Penina Hotel & Golf Resort

PO Box 146, Penina,

Portimao, Algarve 8501-952

  • Office

    +351 282 420 200
  • Pro shop

    +351 282 420 223
  • Fax

    +351 282 420 300
  • Golf pro

    José Lourenço (Golf Professional).
  • Academy

    Penina Golf Academy

About the course

  • The Course:

    18 holes. Tree-lined parkland. Gently undulating terrain - easy to walk.

  • Surroundings:

    Woodland and residential.

  • Designer:

    Sir Henry Cotton

Back
tees
Club
tees
Front
tees
Metres
6273
5827
5140
Par
73
73
73
SSS or slope
73.7
71.5
73.2

At the same location:

9-hole par-35 Resort course (2987 metres); 9-hole par-30 Academy course (1851 metres).

Location

Latitude:

37.161299

Longitude:

-8.580424

How to get there:

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 Hotel & Golf Resort

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.

Est. 1966

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.

List of courses: Algarve, Portugal

Visitors

Who can play and when?

Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends.

Must book in advance. Maximum handicap: men 28; women 36.

Green fees

Visitor fee, 18-holes in high season (spring/autumn) on the Championship course: €129.

Contact club for full details, discounts, Stay&Play packages, etc. [Last updated: 2023].

Other information

Soft spikes only. Players generally walk this course.

Practice facilities

Good

Did you know?

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.

Published ranking

Portugal's 20th best course (Golf World, 2022).
Continental Europe's 164th best course (Golf World, 2023).

Where2Stay

  • Penina Hotel & Golf Resort4-star

    PO Box 146, Penina, 8502 Portimao, Algarve.

    +351 282 420 200

    Visit website

    Penina 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.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      Penina

    • Golf within 10 km:

      Palmares; Morgado

    • Golf within 30 km:

      Vale da Pinta; Gramacho; Oceânico O'Connor Jnr; Oceânico Faldo.

  • Pestana Alvor Praia Beach & Golf Hotel

    Priaia dos Tres Irmaos, 8501-904 Alvor, Algarve

    +351 282 400 900

    Visit website
    • Golf at this hotel:

      No

    • Golf within 10 km:

      Palmares; Penina; Morgado

    • Golf within 30 km:

      Vale da Pinta; Gramacho

Find a course

Or

Tournaments

Ryder Cup: Rome plays host to the first ever Ryder Cup to be staged in Italy, with the USA defending golf’s greatest team trophy at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club (Sept 29-Oct 1).

Solheim Cup: also in September, also in southern Europe, the 18th Solheim Cup will be contested at Finca Cortesin on the Costa del Sol, with Europe defending after their surprise win in Toledo, Inverness Club (Ohio) in 2021 (Sept 22-24). 

Who's Who

Céline Boutier: with many successes as both an amateur and professional golfer, Boutier added a major championship title to her impressive résumé at this year’s Evian Championship.

Alex Cejka: buffeted by rain and high winds, especially on the high-scoring final day, Čejka prevailed over Pádraig Harrington in a playoff at Royal Porthcawl, to scoop the Senior Open Championship title.

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club

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.

Prince's Golf Club, Kent (UK)

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

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