In 2019, I recommended Penha Longa Resort for five reasons:
- golf experience: The Atlantic & The Monastery golf courses were designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr.;
- cycling;
- surfing;
- wine experience;
- gastronomy – 3 restaurants with Michelin Stars
Penha Longa Resort has officially confirmed that its championship course, The Atlantic, will undergo renovation and upgrades in key areas to elevate its conditioning and playing standards.
The Atlantic has recently been named 60th in the ‘Top 100 Golf Courses in Continental Europe’.
Plans of Penha Longa Resort
- All 87 bunkers will be restored to their original shape, adding 747 tonnes of sustainable, local white sand;
- Improving the overall structure of the bunkers and reinstate the correct levels of stability, smoothness, and compaction for improved playability across the year.
- Course upgrades also include the re-grassing of some of the fairways, a new layer of Bermudagrass, revitalising 5 of the key holes (Holes 2, 6, 8, 13 and 18) with improved drainage processes, resulting in greener and smoother aesthetics.
The Penha Longa Resort is expecting the usage of Bermudagrass will help them also to save up to 30% in irrigation water per year.
To find new ways to save on irrigation water expenditure I would use Soil Scout. It provides accurate and actionable information about soil conditions at the root zone, where grass growth happens.
I assume they will use hybrid seed types (e.g. TifSport, TifEagle) of Bermudagrass. In case the resort’s golf course has got saline soils, then it is another reason to use Bermudagrass as it has got excellent salt tolerance.
Now they just need superb greenkeepers to achieve their goals.
