{{ubiquityData.prevArticle.description}}
{{ubiquityData.nextArticle.description}}
WESTERN ALGARVE
It’s the place where it all began.
Just a month before Bobby Moore led England to their famous World Cup victory at Wembley more than half a century ago, Sir Henry Cotton had paved the way with his debut design at Penina, where those first shots were struck.
It’s the birthplace of golf in the Algarve and it’s hard to believe anyone could have predicted the sport’s phenomenal growth in the region, since a former paddy field, just north of a peaceful fishing village called Alvor, was transformed by Cotton’s vision.
Fittingly, Penina also hosted the Algarve’s first European Tour event, the Portuguese Open, in 1973, while it has undergone upgrades and investment to move with the times. But the parkland layout stands the test of time, while the nine-hole Resort and Academy courses are also ideal for beginners or the more occasional golfers.
At Morgado and Álamos, two courses sit almost side by side but display remarkable contrasts.
Morgado is a par-73 layout, with a distinctive difference in its own right. The front nine is flat, but littered with water hazards, while the back nine embraces the dramatic landscape, with elevations playing an integral part in the experience.
Álamos is less demanding in terms of driving distance, but places more emphasis on accuracy, with tighter fairways and smaller targets.
The views across the reservoir and vineyards also create the visual impact of a natural environment.
At Espiche, dramatic scenery starts from the opening tee shot with a drop of around 80 feet to the fairway before rising back up towards the green.
Just a short hop from the charming harbour town of Lagos, it is one of the newest additions to the Algarve’s selection, having opened in 2014. Aside from a course requiring strategy and courage in equal measure, the clubhouse is up there with the very best you will find, as a stunning focal point overlooking the fairways.
In tandem with its neighbour Boavista – a Howard Swan design – the views out to the Atlantic Ocean are on offer on almost every hole. But this is not a course for the faint-hearted, with sharp ravines requiring plenty of skill and judgment to come through it with your scorecard unscathed.
A little further along the coast at Onyria Palmares Beach & Golf Resort, there are three nine-hole loops – the Alvor, Lagos and Praia – which make for a memorable experience. Dating back to 1975, an extensive renovation by Robert Trent Jones II, in 2010, took the resort to new heights and it remains one of the jewels in the western Algarve crown.
Pestana has a portfolio of four courses in the west region: Alto, Gramacho, Silves and Vale da Pinta.
Henry Cotton’s final design – Alto – once boasted the longest hole in Europe with its 623-yard 16th, which coined ‘the Sir Henry Challenge’, but presents many more subtle tests throughout the experience.
Originally designed as an 18-hole layout with 27 greens, both Gramacho and Vale da Pinta have since each been expanded to a full 18 holes.
Vale da Pinta was designed by American Ronald Fream and the undulating course meanders its way through olive groves and indigenous trees, with a backdrop of the Monchique Mountains.
Fream then teamed up with the former world No.1 Nick Price to create the unique design at Gramacho, which has played host to the Portuguese Ladies Open on several occasions and remains a hugely popular choice for visiting golfers.
Meanwhile, Silves has an excellent selection of par-threes and serves up yet more stunning panoramic vistas to offer a blend of thrilling golf in the most peaceful and unspoilt of settings.
Aside from Price, there are other Major champions and golfing heroes to have left their mark on the Algarve with their designs.
At Oceânico Amendoeira Golf Resort, two European Ryder Cup heroes from the past have added their names to the landscape in style in the shape of the Faldo and the O’Connor courses.
Faldo’s design is based on expansive bunkering acting as its key defence, while the O’Connor layout relies on water – perhaps fittingly for those who remember Christy’s famous Ryder Cup-winning two-iron at the Belfry all those years ago.
The west is where it all started for golf in the Algarve, but it certainly hasn’t stood still.
