Pro's Playing Tips
The first hole,
a par 4, must be one of the most stunning in the Algarve. The
tee is high up, looking directly out to sea. The fairway drops
away steeply to a green which is tucked away out of sight. It's
a slight dog-leg to the right, a stroke index 4, so you have some
sort of an idea of difficulty. A good drive and thoughtful approach,
and there is the chance of an early par. The next five holes run
along at sea level, parallel to the beach. It is usually the par-5
fifth which upsets the score. You have the back of the dunes running
the entire length to the right side, and pretty much sandy waste
on the left. The fairway is generous enough, but somehow the sand
acts as a magnet for the second and third shots. The green is
concave and if you fire in and run past the flag, somehow the
ball never seems to run back.
The tenth
is a 165-meter par 3 from an elevated tee to an elevated green,
across the valley. It's never the same shot; there is always the
wind making it look further than it looks. You have a couple of
par 4's then... the twelfth - 400 meters, and the sixteenth that
is 418 meters. From the back tee all you can see is the rising
ground, A good drive and you should get to the top where you can
see the green. But it's not all straightforward, because the fairway
then drops away to your left. If you are too far right, you will
end up in the figs and olives. The seventeenth, although only
458 meters and a par 5 is a dog-leg left, pretty well all downhill.
There is a great temptation to fire the second over the fairly
open area of scrub on your left, looking for a certain birdie.
Don't. |
The course is a showpiece for the imagination
of Frank Pennink, one of the most prolific golf course designers
in Portugal. 
