Palmares

This Alvor golf course is set on the side of a south-facing hill which overlooks the Bay of Lagos. This means that Palmares offers quite possibly the most beautiful sea views of all the golf courses, not only in Alvor, but in the Algarve in general.

Five of its holes are placed on the sand dunes, the firth – a par-5 of 550 metres – making reaching the hole quite the challenge. At the current time there are no villas lining the fairways so the feeling of openness offered here is quite refreshing.

Penina

The Penina golf course is one of the oldest courses in the entire region of the Algarve, being a permanent living symbol to its architect and active promoter, Sir Henry Cotton.

Initially, paddy fields meant for growing rice were converted into a flat and challenging course which was particularly designed for strong players. Somewhere around half a million shrubs and trees were planted during this massive conversion. Since the course is so flat, Sir henry introduced very strategically placed water hazards and bunkers to catch long hitters. The Penina golf course has played host to the annual Portuguese Open many times.

Pinta

The Vale da Pinta course is very well laid out and interesting. Set in a very characteristic Algarve landscape featuring almond, olive and carob trees, the course rolls through small valleys and hills. Two of its holes require special attention, the par-3 tenth and the par-5 thirteenth. The first one features a large bunker defending the green against your shots and the second one winds through a valley of 541 metres.

Vale de Milho – 9 holes

This par-3 nine-hole golf course is located just outside of the fishing village of Carvoeiro. It’s a great course for beginners and novices being a good place to practice one’s short have thanks to the water hazards, bunkers and variable greens.

The post Alvor golf courses (part 2) appeared first on Alvor Portugal.