Penha Longa Golf Course- hole 15
Penha Longa Resort is located in the beautiful Sintra Mountains north of Lisbon
The resort includes 27 holes of golf and a luxury hotel (The Ritz-Carlton).
Robert Trent Jones Jnr was the architect (one of my favourite designers) .
The championship course (holes 1-18)- is called The Atlantic Course, and opened in 1992
Penha Longa has hosted many championships over the years, including The Portugese Open in 1994.
Set high in the hills, the course moves through some severely undulating terrain, opening with a few holes in the valleys, and then a number along ridges.
The bones of the course are very good, but the overall conditioning was poor.
Concrete cart paths were broken and almost undriveable, fairways were patchy and bunker edges overgrown and needing attention
Penha Longa Resort- hole 18
However there are some excellent holes- 5, 6, & 7 are classy and the two par 3’s in the back nine- 15 & 17- are good holes
Perhaps I visited the course out of season, but my impressions were that it was a quality course that was looking tired…
The other 9 holes at Penha Longa- The Monastery nine- opened in 1995
It is not of the same standard as the Atlantic Course.
The design and presentation are basic in comparison
Presumably it was built as an executive nine?
Notable holes include:
- hole 5, a mid legth par 3 with a long drop from tee to green
Penha Longa resort- hole 5
- hole 6, a very pretty short par 5 with lake in play and magnificent medieval wall & castle tower in the background
Penha Longa Resort- hole 6
Penha Longa Resort- hole 6 green
- hole 7, picture postcard par 3 with water in play
- hole 15, another strong par 3 with water carry
Penha Longa Resort- hole 7
Penha Longa Resort- hole 15
Penha Longa is a mountainous site, and the course is a tough walk . You might want to take a cart!
Trent Jones has fashioned a good course in difficult terrain, and the quality of his design shines through.
In season, and in good condition it would definitely be a nice complement to the likes of Oitavos Dunes & West Cliffs in golfing itineraries
But avoid The Monastery nine! (holes 19-27)
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