Year round Bliss in the Algarve ... enjoy the JJW Hotels properties.

YEAR ROUND BLISS SUN KISSED FAIRWAYS AND 5* ACCOMMODATION

SIR HENRY COTTON PENINA, THE HOME OF GOLF IN THE ALGARVE

Sir Henry Cotton was a larger than life character driving around in a Rolls Royce and occupying a suite in the 5* Penina Hotel following his retirement from professional golf.

A winner of three Open Championships and many other golf tournaments, notably the French, Belgian, Czechoslovak, Italian, German and other Opens during his 30 year career, Henry Cotton’s career really got going after taking up the post of Head Professional at the Royal Waterloo Golf Club in Belgium where he really found his game and became one of Britain’s best golfers. He married Isabel-Maria Estanguet de Moss, the lamboyant daughter of a Argentinean beef merchant who in luenced Cotton’s image and dress sense.

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Following his retirement, he became a renowned golf architect with the Penina Championship Golf Course as one of his main designs which then signalled the start of golf in the Algarve.

ANNO 1966 FIRST GOLF TOURISTS ARRIVE Tourism in Portugal was synonym with Lisbon, Cascais and Estoril and it was the playground of the rich and famous escaping the cold and damp northern winters. The potential of the Algarve was still to be discovered. That changed in the mid 60’s when the idea of a golf resort was formed in the minds of some local entrepreneurs. The Algarve then was still unspoilt with long, largely empty beaches and small guesthouses but Penina would change all that. They assembled the best team in the business to design a 5* property and golf course on the ‘paddy elds’ below the site of the hotel. Henry Cotton saw the potential and designed the routing but also planted thousands of trees and shrubs to frame the traditional layout.

Penina ***** was and remains the benchmark for

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luxury golf holidays in the Algarve.

PENINA GOLF A TRADITIONAL DESIGN WITH SUNSHINE

For a Par of 73, the close to 7,000 yard and relatively tight Henry Cotton Championship Course is no pushover. Although the start is gentle enough, the course shows its teeth on the back 9.

The unusual combination of double Par 5’s to start and nish the back 9 results in a Par 35 - 37 combo.

There is water and it’s notoriously in play on holes 2, 5 and 7 and then again on 12 and 13.

There are drains playing havoc with your drives and many of the 2nd shots on Par 5’s. Most greens are elevated and sloped, catch a bit of spin and you’ll nd yourself at the bottom of the slope.

Given that Cotton planted thousands of trees, you’ll be guided from most tees but don’t wander astray as you’ll nd it hard to reach the greens.

The stand-out hole for me is the 12th, a long straight Par 4 where only a straight drive will give you access to a water fronted green.

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Championship: Par 73 - 6,273 meters

BEST LOCATION IN THE ALGARVE

Opened in 1968, the hotel was named after Philippa of Lancaster, whose marriage to John I of Portugal cemented the 700 year old Anglo-Portuguese Alliance.

Situated in Vale do Lobo and on the edge of one of Europe’s inest golden beaches, the Dona Filipa Hotel recently underwent a major refurbishment and can now once again hold irm amongst Algarve’s inest.

The hotel provides 154 rooms of various types and several restaurants and bars. A short walk gives you access to the ‘Praca’ with abundant nightlife.

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It also has one of the Algarve’s only outdoor heated swimming pools for year round swimming which gives it an all year appeal.

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DONA FILIPA HOTEL *****

San Lorenzo Golf, an iconic golf course on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean.

Pinheiros Altos, 3 distinctive loops of 9 wedged between the San Lorenzo lowlands and Quinta do Lago.

PINHEIROS ALTOS THREE LOOPS OF 9 Pines, Corks and Olives … all local produce and the three loops of 9 all blend seamlessly in the local landscape. My favourite combo is Pines / Corks which gives you undulation, elevation, water and trees.

This course can show its teeth and has probably the longest Par 5 I’ve ever played. The 8th of the Corks is a 527 meter par 5, not stupidly long but however it’s presented, it seems to go on forever.

For the most part uphill, with a green wedged on top of a crest and framed by luxury villas, it will be a hard par for anyone.

There are gentler holes on this combination and lots of scoring opportunities but the greens are generally massive so getting on it is one thing, walking off with pars is another. I enjoyed it and it was in good condition coming out of a long dry year.

Pines - Corks: Par 72 - 6,199 meters

SAN LORENZO ONE OF EUROPE’S FINEST One of my personal favourite golf courses anywhere and it always entices me to play well.

Constructed in a gure of 8 around the modest club house, holes 5 to 8 are amongst the most scenic in golf. There are only a few ‘easy’ holes on San Lorenzo but the combination of holes 5 to 8 is a joy to play.

The only thing I would say is they come too early in the round as everything after that seems just that little bit less spectacular. Don’t get me wrong, every hole that follows is a gem and needs to be played with care and precision and the nal two are possible card wreckers.

When in top condition, San Lorenzo can rival the best in the world and it’s the one I always return to whenever I have the chance.

WORDS: JO MAES, PRESIDENT OF THE EGTMA

Par 72 - 6,255 meters

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IMAGES: JJW HOTELS & RESORTS

EGTMA members were invited by the JJW Hotels & Resorts group to sample their properties in the Algarve. Our visit coincided with the Confederation of Professional Golf’s Annual Congress and Team Championship at Penina.

I would like to thank the principles and staff of the JJW Hotels & Resorts, Gisela, Pedro, Rita, Christophe, Antonio and all for looking after us.

Also thanks to Ian Randell and Aston Ward of the CPG and their president Frank Kirsten, Dutch PGA, for allowing us to participate in their event.