|
The Algarve's well-earned reputation as a leading light on the European golfing scene, though only now coming to the attention of American golfers, had its beginnings more than 40 years ago. The approaching half century of golf development has been slow but sure and always well planned, with the private and public sectors working closely in partnership, to ensure that golf in The Algarve would always be of a standard to rank alongside the best anywhere.
It was a development approach that has proved its worth, time and time again and nowhere is the evidence as clear as in those original layouts. Designed by the pioneering architects of the 1960's and 1970's, these highly esteemed courses still hold their heads high and remain listed among Portugal's best. Much of the credit belongs to three-time British Open champion and noted golf architect, Sir Henry Cotton, an Englishman and a leading figure in taking golf through its transition from the traditional game of its origins, into the modern day era. Cotton was invited to The Algarve in the early sixties, to investigate the region's suitability to golf development. Thoroughly enchanted by what he saw, Cotton grasped the opportunity to design The Algarve's very first course on a flat, treeless piece of desolate real estate, located at the western end of the coast, near the fishing village of Portimao. The end result at Penina is still considered a masterpiece and perhaps his best design ever. Any golfer playing Penina's championship course today, can only be impressed. Almost fifty years after its inauguration, the layout sparkles every bit as much as it did back in 1966, but with a maturity and seasoned experience that lets you know, this is a wily, modern day, "Old Timer" that knows every trick in the book -- and then some -- it's a course that has earned its stripes. Today, it's hard to imagine how the mundane site Cotton had to work with, has been transformed. He planted almost 400,000 trees, which now fully matured, bring a sense of grandeur to the course. The generous use of bunkering, though seldom penal, adds a sense of adventure and a distinctly British flavor, reminiscent of Scotland's Carnoustie. Streams, lakes and ponds bring water into play on almost half the holes, not only adding an aesthetic quality, but also placing a further accent on the need for accuracy and good course management. Penina is a course to be taken very seriously, its length from the back tees of more than 7,000 yards, only emphasizing the point. read more at PGA tour Golf |
