, especially for technically-skilled players.

The eighteen holes are well balanced, as each half of the course has two Par 5 holes of around 500 metres and three Par 3 of more than 170 metres. Par for the course is 72.
Nearest Accommodation: Hotel Nautico I Bayside Salgados Golf & Beach Resort I Accommodation Algarve
Nearest Golf Courses: Pine Cliffs, Balaia Golf Village, Vale do Milho

Pro’s Playing Tips

To gain maximum satisfaction from playing this course you need to think each shot carefully. Pay particular attention to where you anticipate landing each drive and never underestimate the usually stiff, onshore breeze. You will be tested on every shot in your bag right from the first tee. The par-5 sixth has a lake running the entire length of the right hand side. The fairway is generous enough off the tee, but there is a tendency to “think left” and you can overdo it. The hole is 515 meters. The green is offset to the right, protected by the water, and the fairway a good deal narrower. The approach is all carry, with a scant 20 meters or so in front of the two tiered green. Have a thought that it might be wiser to take the dry route round to the left.

The next is a testing par 4 of 415 meters. You are usually playing right into the wind and it is, technically, probably one of the best holes in Portugal. Of the par 3’s, the twelfth is over water – 130 meters to a tricky two tiered green. It should not be difficult, but it can be intimidating.

The fourteenth and fifteenth are two par 5’s where you can really open the shoulders. The fifteenth is 545 meters and you are teeing off over a tidal creek. With a line of ornamental bushes to the right, left looks the best line, but you do need to avoid the dune hummocks which divide this from the fairway of the previous hole.

Salgados Golf Course Data

Architects: Pedro de Vasconcelos & Robert Moir Graves
Opened: 1995
Holes: 18
Par: 72
Length: 6.080 meters
Pro: John Wood
Requirements: A Handicap Certificate. Knowledge of golf etiquette.
Facilities: Driving Range, Putting and Chipping Green, Practice Bunker, Academy, Trolleys, Buggies, Club Hire, Pro-shop, Hotel, Restaurant, Bar, Beach.