Portugal’s Palmares Golf Resort Is One of the Firm’s New Openings
Palo Alto, Calif. (June 13, 2011) – While much of the golf industry is currently focused on new developments in Asia, Robert Trent Jones II (RTJ II) has just completed work on Europe’s next great golf course at Onyria Palmares Beach & Golf Resort in Portugal’s sunny Algarve region. The opening is further evidence of the storied golf course architecture firm’s ability to translate a vast variety of sites in wide-ranging parts of the globe into courses that speak to golfers everywhere. The project is RTJ II’s second in Portugal, and was developed with Groupo Onyria, who own the highly-regarded Quinta da Marinha Course outside Lisbon, which was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., thus continuing a long relationship between the Jones family and Portuguese golf.
The 27-hole Palmares Golf Resort plays through three distinctive settings, and the separate, returning nine-hole loops can be combined into several equally-challenging 18-hole routings. The Lagos (Lakes) Nine begins in parkland and presents two lakes for players to negotiate before the golf holes transition into open dunesland en route to returning to a forested setting on the final hole. The Alvor (Trees) Nine routes through mature pines and many holes climb hillsides or descend through intimate valleys. The Praia (Beach) nine is the most linkslike of the three, with four holes bracketed by beach and rail lines. Overall, the course mixes in views of the glowing white town of Alvor, the Lagos cliffs, and the dramatic Atlantic coastline. It presents optical puzzles, occasional blind shots, well-crafted hazards (such as pot bunkers) that dictate strategy, and plenty of tightly-mown collection areas calling for short-game wizardy. Wind is a factor and-as in the British tradition- many holes encourage play along the ground. RTJ II also incorporated the winding, undulating “ribbon tees” the firm invented at Washington State’s Chambers Bay, and which Golf Digest’s Ron Whitten called “the first new idea in golf course architecture in the 21st century,” into the design at Palmares. It is among the only courses in the popular Algarve region to feature golf holes playing across oceanside dunes.
Founder and Master Architect Robert Trent Jones, Jr., says that the The Palmares Golf Resort is the perfect course for showcasing how the firm has earned a reputation for working with the best features of the natural landscape. “Rather than imposing a so-called ‘signature’ look upon this gorgeous parcel of coastal land, we let the land itself determine what the course would look like,” Jones explains. “As we’ve done throughout the world, we fit the golf holes into the topography so they look as though they’ve been there for centuries. We like to think of Palmares as having multiple personalities-in a good way. We were given land with great variety, and we used it to create a golf course that expresses different moods and characters, just as the land does, and so therefore it feels natural, and whole.”
The course joins a collection of European courses designed by the firm that have been consistently rated among the top golf venues in Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. Demonstrating further fluency in the language of golf, RTJ II is currently working on new projects in Canada, China, England, Greece, Italy, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. The firm’s renovation work at the renowned Prince Course in Hawaii is nearly complete, and a new course-Hickory Stick, outside Niagara Falls in upstate New York- opened last summer. Also in the U.S., RTJ II is currently designing a new course for the city of Laredo, Texas, along the Rio Grande River.
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About Robert Trent Jones II
With headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif., Robert Trent Jones II Golf Course Architects (RTJ II) is the preeminent golf design firm worldwide, having created more than 270 courses in over 40 countries on six continents. Trustees of a great tradition of golf course architecture, RTJ II is committed to working in harmony with nature to craft the best golf course on each unique site. The RTJ II design team has experience in every aspect of golf course development and the ability to provide support and expertise from conception through completion of any project. For additional information contact the firm at +1 650-475-0329 or on the website at www.rtj2.com.
Contact:
Karen Moraghan
Hunter Public Relations
kmoraghan@hunter-pr.com
908-876-5100
