Competion Fact Sheet

When are the Penina competitions?

We hold 2 competitions per week, on a Wednesday and a Saturday morning.

Sometimes the Wednesday is moved to a Tuesday when there is an Algarve Interclub League match on the Thursday. Saturdays sometimes move to a Sunday if the hotel requires the course on a Saturday.

What format are the competitions?

The Wednesday competition is always an individual stableford format.
The Saturday morning competition varies from week to week. There is generally always a stableford and a medal competition with the other weeks likely to be a fun team or pairs format. This could be a scramble, greensomes, green tees, 4 clubs & a putter plus others, or a combination of those formats.
If you’re unfamiliar with any of the formats you are likely to find a description at the following website.

Are the competitions always on the Championship course?

Every effort is made to play the competitions on the Championship course, we will always endeavour to move the date rather than move to the Resort course. However, there may be the odd occasion when this isn’t possible and we play on the Resort course.

Are all the competitions of the same status?

No.
On a Saturday some of the individual competitions have greater importance than others. These are called ‘Trophy’ competitions (sometimes called Majors).
The trophy competitions are:
- St David’s Trophy – March
- St Patrick’s Trophy – March
- St George’s Trophy – April
- Henry Cotton Trophy - May (a hotel run competition open to Penina members)
- Captain’s Trophy – June
- Medronho Cup - July
- Club Championships held over 2 days on Wednesday & Saturday – September
- International Match (UK vs the Rest of the World) – September
- Penina Trophy – October
- St Andrew’s Trophy – November
- Christmas Competition – December
- For exact dates see the website diary here and click the ‘Trophy Tournaments’ tab.
There are generally on course prizes for these competitions and members are encouraged to participate and stay on afterwards for a social.
After some competitions a social lunch at an external restaurant is organised. This is particularly the case for the International Match in September, which is the most popular competition we hold in terms of participation.

Do I need a current handicap to play in the competitions?

Yes. However, if you are putting 3 cards in to gain a handicap you can enter the competition for this purpose. But youcannot win the competition, obviously, as you have no official handicap.

Are handicaps managed separately to competitions?
Yes, all handicap queries should be directed to handicaps.peninagc@gmail.com

What handicapping system is used by Penina?

Penina, along with the rest of Portugal, adopted the WHS handicapping system. This is administered by the Federação Portuguesa de Golfe (FPG). Once set up on the FPG system you will have access to a website where you can view and manage your handicap.
All players are responsible for their own handicap and should act within the spirit of the WHS system. More information can be found at the following website and YouTube video.

How do I enter the competitions?

There are 2 ways to enter the competitions and they are dependent on where your handicap is held.
If you are an FPG member, whether through Penina or another Portuguese golf club, then you enter using the Penina online diary, accessed here.
If your handicap is not held in Portugal then you need to enter using an online form, accessed here.

When do I need to enter by?

For Wednesday competitions entries are required by 4pm the previous day, Tuesday. If the competition moves to a different day then the entry date/time moves as well, to 4pm on the previous day.
Saturday entries are required by 4pm on the preceding Thursday. As with Wednesdays the entry date moves with the competition.
Late entries can be requested and will be reviewed on a case by case basis and are dependent on availability of tee times. Members who repeatedly request late entries will cease to have this option available to them.
If 5 or fewer people enter the competition it will be cancelled. Players with booked tee times are welcome to play, however, it won’t be part of a competition and hence, non-qualifying.
- Players can enter a ‘Extra Day Score’ into the FPG system at the myfpg.pt website if they want to include their score for handicapping.

I have guests over on holiday, can they play in the competition with me?

Yes, guests are encouraged to play. The non-FPG form should be used to enter any guests that want to play. Members and their guests will be paired together in the Saturday draw.
Guests are not permitted to win the trophy competitions (first place). They can however win placed prize money and on course prizes.

When will I be notified about my competition entry?

Wednesday competition entrants are notified by email after 4pm on the previous day, usually Tuesday.
Saturday competition entries are notified by email after 4pm on the Thursday preceding the competition. If the competition moves to Sunday, entrants will be notified on Friday after 4pm.

How much does it cost to enter the competitions?

Entry costs €5, which should be placed in an envelope, with your name and date on it, and placed in the grey metal members' box through golf reception.
Golf reception hold envelopes if you haven’t got your own and can show new members where the grey box is.

How are the competitions set up?

Wednesdays are a form of roll up.
- You are responsible for arranging your own game, that’s a tee time and partners.
- There are 5 members tee times allocated which can be booked at Golf Reception (aka Pro Shop). However, you are not obliged to play at these times, you can play at any time during the day.
- If you’re looking for a partner you can ask at golf reception or post a message on the Penina Members WhatsApp group. The scoring format is stableford and it is played at 95% of handicap.
Saturday mornings are a more formal competition.
- A draw is made and entrants are encouraged to play at their allotted time.
- Players can play later in the day by exception and only for singles competitions.
Individual competitions are played at 95% of handicap.

Do I need to arrange my own scorecard?

For a Wednesday competition you are solely responsible for your card.
For a Saturday it depends on the type of competition.
- Team events, pairs events, trophy competitions and certain other competitions will have scorecards provided.
- These should be collected from golf reception prior to the round. Saturday medal and stableford events will require you to obtain your own scorecard.

What must I do after the round regarding scoring?

Firstly, cards should be swapped with your playing partners prior to the round. Then checked and signed after the round. Any players that don’t have a signed scorecard will be disqualified.
For Wednesday competitions there is an online scoring process utilising your mobile phone.
- Using the links sent to you on the Tuesday when your entry is confirmed you should log your score for each hole and confirm the total score. You can also see the current leaderboard online by clicking on ‘Classification’.
On Saturdays it depends on the type of competitions.
- For individual non-Trophy competitions the same process as per Wednesday is likely to be in place.
- For Trophy competitions marked up scorecards will be provided.
- For team and pairs competition it is very likely that cards will be provided.
After posting your score online you should photograph it and send it to the comps.peninagc@gmail.com mailbox. This should be done before 7pm on the day of the competition otherwise you will be disqualified.
All scores should be checked and agreed with the marker before posting online and sending to the competitions mailbox.
The notification email that you receive confirming your entry will detail the scoring process required.

Are there post round refreshments available?

On a Wednesday you are welcome to have a drink on the Sir Henry Cotton Bar terrace. A standard food menu is available and you will receive a discount by showing your membership card.
On a Saturday you are encouraged to stay on after your round and have a drink/food with the other members playing that morning. The hotel have a special discounted menu for members on a Saturday. The details of this menu are on the email notification that gets sent out. You will need to show your membership card to receive this special price.
A number of tournaments have a set lunch laid on afterwards. These are (but not limited to):
- Captain’s Trophy – June
- Medronho Cup - July
- International Match (UK vs the Rest of the World) – September
- Penina Trophy – October
- Christmas Competition – December. With Christmas party and annual awards ceremony in the evening

When will I be notified of the competition results?

For Wednesdays the results are published after 7pm on the day of the competition. The communication will detail the prize winners and a full list of players’ scores.
On a Saturday, if possible, the winners are announced on the terrace soon after the last group comes in. If this isn’t possible then the Wednesday process will apply and a communication will be sent out later in the day.
For trophy competitions every effort is made to announce the winners on the terrace and award the trophy and on-course prizes.
Prize money is generally paid out at 60% of the total entry amount. The number of prize winners is dependent on the number of players. It is generally 3 or 4 places.
Part of the €5 entry fee is allocated to the 4 annual competitions mentioned in the next section.

Are there any annual competitions?

Yes, there are 6 annual competitions:

Eclectic - best Net Eclectic score calculated using the results from all qualifying competitions (Stableford & Medal rounds)
Gross Order of Merit - best 8 scores from weekend qualifying rounds
Net Order of Merit - best 8 scores from weekend qualifying rounds
Points Table - best 10 scores from all qualifying rounds
Pairs Knockout – this competition is only open to current members (€5 entry fee)
Singles Knockout – this competition is only open to current members (€5 entry fee)

Where can I see the competition results?

https://www.peninagolfclub.com/results

Can I be considered for the Algarve InterClub League team?
We are always looking for players to participate in the league team. If you are interested please inform Peter Mills.

You must be FPG registered and there is a handicap limit of 24.0 for both men and women.
Where a player, whose handicap is domiciled outside of Portugal, wishes to play in matches they need to notify Mike Ensor (Handicap Secretary) of all qualifying scores prior to returning to play in Portugal.
In addition, all players must ensure that they have recorded at least 6 qualifying scores, home or away, in the previous calendar year to be eligible to play.

Are there any local rules on the Penina golf course?

Yes, there are the local rules you need to be aware of if playing in competitions.

Click here to read the Local Rules.