Sir Henry Cotton Championship Course

The Penina course created by Henry Cotton, is now a monument to his memory. Penina was the first course to be built in the Algarve and it was inaugurated by the President of the Republic in 1966. The area used to be a rice-field and it is now surrounded by tall, wide-trunked, trees.

Cotton used the drainage ditches of the rice-field to define fairways in some places, and hazards in others. He enlarged them at strategic places modifying their banks by raising them and concealing the water hazards from the less cautious golfers. More than 360,000 trees were planted, dividing fairways, defining greens, giving a different character to each hole.

In front of the hotel, a new nine hole course called Resort course (ex - Monchique) was created later on, to satisfy the needs of more and more clients and to allow for maintenance on the main course. A small layout with very short holes for beginners, the Academia course (ex - Quinta), was also built, among the fairways of the Championship course. The extensive driving-range is very well managed and there is also a huge putting-green with an area of about 1000 square metres, making Penina a superior quality practice centre.

The par of the Penina course is 73 (35+38) with the second nine both beginning and finishing with two consecutive par 5's, which is not usual. The first hole, a 41 l -metre par 4, almost long enough to be a conventional 5, is rather difficult and has a green which is more than 35 metres long, requiring careful choice of the approach iron to be played. To close the first nine there is another hole over 400 metres long with a dogleg to the left and also a long double tiered green, well defended by three bunkers. The l3^th hole, a 208-metre par 3 lies alongside a lake, with a bunker defending the right of the green, and is one of Penina's challenging holes.

 [In O Golfe em Portugal - Fernando Nunes Pedro - Texto Editora-Andersen Consulting]

Academy Golf Course

The Academy Course, winding through the fairways of the Championship Course, is an interesting "executive" nine holes par 30 (three par 4's and six par 3's.  Originally designed for the casual or intermediate golfer it provides the ideal course for all year round holiday golf. The greens are relatively small and therefore accuracy off the tee and for approach shots is required and it also provides players the opportunity to fine tune their short game.

Resort Golf Course

The Resort Course, a more recent nine holes on the north side of the hotel, strategically demanding, can also be considered a challenge for the more experienced players and equally provides gentle training grounds for beginners.

This course features 18 tees and makes full use of Sir Henry Cotton's principles with a number of lakes and sand hazards making it an enjoyable course that tests the skills of all abilities.
Holes 1, 2 and 3 are all tree-lined dogleg par 4's where keeping to the fairway is a definite advantage. The only par 5 is the 499 metres (546 yards) 5th hole, long and straight with an elevated green, a typical Penina feature. The par 4 6th hole, with out of bounds to the right, requires a precise drive through a narrow avenue of tall trees, whereas the drive on the dogleg 7th needs to be a controlled draw followed by an approach steered left of a greenside lake that is too close to the green for comfort. A long par 3 with many bunkers and a long par 4 finish this pleasant course.

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