Penina Championship

The verdict

Penina is the grand old course of the Algarve, and it wears its history well. Where many of the region's modern layouts climb through the hills, Cotton's design lies on flat, low ground and defends par with water, ditches and the avenues of mature trees he planted himself, now tall enough to shape every tee shot. It is a course about position and patience rather than power, a proper championship examination from the back markers and a fair, enjoyable round from the right tees.

For the travelling golfer it offers something the newer resorts cannot: genuine pedigree and the quiet confidence of a course that has tested the best for sixty years. It suits the player who values heritage, accuracy off the tee and the calm of a settled, tree lined parkland, and who will happily pair a round here with the more dramatic coastal courses nearby. Penina is where Algarve golf began, and it still belongs on the itinerary.

The holes worth the trip

The character of Penina is set early: tight, tree framed corridors where the line off the tee dictates the angle in, and water or a ditch waiting for the loose shot. Cotton's trees, planted on what was open paddy land, now stand as the course's principal defence, and a drive pushed into them usually means a chip back to the fairway rather than a heroic recovery.

The par 3s are strong and varied, several played across water to greens that punish a tentative swing, and the par 5s reward the player who places the second shot rather than reaching for the green in two. The greens are subtle rather than severe, fair to a well struck approach, and the closing holes near the hotel give a championship finish in front of an audience.

What defines a round here is the demand for control and the pleasure of a mature, settled course where nothing is contrived. Play it with a strategy and Penina rewards you; attack it without thought and the trees and water collect their dues.

Where to stay nearby

The natural base is the Penina hotel itself, a grand resort property beside the first tee with the practice ground and two shorter courses on hand, ideal for a golf focused stay where everything is on site. For a livelier evening the marina and old town of Portimao and the beaches of Alvor and Praia da Rocha are all close by.

Penina sits well within a wider western Algarve itinerary, an easy drive from the championship courses of the Vilamoura and Palmares stretch, so a group can build a varied week of resort and coastal golf around it.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Alvor and Portimao.