Sir Henry Cotton's Championship Golf Course

Previously The Penina, but known as the Sir Henry Cotton Championship Course, the main 18 holes provide the most demanding test of a player's skills in the Algarve, if not in Portugal. With the inevitable difficulty that flat landscaping and terrain creates with club selection, the holes are crossed and flanked by a series of streams, ditches and water hazards, demanding precisely executed shots to avoid trouble and achieve par. The course is beautifully maintained, winding past tall stands of eucalyptus and clumps of palm to mainly elevated greens which have subtle slopes and sometimes treacherous speeds.
Two holes show how important strategic water can be. The 5th doglegs left for 451 metres (493 yards), with three bunkers and lateral water to the right plus out-of-bounds following the tree line on the left all the way to the green. Its double-tiered, angled surface lies beyond a substantial lake, putting pressure on the second shot into a narrow funnel of fairway.

Of the par-3's, the most memorable is the 13th - voted one of the best 500 holes in the world! The 185 metres (202 yards) 13th hole requires a long carry over water, the curving shape of the left-hand fairway, with out-of-bounds on both sides, encouraging the shot to deviate right into the hazard.

The course is characterised by an unusual grouping of the par-5's, with four of the five arranged together in pairs at the beginning and end of the back nine producing a par of 38 as opposed to 35 for the front nine. As you turn home up the 18th, the magnificent building of the Hotel acts as a backdrop to the green framed by an amphitheatre of trees - a superb spectator setting! Drive short of the drainage ditch, position the second shot to avoid the bunkers guarding the putting surface and take into account the pin position on one of three tiers of the green for the approach and you could well finish with a commendable par!

Sir Henry Cotton Championship Course Specifications
Course Map Score Card	Click here to view score card
Holes	18
Par	73
Course Length	White marks Yellow marks Blue marks Red marks	6273 metres (6860 yards) 5827 metres (6373 yards) 5414 metres (5918 yards) 5140 metres (5621 yards)
Course Rating	White marks Yellow marks Blue marks Red marks	73.7 71.5 74.9 73.2
Slope Rating	White marks Yellow marks Blue marks Red marks	138 137 132 129
Grass	Fairways Greens	Lolium Perene, Poa Pratensis, Creeping Bent Creeping Bent Cobra
Handicap	Men Ladies	28 HCP 36 HCP

Sir Henry Cotton Championship Course Rules
The rules applied on our golf courses are the rules of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. However, the course does have local rules that should be respected during play.
Dress Code	Golfers are requested to observe and adhere to the dress code. T-shirts, jeans wear and tennis shoes are not permitted. Soft spikes are mandatory to play on all three golf courses.
Out of Bounds (White Stakes or lines)	a) The stream on the left of the 2nd fairway. b) Ground to the right of the lake at the 13th. c) All practice areas. d) Tar roads and any ground beyond them or outside the fenced or marked limits of the course.
Water Hazards (Yellow stakes or lines)	The ditches across the 2nd, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 16th, 17th and 18th fairways and the lakes on the 5th and 12th are water hazards. Relief may be taken (one stroke penalty) under rule 26-1 (a) or (b).
Lateral Water Hazards	All other ditches and the lakes on the 7th, 13th and 14th holes are lateral water hazards. Relief may be taken as above or under Rule 26-1 (c).
Ground Under Repair	a) Staked young trees and bushes - Relief taken under Rule 24-2B (a) (33-8 1 E). b) All areas marked G.U.R.
Immovable Obstructions	Sprinklers, control boxes, drain covers, cart paths and course furniture are immovable obstructions- Rule 24 -2 applies.
Course Markings	a) White Stakes - Out of Bounds. b) Red Stakes - Lateral Water Hazard. c) Blue Stakes - Ground Under Repair.
Distance Markers	a) Tee Box: Distance to middle of green. b) Fairway: Distance to middle of green
Etiquette	Please smooth footprints in bunkers, replace divots and repair all pitch marks. It is forbidden for more than two persons to ride in a golf buggy at one time. Any match that loses ground on the players in front is obliged to wave the following group through.