Penha Longa Resort in Portugal is to carry about a major renovation of its renowned Atlantic course to elevate its conditioning and playing standards ahead of the 2022 golf season.
Originally designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr, the headline renovation of the course will see all 87 bunkers restored to their original shape, adding 747 tonnes of local white sand, enhancing an already picturesque layout which meanders through the Sintra Mountains.
The resort, which is located a 30-minute drive from Lisbon in the Sintra hills, aims to improve the overall structure of the bunkers and reinstate the correct levels of stability, smoothness and compaction for improved playability across the year.
Portugal has a climate which supports golf all year round, and with the adjustments to the course, conditions will be accommodating throughout dry periods and winter months.
Course upgrades also include the re-grassing of some of the fairways, a new layer of Bermuda grass, revitalising five of the key holes (2, 6, 8, 13 and 18) with improved drainage processes, resulting in greener and smoother aesthetics.
The course management team at Penha Longa has opted for Bermuda Grass after research from certified labs forecast the new grass could save the resort up to 30% in irrigation water per year, and the results should be visible within a year or two.
Speaking about the new course upgrades, Oliver Key, General Manager at Penha Longa Resort, said: “Our entire team at Penha Longa Resort are passionate about providing our guests with the best possible experience on the Atlantic 365 days of the year.
“Having last renovated the course before the Portugal Open in 2009, we want to reinstate consistency across the course and elevate the resort to a new level, attracting new golfers from across the world. It is our ambition to bring tournament golf back to the resort and hope that these changes will be the first step on the road to doing so.”
“Becoming an environmentally sustainable resort is also a key ambition of ours in the future and no stone was left unturned in the decision-making process undertaken at the start of the project. Our team have taken important steps to research and evaluate the different products that will be used to understand which ones will be most beneficial for the environment at the resort. This will allow us to update the course without being harmful to the stunning natural surroundings that we are lucky to find on our doorstep at Penha Longa Resort.”
The Atlantic course has recently been named 60th in Golf World’s ‘Top 100 Golf Courses in Continental Europe’ 2022-23, in addition to 52nd in the ‘Top 100 Modern Courses 2021’ and 10th in the ‘Top 50 Courses in Portugal’, confirming the developments on course have been successful. Penha Longa Resort has also been named 24th in the new ‘Top 100 Resorts in Continental Europe’, as well as 7th in the ‘Top 25 Golf Resorts in Portugal’.
With The Atlantic’s renovation set to be completed before the end of the year, Penha Longa Resort has also announced two new packages for visitors which are available until March 31, 2022.
Both packages include a range of complimentary dining options at the resort, as well as a guided tour of the XIV-Century Monastery, whilst the ‘Reconnect with Nature’ package offers the choice of one daily activity per person such as a cocktail workshop, historical circuit or yoga session. To find out more, visit www.penhalonga.com/en/autumn