Balaia Golf Village is centrally located for the Algarve's golf courses, with eight championship courses within a 20 minute drive. You can sharpen your game on-site with their new nine-hole executive par-3 golf course which is considered a real gem and designed to test every golfer, irrespective of their handicap.

Along with its 60-bay driving range, putting greens, practice bunkers and chipping areas, and with a Resident Professional to offer lessons, Balaia Golf Village offers everything for the golfer, including a Golf Academy and a fully-stocked pro-shop offering a large range of golf equipment and clothing.

A very comfortable Clubhouse with it's own bar and restaurant and a large sunny terrace overlooking the course and the sea in the distance completes the scene. discounted fees for more than 20 golf courses in the region. Tee-off times can be booked at main Reception.

Salgados

Situated in one of the best known regions of the Algarve, between Albufeira and Armação de Pera, Salgados is already a 'picture postcard' of Portuguese golf.

In fact the proximity of the sea and the variety of lakes make this a very interesting test of golfing skills, different to other courses in the Algarve.

The original project is by the Portuguese designed Pedro de Vasconcelos, with more recent contributions from other Portuguese architects. But the final layout has been heavily influenced by Robert Muir Graves.

The 6,000 metre links, replete with water obstacles, are not very long, yet you will need all your skills to reach the greens. The accuracy of the drive is crucial for achieving good scores, thus making the course a pleasant experience, especially for technically skilled players.

The eighteen holes are well balanced, as each half of the course has two Par 5 holes of around 500 metres and two Par 3 holes of more than 170 metres. Par for the course is 72.

This is one of the country's most original golf courses, built in a pine wood at the edge of spectacular cliffs, overlooking the beautiful beaches of the Algarve and the Atlantic beyond.

Opened in 1990, Pine Cliffs was designed by Martin Hawtree. The nine hole course is not very long, only two holes run to more than 360 metres, yet despite this it presents an interesting challenge for the golfer, regardless of handicap.

As well as concerning himself with the playing area, Hawtree was careful to leave the surrounding land undisturbed and largely as it was before the course was built.

The perfectly kept course opens with two undemanding holes, but the challenge gets tougher from the third hole, a Par 4 for which the drive must go through a narrow gap between pine trees. After the fifth hole (the only Par 5 on the course) comes the crown jewel, a Par 3 with a championship tee built over a ravine that requires a 205 metre carrying shot right over the beach to land on a deep but narrow green.

For several years, the president of the club was the famous British motor racing driver Nigel Mansell.

Pine Cliffs

Vilamoura

At the best of times, golf is frustrating and holes which cause disruption to the card can be those which stick in the mind, rather than those of a lower stroke index. Having said that, after the first three holes (hopefully having settled into one's swing) the par 3 fourth is, in principle, not overly long at 163 metres. Scenically it is memorable - a small lake with a lone umbrella pine beyond. The green and tee are elevated, but the ball must be played over these two 'hazards' and club selection is paramount.

The majestic pine trees which are the 'trade-mark' of the Old Course are, potentially, its greatest challenge. The ninth - a par 4 of 265 metres - is a prime example of this. The tee is hugely elevated - visible. No problem. Put the driver firmly away. Give careful thought to where the ball should land in order not to be blocked off for the next shot to the green, or what should be a possible par will become merely a wistful thought.

On the back nine, the eleventh is a tricky par 4 where the drive can only seek out a relatively restricted landing area in terms of leaving any sort of shot for the green.There are three par fives on this loop. The longest is the sixteenth which, at 514 metres, is a supreme test of distance and accuracy to have any hopes of reaching the green in regulation.