PO Box 146, Penina,
Portimao, Algarve 8501-952
Office
+351 282 420 200Pro shop
+351 282 420 223Fax
+351 282 420 300Website
Visit websiteGolf pro
José Lourenço (Golf Professional).Academy
Penina Golf AcademyThe Course:
18 holes. Tree-lined parkland. Gently undulating terrain - easy to walk.
Surroundings:
Woodland and residential.
Designer:
Sir Henry Cotton
9-hole par-35 Resort course (2987 metres); 9-hole par-30 Academy course (1851 metres).
37.161299
-8.580424
5 km W of Portimao
From the A22 motorway (Faro - Portimao) take exit 4 (Alvor). After 1.4 km at roundabout follow direction Golfe & Hotel. After o.7 km turn left after BP petrol station into Le Meridien Penina Golf & Resort.
Penina
Penina Hotel & Golf Resort is home to the once revered course that launched golf on the Algarve. It also became the home of its designer and three-time Open Champion, Sir Henry Cotton. Complementing the Championship course at Penina, you can also hone your skills on the nine-hole Resort and Academy courses.
With some notable exceptions at the opening and closing holes, the terrain on the Championship course is relatively flat. The generally tree-lined fairways weave their way through an elegant parkland environment, where Cotton transformed a previously open landscape. 360,000 trees were planted, all of them now fully mature. Spicing-up many of the well crafted holes, you will need to avoid several water ditches and small lakes. Lay-up or go-for-it is a frequent choice to be made.
The overall layout, which has recently seen variable maintenance standards, has a distinctly English parkland feel. There's enough space to allow shoulder-opening opportunities for big-hitters, not least at the short par-4s. The back-nine loop weighs-in with a par of 38, opening with two tough par-5s, and an easier par-5 duo to close-out your round.
The nine-hole Resort course begins with the same parkland character of its grander sibling. This course also incorporates two small lakes and some more open areas that utilise an area of sand dunes on the property.
Pick of the holes: the par-3 13th on the Championship course is a Sir Henry Cotton classic; the further back you tee-off, the more of the pond you’ll need to cross.
Stay&Play at Penina: luxury onsite accommodation available, see Where2Stay section below.
Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends.
Must book in advance. Maximum handicap: men 28; women 36.
Contact club for full details, discounts, Stay&Play packages, etc. [Last updated: 2023].
Soft spikes only. Players generally walk this course.
Good
Penina's championship course (now known as the Sir Henry Cotton Championship course) was the first 18-hole resort golf course to be built in Portugal. It is unquestionably where golf started in this southwestern corner of the Iberian Peninsula. Three times British Open champion, Sir Henry Cotton was encouraged to visit and lay out a course over a former rice field. On an unpromising wet, treeless site, he grasped the opportunity with relish, and later made Penina his home.
Penina has hosted many top-level tournaments (See our Tournaments section >by Venue >Penina). | Penina is a member of the Audubon Co-operative Sanctuary System.
Portugal's 20th best course (Golf World, 2022).
Continental Europe's 164th best course (Golf World, 2023).
PO Box 146, Penina, 8502 Portimao, Algarve.
+351 282 420 200
Visit websitePenina Hotel & Golf Resort, for many years one of the top destinations on the Algarve, is home to a wide array of sporting and leisure facilities. The resort offers a renowned championship golf course, two nine-hole courses, olympic size swimming pool and FIFA-sized football pitch (used by professional clubs for winter training). The hotel also has a Penguin Village for children, tennis courts, beach club and an impressive selection of restaurants and bars.
Penina
Palmares; Morgado
Vale da Pinta; Gramacho; Oceânico O'Connor Jnr; Oceânico Faldo.
Priaia dos Tres Irmaos, 8501-904 Alvor, Algarve
+351 282 400 900
Visit websiteNo
Palmares; Penina; Morgado
Vale da Pinta; Gramacho
The Sentry: known for many years as the Tournament of Champions, the PGA Tour’s 2025 season-opener gets underway on Kapalua’s Plantation course (Jan 2-5). Chris Kirk defends.
Tournament of Champions: the LPGA Tour’s 2025 season is launched at Lake Nona with the their Tournament of Champions (Jan 30-Feb 2). The 2024 edition gave Lydia Ko her 20th LPGA Tour title.
Attahya Thitikul: also known as “Jeeno”, the Thai golfer won the LPGA Tour’s 2024 CME Group Tour Championship … and an eye-watering $4 million, the richest first-prize in women’s golf.
Rory McIlroy: scooped the 2024 European (DP World) Tour season-long Order of Merit title, joining Seve Ballesteros as a six-time winner of this prestigious award.
Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.
Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.
Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.
Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available
You can subscribe to the Where2Golf channel on YT if you like to see more video content. You'll find a "Subscribe" button on any of our YouTube videos. Or if you want a quick and direct access subscribe here. Once done, any new published videos will show up in your Subscriptions feed.