Penina Golf, Portimao
Built in 1966, the 18-hole par 73 Championship Algarve Golf Course is Sir Henry Cotton’s masterpiece – the course by which he wished to be remembered. Originally paddy fields for rice growing rice has been converted into a flat challenging course and especially for the stronger player. Something short of half a million shrubs and trees were planted in the conversion. As the fairways are flat Henry Cotton introduced strategically placed water hazards to catch the unwary long hitter. This Championship Golf Course was the first course in the Algarve and it has been ranked ever since amongst Europe Top 100.
The resort also encompasses two 9-hole facilities, The Resort Course, a pleasant Par 35 with 2,987 metres; and The Academy Course, a Par 30 with 1,851 metres. The Hotel rises above the 360 acre wooded estate, providing beautiful views of the golf course and lush countryside with the backdrop of the Monchique range.
While Le Meridien Penina is recognised for its golf courses, it also offers an amazing range of other sporting and leisure facilities, with a choice of training programmes for all ages and abilities. These include a FIFA-sized football pitch, jogging circuit, Olympic size swimming pool and fitness studios with sauna and massage services, while The Tennis Academy has six floodlit courts and a resident pro. The Penguin Village is both fun and educational, where children are occupied while parents may relax or practice their favourite sport. A courtesy hotel shuttle runs to Alvor Beach in summer, where a private area is available for clients, equipped with sun lounges, shades and towel service.
Portimao is the Algarve’s main fishing port and both the fishing industry and tourist fishing trips thrive here. You’ve a choice of divine Algarve beaches around the location, including one of the best beaches on the Algarve – Praia da Rocha. There are historic buildings and stylish architecture as well as the new Algarve villas and additionally Portimao also benefits from a developing new marina offering a choice of more chic restaurants, bars and shops.
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Castro Marim Golf and Country Club
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Castro Marim is located 30 minutes east of Faro and 10 minutes from both Tavira and the Spanish border having opened in 2000 in an area of the Algarve that until then had no golfing infrastructures at all.
It has a very relaxing setting in the peaceful atmosphere of the eastern Algarve and was in fact the first course to be built in this region, offering players beautiful views over the Atlantic Ocean, the River Guadiana and the nearby nature reserve. The design of the so-called “Atlantic Course” made use of the natural undulations of the hills and is sprinkled with many ornamental lakes. The fairways have been made with Bermuda grass, whilst the greens are made with the new Penn A4 grass. The course spans 6,250 metres and is a par 71.
From the very start, the overriding characteristics of this course are clear. At 375 meters downhill, the par 4 first may not appear too strenuous, but as you stand on the elevated tee you can soon see why it is rated stroke index 4. The fairway is narrow and lined with young umbrella pine trees. It drops away, but climbs to the elevated green. The contours of the land must be carefully kept in mind as you decide where to place your drive. The par 5 fourth is a dog-leg left, but a good drive may reach the lake on the right side of the descending fairway. The second and approach shots are uphill and the green is well protected by a bunker, young pines and the falling lie of the land.
On the back nine, the eleventh – a par 4 of 323 meters – can be deceptive. Once again, a well struck drive may find the water protecting the green. This is a good hole, but it is brain not brawn that will secure you a par here. The par 3 seventeenth (130 meters) is almost always subject to onshore prevailing winds off the sea. With bunkers in front and a lake behind, think carefully about what club to take.
The impressive clubhouse resembling a medieval castle is known for its warm relaxing ambiance and boasts a golf reception, pro-shop, changing rooms and a restaurant-bar which has an enormous open air terrace with marvellous views over the coast of the Algarve and Guadiana River.
For those buying investment property including off plan property or alternatively their dream home, Castro Marim offers a number of property options from townhouses, villas apartments golf in buying property abroad.
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Balaia Village and Golf Course, Algarve
Balaia Village, Algarve opened in April 2001 and is located close to Albufeira, between the villages of Olhos d Agua and Praia d Oura and only approximately 40 minutes drive from Faro airport. Balaia golf course is only nine holes with a par 27 but it is a great challenge for all handicaps.
The course is designed to test ability and control of length and direction. This is a course to test every golfer, irrespective of handicap. You can go out and play eighteen holes to concentrate on your short game, without the drilling which time on a practice ground sometimes implies. Alternatively, you can just play nine, leaving plenty of time for things. Tee to green distances on the course range from 67 metres to 160 metres.
Though aesthetics are not exactly what Algarve golf is about, what you see from the first tee is indeed a pretty sight. An old wooden bridge divides two lakes just in front of the first green with the magnificent clubhouse just behind you aswell as hole number one being an opening hole to test the nerves. Amenities include a 60 base driving range, managed by a well known international Pro, covered bays for all-weather lessons or practice, practice bunkers, chipping and putting greens.
In the beautifully appointed clubhouse you will find a pro shop, reception, club hire, trolleys and rental locker facilities not forgetting a large sunny terrace overlooking the course, and a restaurant, with a capacity for 120 guests. Every week, on Wednesday afternoons, a 9-hole individual Stableford tournament is held, followed by a glass or two of cool Sangria. These events are open to all golfers.
Although Balaia Village is no more than 400 metres from two glorious sandy beaches and is a complex of 506 of low-rise self catering apartments and villas and enjoys several swimming pool areas for your exclusive use. There is a special pool for small children and even a heated pool specifically designed for year round use.
For a selection of Algarve properties in Albufeira, click on the link below
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Benamor Golf Club Tavira
Benamor Golf Club is located just a few kilometres east of the ancient city of Tavira and was completed in the spring of 2000. In the nearby hills of Barrocal you will enjoy some of the best mountain and sea views the Algarve has to offer whilst golfing in the Algarve. But maybe most enjoyable of all, is the peaceful dream location and surroundings of a construction free golf Algarve resort… possibly the only one in the Algarve.
The course was officially opened in 2000. It is a par 71 and is undulating, although not excessively so, offering views over the mountains to one side and the sea to the other. Here, the most common trees are the carob, the olive-tree and the fig-tree. In each half of the course, the first few holes are the easiest to play and birdies can be obtained without too much difficulty, although the following ones are longer and therefore harder to play. The greens are reasonably wide and the ball is retained here quite easily.The strategic placed bunkers and occasional water hazards make the course a never too comfortable experience!
The first hole is a par 4 dogleg with an elevated green protected by bunkers. Many of the par 4s on the front nine are relatively short, so this course is friendly to all playing levels. On the back nine, water comes into play on the 10th hole, a par 3 over water, on the 13th where a stream crosses the fairway, and on the 17th where a pond guards the green. To finish, there is a long par 5 of 512 metres. The 18th green is backed by a charming Algarvean church. There is a driving range, putting and chipping greens, putting course as well as the pro shop.
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Boavista Golf Club, Lagos
Boavista Golf Club in the Algarve offers superb facilities in a uniquely sophisticated yet relaxed atmosphere and is already attracts people from all over the world. It opened on 1st January 2002 with the impressive 18 Hole Championship golf course being designed by Howard Swan.
The resort is a prestigious 260 acre site in the western Algarve and lies in a prime location just off the A22 motorway west of Lagos and only 45 minutes drive from Faro International Airport.
With two distinctive sections the course is a par 71, 6,053 long and offers a variety of holes commencing with the welcoming first hole, a meandering downhill par 4, bordered by beautiful sub-tropical landscaping leading to harmoniously designed properties.
The signature hole on the outward nine is the stunning par 4, 7th hole set against a glorious backdrop of the Atlantic ocean with exhilarating panoramic views extending from Praia da Luz round to with the hills at Monchique creating a spectacular backdrop. Umbrella pines, blossoming almond, fig, palm and olive trees line the rolling fairways, weaving their way between water hazards and carefully placed bunkers. Breathtaking views, spectacular scenery and the clear Atlantic Ocean, which is visible from most holes, all combine to make this course a delight for the golfer.
The new clubhouse provides guests with a range of wining, dining and relaxation facilities. Enjoy the best of Mediterranean cuisine on the terrace of the Clubhouse that overlooks the 18th hole. There is also a teaching academy, driving range, pitching and chipping area, practice bunkers, putting green and pro shop.
The Boavista resort has everything you could desire…a fabulous championship golf course and golf academy, clubhouse, restaurant, indoor & outdoor heated swimming pools, children’s pools, a luxurious health club/spa including jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, massage facilities, beauticians and gymnasium as well as a tennis academy with two floodlit courts, five-a-side football pitch and a safe children’s play area.
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Alto Golf and Country Club, Algarve
Alto Golf and Country Club, located in Alvor in Portugal’s Western Algarve, is set in beautifully landscaped gardens, with villas apartments golf and townhouses, many with superb views of the sea, the golf course or the fabulous gardens. It was opened in June l99l, in the presence of the Portuguese President. It is located between Alvor and Praia da Rocha, and 5 kilometres from the city of Portimao.
The 18 hole, Par 72 golf course, spans across two gently sloping valleys and runs to 6125 meters from the back tees. The opening nine holes offer fine views over the bay of Lagos. The back nine, set on rolling slopes, include the remarkable Henry Cotton Challenge, the longest Par 5 in Europe.
Alto Golf has a first class driving range (with both grass and all weather mats), a practice bunker, a putting green and a short game target green. There is also a well appointed Club House overlooking the 18th green. The glass fronted entrance opens into a large shop and reception area. There is a bar and restaurant with terraces.
The country club nearby has a combination of luxury dream homes including villas apartments for sale, set around stunningly landscaped gardens.
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