This blog was originally created as many members had doubts to whether the course would be playable for the Open on April 1st. My original plan was to give weekly updates regarding the condition of the course. As the Open has now been postponed until June, my aim is to take the blog in a new direction. Leaving politics aside I will continue to update you on course conditions as I find them so that you know what to expect when you arrive to play the course. I welcome any feedback or suggestions you might have and will also be adding more course reviews soon. You can reach me at weekendgolferportugal@gmail.com. Photos have been moved inside the corresponding blogs.

In regard to comments recieved today 1st April

Firstly, In response to the questions posted by happy golfer; no I am not practicing my photo skills and I actually play golf on the weekends and take photos as I please. Nowhere in this blog do I mention that I don’t like the course, in fact I love it, when it’s in good condition. As I state in my introduction, I show the course as it is, if you don’t like what you see then direct your anger and frustration towards management, not me. I am quite glad you enjoyed your round but if you think the course is great now, you should’ve seen it a few years ago when I would’ve rated it as the best I had ever played. The comments above yours, outline some golfers disappointment on the conditions of the course and those serious golfers are who I blog for, lots of them have planned their holidays around it to find the course closed or unplayable when they arrive. Read carefully the comments at the bottom of the page, I didn’t write them but if I had, I would be quite embarrassed. Just the fact that the Open was postponed has to tell you something!
We have had a new greens keeper for around a month and as of tomorrow we will have a new golf Director. I can only hope that things improve and we have our championship course back to its former glory soon. As the course improves you will see nicer photos proudly posted. Thanks to the rest of you for your support.

Penha Longa golf course update, March 27th

For all you unfortunate people still suffering of cabin fever, I thought I would rub it in a bit that today’s sun and warm weather brought the shorts and short sleeves out of the closet.

There has been a noticeable increase in tourists around the resort this week, hopefully not too many booked to get a few rounds in on a championship course and see the Open that was scheduled for next week.

We experienced more rain this week so there wasn’t a noticeable difference in the course from last week. (Photos posted below) There has been more work done in preparation to get the course up to scratch for the Open, with evidence of slice tining and sand being applied on the more problematic holes.

The ball still isn’t getting much roll. The greens are still playing slower than normal due to slight sanding over the last few weeks. We’ve also noticed rakes missing from some of the bunkers, quite annoying to say the least. The forecast shows good weather ahead so hopefully we’ll see improvements daily.

I’d be happy to receive comments and feedback directly or by email letting me know your thoughts and if you find these updates useful. To see more photos from today click on the link on the menu bar above.
 Practice area (click photos to enlarge)
 2nd fairway
2nd tire tracks
6th tee box
 6th tire tracks in fairway
7th green looking back
 6th green from 8th
 10th tee looking great
 14th fairway looking good
14th green repairs healing up
 15th tee
16th tee
 17th par 3
 18th GUR improving
19th in site
Worth the wait