There are many challenging and picturesque golf courses on the Algarve Coast of Portugal, all available for public play. The following are but a few..

PENINA GOLF CLUB
Address: Portimao
Telephone: (082) 415 415

The Penina course created by Henry Cotton, is now a monument to his memory. Penina was the first course to be built in the Algarve and it was inaugurated by the President of the Republic in 1966.

The par of the Penina course is 73 (35+38) with the second nine both beginning and finishing with two consecutive par 5's, which is not usual. The first hole, a 411 -metre par 4, almost long enough to be a conventional 5, is rather difficult and has a green which is more than 35 metres long, requiring careful choice of the approach iron to be played.

To close the first nine there is another hole over 400 metres long with a dogleg to the left and also a long double tiered green, well defended by three bunkers. The l3th hole, a 208-metre par 3 lies alongside a lake, with a bunker defending the right of the green, and is one of Penina's challenging holes.

The extensive driving-range is very well managed and there is also a huge putting-green with an area of about 1000 square metres, making Penina a superior quality practice centre.

PENINA GOLF CLUB	Championship Tees: 6343 m
Blue Tees: 5946 m	Founded: 1966
Men's Par: 72	Women's Par: 72

QUINTA do LAGO GOLF CLUB
( Old Course )
Address: Almancil
Telephone: (089) 396 002

Golfing on the Algarve Coast of Portugal would not be complete without a round at the popular Quinta do Lago Golf Club.

Situated in an outstanding resort area and close to a natural reserve, which is a zone of environmental protection, the Quinta do Lago courses are famous in the international golfing world. One of the world's most famous golf courses, Quinta do Lago is part of a resort area favored by members of the international jet set, and is bordered by the Ria Formosa Natural Park. Its four nine-hole loops offer sufficient flexibility to allow four eighteen-hole combinations (all par 72); so Quinta do Lago offers a well-diversified challenge. The terrain is identical on all four courses, and relies on the natural characteristics of sandy soils covered by pine trees, heather and other wonderful wild flowers.

QUINTO do LAGO GOLF CLUB
Blue Tees: 5496 m	Founded: 1974
Men's Par: 72	Women's Par: 72

PARQUE da FLORESTA GOLF CLUB
Address: Almancil
Telephone: (082) 653 33

A very well designed layout, to play here is an achievement in any golfer's yearbook. If possible, one should take in Parque da Floresta, a creation of the controversial Spanish architect Jose "Pepe" Gancedo. The former Spanish Amateur champion has been known to leave large cacti in the middle of fairways, and his lively imagination is on full display at this course. Set high in the hills above the fishing village of Salema, just off the Lagos-Sagres road, its most notorious hole is the 577-yard 9th, which features a tee-shot over a Portuguese garden and an approach-shot over a stream to a plateau green. Fun stuff. It's just the sort of entertainment that makes the Algarve unforgettable.

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