Finally getting round to uploading some recent pics from our Portugal trip. I'd actually forgotten how decent a place it is for golf - especially the weather!!
Henry Cotton's Penina - classy (and expensive!)
Back of the 1st Green at Gramacho - Ron Fream and Nick Price. Nine new holes and nine old ones. Very distinctive difference, eh?
Pretty wild bunkering on the new holes. I found them pretty relentless on approach shots.
Nice little Par 3 benched into hillside (old hole)
Portugal not totally immune from the charms of the water feature. Quite a decent wee drop shot 3, too.
Quite a few holes of Pine Valley influence...twin greens and fronting cavenous holes
a wee bit closer...
REALLY good fun drivable uphill par 4 with narrow LZ and water left/death right options. Eek!
Now onto the 'Links' of Palmares. Five quite decent seaside holes into a howling wind on the day. Felt quite at home!
A truly MAD Cape hole into a 30mph wind. A PERFECT Drive and the sweetest 4-iron I've ever hit got me in birdie range. I missed...
Avoiding this massive hollow was the EASY part...
Palm Trees at Palmares...nice!
So, all in all a good trip. I didn't take any pics at Alto Golf, unfort. Good story there though. On their short 11th, they were having a 'million dollar hole in one' day. Ten Euros and if you make the ace you're off to Las Vegas to try for the mill.
I hit the PERFECT 9-iron into a left quartering wind. It bounced two feet from the hole, jumped up and rattled the pin then dropped and clattered around the cup for what seemed like an eternity before rolling to a stop two feet away. Closest I've ever been to an Ace. I thought I might faint! Yes, I made the two.
best,
FBD.