Golf Alto

Alto Golf is situated near the picturesque village of Alvor. Extraordinary white sandy beaches, clear blue sea and fascinating cliffs are part of its charm.

This was the last course designed by the legendary Sir Henry Cotton, the triple winner of the British Open. It embodies his belief that a golf course should test players with low handicaps, but also provides a pleasant game for golfers of only average level. After his death, the project continued by Peter Dobereiner, a well-known golf journalist.

The course, with the beautiful Monchique mountains as its back-drop, runs through two valleys and offers winding fairways and gently undulating greens.
Nearest Accommodation:
Hotel Algarve Casino, Hotel Oriental, Concorde Apartment I Accommodation Algarve
Nearest Golf Courses:
Penina, Morgado do Reguengo, Palmares

Pro's Playing Tips
It's easy to be lulled into a feeling that the opening hole - a par 3 of 163 meters, with no apparent hazards, could be e benign foretaste of what is to come. Don't let yourself be fooled. Thereafter, virtually every hole demands precise planning of shots if you are to have the satisfaction of playing this great course well. The abundant trees and bushes, the placement of bunkers and incorporating dog-legs, result in a true test of golf. Elevated greens mean that deciding on which club to take will constantly be an influence. Perhaps the no hole illustrates this point as well as the par-4 fourth (400 meters). The fairway is generous, and there is a lake to the right. Yet it is exactly to the right that you must play the drive to have any sort of line to the two tiered green. The left approach is protected by a group of trees.

The seventh is a par 3 of 201 meters. The bunkers which are to the front right and left will severely punish anything at all wayward. The green is elevated and crowned, which means that chipping close can be difficult. A par is certainly worthy of celebration.

The tenth is a par 4, but the tee shot is blind and all you seem to see is the rising fairway with the trees which overhang it. Anything to the left rolls to a parallel fairway, with a divisional tree line. Off to the right is out of bound, or in a corpse of trees. So, providing you are on the fairway, it is just a mid-iron to the receptive elevated green. Easy!

The monster sixteenth - 604 meters - sports a lake on the left. The scant fairway, dotted with olive trees, slopes towards it. There seems no realistic landing area. Having said which, if you get a satisfactory drive in, then its just a l...o...n...g... w...a...y.

Course Data
Architect: Sir Henry Cotton & Peter Dobereiner
Opened: 1991
Holes: 18
Par: 72
Length: 6.125 meters
Pro's: Robert Bridge and Leonel Altura
Requirements: A Handicap Certificate
Facilities: Driving Range, Putting Green, Pitching Area (with bunkers), Trolleys, Club Hire, Pro-shop, Children's Nursery, Restaurant, Bar.

Score Card:

Hole	C	M	L	Par	Stroke
1	162	136	114	3	15
2	364	348	332	4	11
3	419	403	339	5	9
4	400	321	304	4	3
5	437	427	387	5	13
6	401	377	358	4	1
7	201	188	177	3	7
8	323	293	258	4	17
9	376	362	248	4	5
out	3083	2855	2617	36

Hole	C	M	L	Par	Stroke
10	410	351	329	4	4
11	152	120	108	3	14
12	136	124	106	3	18
13	416	402	373	5	10
14	262	247	233	4	16
15	370	361	340	4	8
16	604	589	530	5	2
17	160	124	104	3	12
18	532	510	493	5	6
in	3042	2828	2616	36

	C	M	L	Par
Total	6125	5683	5233	72

Copyright © Algarve Tennis Terms of Use