Going for Golf

Go west for Portugal’s best

Penha Longa

Situated on a national nature reserve, just minutes from trendy Cascais and historic Lisbon, Penha Longa is in a stunning location. Friar Vasco Martins chose to build his monastery here in 1355, and the palace at Penha Longa became a favourite retreat for the Portuguese royal family in the 16th and 17th centuries. During this period, many beautiful adornments, some of which remain to this day, were erected, including fountains, gardens and water mills.

The resort offers cycle and jogging routes, horse-riding, squash and tennis courts, as well as 27 golf holes designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr and full practice and coaching facilities.

The Atlantic Course is an 18-hole, par-72 championship lay-out of 6,814 yards, offering challenges galore and with the added bonus of sumptuous views over the ocean. To the south there is Estoril and Cascais while the Sintra hills lie to the north. The course has hosted many top events, including the Portuguese Open.

The Monastery course is a nine-hole, par-35 lay-out of 2,804 yards, which meanders around the historical heart of the resort and is ideal for guests who arrive in the late afternoon but who would still like to play a round of golf.

The Atlantic Course rewards accuracy but does not punish the odd stray shot too severely. Take your punishment and accept the dropped shot is the strategy to employ here. With so many terrific golf holes giving a different test of your abilities off most tees, this course stretches you to your limits. And if the wind is favourable on one tee, you can guarantee it’s going to test you on the next, no more so than on the four par-threes.

The tee towers above the fifth green, 148 yards from the blue markers, with thick woods all down the left and bunkers right of the flag. With the wind in your face, correct club selection is crucial. This is also true of the 146-yard, 15th, which replaces the trees with a lake all the way to the edge of the green on the left and bunkers on the right. A level head and a quick prayer are useful allies when the wind blows up the hill and against your shot.

The sixth, a 447-yard par-four (again off the blue tees) was my favourite on the front nine. The tee is slightly elevated tee with trees down the left and a lake protecting the green. If you take on the lake with your approach shot, the imposing ruins of a Roman aqueduct will make any over-struck shots difficult or downright impossible from which to recover.

The back nine asks many questions of your confidence and control, with tee shots across valleys and the ball above or below your feet on many of the fairways. But one in particular stands out.

The par-four, 395-yard 16th, opens with another elevated tee shot across a deep valley onto a steep, uphill fairway, with dense woodland on both sides. So, do you launch it with the driver, or hit a sensible three-wood and sacrifice distance for accuracy?

Well, it’s your call, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.