Quinta da Penha Longa is a relevant historical site because the first convent of the Order of St. Jerome was built there in 1355 under the responsibility of Father Vasco Martins. King Manuel I ordered a retirement house to be built there, where he went into mourning for the late Queen Mary, the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabel of Spain. King Henrique and King Sebastian spent a long time in the two houses that face the pond of Adens. When the Religious Orders were extinguished, the convent was sold and its second owner was the Count of Penha Longa, Sebastião Pinto Leite, also Viscount of Gandarinha.

Over the past 600 years Penha Longa has undergone several changes and many buildings have been constructed there, such as the Palace, the Church, the Fountain of Tears, the Fountain of St. Gonçalo and the Palace of the Marquis of Angeja.

The famous golf architect Robert Trent Jones Jr. was chosen to design the course.

The course which is 6,290 metres long off the championship tees is somewhat hilly and a certain degree of fitness is required to walk it. But this detail is of little importance when one considers the beauty of the landscape to be enjoyed.

The par-5 6^th is benign and seems easy. But beware of being short of the two-levelled and very fast green beyond the lake and before the ruins. On the back nine, like in almost every great golf course, the three last holes are excellent. The 16^th, a long par 4 invites players to drive over a valley, this being followed by a rather hard shot, to an elevated green protected by a bunker at the front. The 17^th is a 187-metre par 3 that requires great accuracy. Finally, the 18^th is a par 5 with a birdie chance depending on the wind strength and direction.

This finish makes every player cudgel his brains.

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

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