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Balaia Reviews

David Bain from Canada
on Thu, 14th Mar 2024
Interesting little 9 hole.
Interesting but (very) short course.
John from Portugal
on Thu, 14th Mar 2024
A true par 3 course: a test of your short game.
Balaia is a true par 3 course. Beautifully laid out over and along the sides of a stream and pond. Anything other than an accurate drive and you’re going to struggle to make par. Pines, bamboo, reeds water hazards and bunkers punish a wayward shot.

The pace on the corse was good and we completed 18 holes (twice around the nine holes, in just over 2 hours. Great way to check out your shirt game.

Mike from Canada
on Tue, 27th Feb 2024
Not much to be happy about
I knew it was a par 3 course but layout is very cramped and almost dangerous at times with adjoining fairways and backtracking to t boxes in some instances. Greens are small and fast. T boxes in poor condition. rental clubs were OK but longest club was a 6 iron which was not enough for me to reach a few holes. Pro shop not very helpful. Range balls are disgrace. Low end course at best. Restaurant and bar closed for renovations.
Ian from Portugal
on Fri, 15th Dec 2023
Bonus round of golf
Par 3, 9 hole course with option to play 18. Friendly, relaxed and helpful staff. Nice setting and clubhouse/bar/restaurant/ facilities.

Course itself was in reasonable condition set in undulating ground and heavily tree lined. Some challenging holes with distances ranging from 75yds to 160yds approx. Small greens with a good surface for putting. Fairly easy walk with a pull trolley.

Good fun little course. Good for a warm up before playing bigger courses.

Michael from Portugal
on Sun, 5th Nov 2023
Just a long pitch and putt course, but was in good condition, but very slow, got a good deal ( or I thought I did) until I tried the clubs, PW and SW grips were in a really poor state ( see photos) but at least the weather was good.
Diogo Torrescampos from United States
on Wed, 2nd Aug 2023
Very nice short course
Ben from United States
on Wed, 26th Jul 2023
Balaia Golf - fantastic short course
What a fantastic short course on the Balaia Golf village! Perfect place for beginners or looking to improve short game. 9 hole course very well kept. Played end July and not too busy but clubhouse open friendly staff in shop and bar very accommodating. Fantastic find delighted to have got 3 rounds of 18 in!
Paul Neville from United Kingdom
on Sat, 22nd Jul 2023
Great short course for mixed abilities.
Great little par 3 course for our stag party. Nice mix with some challenging and easier holes for the mixture of golfers we had in the group. Greens ran really well and food after the round in the clubhouse was good!
Michael from United States
on Mon, 17th Jul 2023
The course was immaculately kept and the staff at the clubhouse were very helpful and friendly. The course itself is tricky in places, you have to be on your A game from the start. Very impressed, and would definitely recommend!
John from United Kingdom
on Sun, 9th Jul 2023
Great course
Tricky little course enjoyed it immensely
Tony from United Kingdom
on Wed, 21st Jun 2023
Tony UK
Pleasant staff and short but testing Par 3 Course. We hired the clubs but be aware the longest club in the bag is a 6-iron which will be too short for many players on the longer homes. Good bar and food.
Ollie Brook from United Kingdom
on Thu, 15th Jun 2023
Great par 3 course!
Lovely little course which is well maintained. Very friendly for non-handicapped players who want to practice their irons and short game.
Catherine from United Kingdom
on Sun, 30th Apr 2023
Great Course to practice one’s short game
Pleasantly surprised by this little course, it was quite challenging with excellent greens.

We arrived early and used the good size practice chipping area, the driving range was closed for maintenance which was not a big issue as we figured practising chipping for a Par 3 course was more important.

Course was quite busy but pace was ok as larger groups allowed us to Tee off ahead of them, it was good value for money

Frans from Portugal
on Sun, 23rd Apr 2023
Nice experience!
Very nice

Great variety of holes

Good artmosphere at the club

BEATRICE from Russian Federation
on Mon, 10th Apr 2023
9 trous challanging
Un joli parcours de 9 trous, des pars 3 et 4 uniquement, pour débutants comme pour joueurs avancés désirant s'entrainer. Les 18 trous s'effectuent en 2 heures environ. Le Club House est très agréable lui aussi.
pallier from France
on Tue, 28th Feb 2023
nice and tricky compact golf course
4 golfers in february: balaia is a nice and tricky compact golf course; it is not a high std, but it is fun; it is not easy to understand the map of the différent holes; we should take great care of other golfers because fairways crossed each others; beautiful garden and clubhouse
Andrew from Portugal
on Sun, 12th Feb 2023
Andrew
Nice greens

Very short holes

Tees and certain areas need maintenance

Hire clubs adequate but very basic

George from United Kingdom
on Sun, 12th Feb 2023
Tricky but good
Tricky pitch and putt but well maintained throughout. Food in clubhouse was good.
Ken from Canada
on Thu, 9th Feb 2023
Balaia Golf Club
We had a nice day at Balaia Golf Club. Very relaxed course. Some tee boxes and fairways are a little tired but then again it is February! We’re from Canada so it’s just nice to swing a club again!
Gregg from United Kingdom
on Tue, 1st Nov 2022
Pitch and putt
No worth it if you’re an actual golfer. Some nice holes but definitely pitch and putt standard course. Not worth €60 at all.
Marc Vranckx from Portugal
on Sun, 30th Oct 2022
No rules, no limit, the power of money
We tried to play this nice and compact course. But there was no marshall to eject the group of young guys who were completely drunk ! Moreover they could buy more beers to take away with them on the course.
Julia from Portugal
on Wed, 26th Oct 2022
Pretty short course
A well kept, pretty short course, great for those without a handicap but still has some challenges for the more experienced player. Staff are friendly and helpful. There were plenty of tee times available throughout the time we went (October half term). There is also a a small driving range.
Susan from Portugal
on Sun, 16th Oct 2022
Great golf
A wonderful challenging par 3 course. And beautiful location.
John from Portugal
on Fri, 14th Oct 2022
Golf Course Feedback
Tee boxes could use some work. Other than that it is a nice little course.
David from United Kingdom
on Tue, 4th Oct 2022
Great couse
Good course technically challenging friendly staff, not good in high temperatures.
Ryan from United Kingdom
on Fri, 30th Sep 2022
Balaia
A good little course, was busy on the day, only fault was a bit expensive for what you get, old clubs, a bag with no handle, so disappointing on that side, staff then charged €5 for a trolley !!!
stuart from United Kingdom
on Mon, 26th Sep 2022
Nice par3 short game practice
Nice short Par 3, 9 hole course offers good short game practice and beginners golf. Would not suit golfers looking for full round golf. Not too busy when I played and course / greens in good condition. I would book and play Balaia again for short game practice.
Andrew from United Kingdom
on Mon, 19th Sep 2022
Fun
Super greens.

It is what it says on the tin...a varied par 3 and a very reasonable test.

No buggies available, despite one being shown on the website.

'Fairways ' unnecessary and inappropriate 2nd cut close to most greens/pins.

Agnes from Hong Kong
on Mon, 19th Sep 2022
Balaia golf course average condition
Overall the course condition was not so great. Some of the red tee were missing, and the layout post were not too clear for first timer. We booked 8:18 tee off, but the office didn’t open until that time. We also booked the clubs, but one of the bags didn’t have the strap ( it was broken), and I had to carry the bag for the entire game.
Niek from Netherlands
on Wed, 14th Sep 2022
Nice to play a short round of golf!
Nice course and perfect greens.

We rented clubs, but that was not top quality unfortunately.

Siegfried Scheld from Germany
on Wed, 17th Aug 2022
Only Par 3 but challenging 👍
Great condition of fairways and greens. Friendly crew and and very pretty and cosy veranda
David from Ireland
on Sat, 6th Aug 2022
Bad condition, not a good layout. Rental clubs poor and not worth €100 for 2!!
Lee from Portugal
on Thu, 4th Aug 2022
1st visit, won’t be my last 👍🏻
Great staff from pro shop, green staff to bar staff were all really helpful. Excellent greens. My only criticism would be the tee boxes could do with levelling out and some more sand in the bunkers.

After the round we had lunch and a few compulsory beers 😉. Both lovely with a nice terrace positioned to watch other golfers tee off on the first and come in on the 9th/18th.

The course was a good challenge for any mid to high handicap player.

David from Belgium
on Sat, 9th Jul 2022
Welcoming course, great atmosphere!
David from Belgium
on Sat, 9th Jul 2022
Golfing stag weekend
Welcoming staff, nice friendly bar atmosphere and course was nice and quiet
BEATRICE from Russian Federation
on Wed, 29th Jun 2022
Beautiful afternoon at Balaia
we had a good time at Balaia, few people, no waiting, the golf course was beautiful, as the staff there.
Stephanie Roosenboom from Portugal
on Wed, 15th Jun 2022
Stephanie
Bit disapointed Aboutaleb the lengt of the slopes. Its more a par 3/4 court. But thats is the price. We Should have known. A flight after 6 people was not Nice.
James from United Kingdom
on Thu, 9th Jun 2022
Par 3 test 👍
Great wee course .
Lavelle from Germany
on Mon, 30th May 2022
I took advantage of a round of golf while on vacation. Pros: The course was in good shape and easy to walk. Cons: The push cart and rental clubs (Wilsons) where old and the views from the course wasn’t the best. My overall experience wasn’t bad for the price.
John from Portugal
on Mon, 30th May 2022
1st class
Always a delight to play. Great condition and service
Dale from United Kingdom
on Sun, 29th May 2022
Chipping practice
Not a bad course but very short holes good for bit of practice before the better course’s
Bernie from United Kingdom
on Thu, 12th May 2022
1st time golf
I play golf in the UK and came away to Portugal with 3 friends that wanted to experience playing golf abroad .As these guys were not seasoned golfers I opted for what I felt would be a good course for them to play ,I was not wrong ,the course was great ,everybody had a great time .
Msrk from United Kingdom
on Fri, 6th May 2022
Too many allowed. No booking slots kept
I payed for 18 holes. I booked for 11am but when I got there I was told I could go on this was around 10am it was already busy but was able to play without hold ups. However as I came to go my 2nd 9 holes there were 3 groups waiting. I had a drink and waited. However this did not help as a group of 12 lads then decided to play and were only there for a laugh. I decided to join the line for my next 9 holes however after a 30 mins waiting in line and then again on 2nd hole 4 groups before me I decided to call it a day.

I played o holes having paid for 18. The rules are 12 mins between groups this was obviously not under control as it seems you just turned up and played. No control whatsoever in how busy and the booking slots just seem to be scrapped. Not happy with my day at golf ☹️

Daniel from United Kingdom
on Fri, 6th May 2022
As par 3’s go a very tricky little course. Had just undergone some maintenance so greens were very sandy. A little bit pricey for what it is but overall a really enjoyable 18 holes (went round twice) and ideal for beginners like my wife who played. Still testing on the short game for more experienced golfers.
Paul Mears from United Kingdom
on Thu, 28th Apr 2022
Lovely Par 3
Lovely course Not uoir average par 3 Some cute shots needed to achieve Par on most of the holes
Mike K. from Portugal
on Thu, 28th Apr 2022
Par 3 Only Course
Hello,

the course is okay , but very difficult. The green saves from a couple of trees. nice experience , but not played again.

Steve Armstrong from Canada
on Mon, 25th Apr 2022
Are there any social winter golf leagues that play 9 holes once or twice per week in Jan thru April, And if so you should we contact if we can play, thanks So much Steve and Tricia
Mark from Portugal
on Wed, 6th Apr 2022
Bale is course April 2022
This is a short course, par 27 for 9 holes. Sounds a bit tame for some folks but you need to be really accurate or you will loose a ball easily in water or thick vegetation. So its a fun course and god value that will still test you. Good clubhouse for food and drink. Friendly and helpful staff. Greens in v good order considering the treatment they get. So a quick cheap and fun course. Well located and easy to find.
Shaun from United Kingdom
on Mon, 21st Mar 2022
Great value for money
Had a great day, meet some really nice people, facilities were great, all for €50 that’s inc club hire as well, you can play as many holes as you like use all the facilities I.e. chipping areas putting green and

Driving range basically home in your short game, well recommended 👍🏻

Manuel from Portugal
on Wed, 9th Mar 2022
Confusing layout

But its cheap

Didnt expect that your non playing company will be charged the same green fee, it was not explained when i booked online.

Confusing rules: some are allowed to play whole day, some are not.

andrew from United Kingdom
on Mon, 25th Oct 2021
Great Balaia golf
Tricky par 3 course. Good fun and an excellent way to get your Algarve golf trip off the mark. Excellent service ny AlgarveGolf.Net too!!
Helena from Portugal
on Mon, 18th Oct 2021
Satisfying par 3 golf.
A 9 hole par 3 course with some very interesting/challenging holes. 9 holes can be played in an hour if not busy. Can take 90 mins if busy, but very enjoyable today.
Huub from Netherlands
on Wed, 13th Oct 2021
Hospitality was rude, impolite at Balaia Golf on tuesday 12 october 2021. We were a group of 11 pp.
Laura from United Kingdom
on Mon, 11th Oct 2021
18 holes with equipment rental
par 3 course in fair condition. Rental clubs not great plus no strap on bag which made it difficult to carry. Also was promised rental included shoes on 2 occasions but none were provided. Okay value for money overall.
Wayne from United Kingdom
on Mon, 27th Sep 2021
Watch out for the wicked witch of the west.
The course itself is in great condition but the lady receptionist has to be one of the rudest people I've met. We arrived at 7:50am for an 8:10 tee time but nobody was about so we teed off at 8:00. The first hole is only 70yds and the second tee is right next to the first heading in a different direction. When we arrived at tee 2 this harridan of a woman was shouting abuse at us for daring to tee off without her permission and ordered me to reception where she carried on abusing me until I eventually walked off after pointing out to her that this all could have been prevented if she got her arse out of bed on time to open up before the first tee times. Worth playing the course though.
Tushar from Portugal
on Wed, 22nd Sep 2021
Great 9 hole course
We enjoyed playing at this course. I’ve only been playing for two years and I found it pleasantly challenging, my partner who plays to a higher standard enjoyed the layout. We went round twice.Each round was par three but there were some interesting features on each hole. The only constructive criticism would be some bins for used T,s which were just left lying around by messy golfers,
Aaron from United Kingdom
on Mon, 13th Sep 2021
Poor
Very poor for the price you pay. Over 220 euros for a very average par 3 course. Would advise look elsewhere. More like pitch and putt. Very limited options on renting balls. Good gloves are 20 euros felt like a scam
Stuart from United Kingdom
on Mon, 6th Sep 2021
Great tight course
Lovely tight little course.

All par 3 holes but don't let that fool you , the tree placement makes for some great challenges.

Steven from United Kingdom
on Sun, 29th Aug 2021
Short and sweet course
A pleasant 9 holer all golfers
Barragao from France
on Mon, 26th Jul 2021
Good hospitality.nice pitch and putt
Barragao from France
on Fri, 23rd Jul 2021
Balaia
Nice pitch and putt
Thomas Manth from Germany
on Thu, 6th May 2021
Ok course
Nigel from United States
on Fri, 6th Nov 2020
Three old gits on a golfing week in the Algarve
Really enjoyable and challenging par 3 course.

The course was in lovely condition though one member of the party was disappointed when his rubbish shot on the seventeenth hit the microscopically small bamboo forest!

Seriously ..... loved it!

Jan from Netherlands
on Fri, 23rd Oct 2020
Challenging test for your short game
Balaia, former home of club med, is a 9 hole par three golfcourse.

I think it is a very challenging test for your short game and aproaches.

The nice clubhouse with friendly staff makes it a real golfing experience.

Hanging around playing par 3 's the whole day for 35 eur, surely improves your game

Patrick from Portugal
on Mon, 19th Oct 2020
Parcours idéal pour réaliser des approches avec le SW et lutter ( 9 trous par 3 ) qui ne sont pas toujours faciles.

Très bonne journée.

Patrick from Portugal
on Fri, 9th Oct 2020
Beau parcours pour les petits coups, quelques passages délicats, le trou 2 et le 7.
Olivier Richard from France
on Thu, 1st Oct 2020
Beautiful small course
Very nice small pitch and put

The gardens are splendid

Michael Cunningham from United Kingdom
on Mon, 23rd Mar 2020
Balaia golf
A great little 9 hole course, very friendly staff and a well looked after short par 3 course, really enjoyed.I played 3 times including the Tuesday competition.
Susan from Portugal
on Mon, 16th Mar 2020
Balaia golf
Great short game course. Expensive golf balls. 10€ for pkg three balls.
Franz from Switzerland
on Thu, 12th Mar 2020
Very short and hilly 9 hole course.
Very short and hilly 9 holes.
Graham from Portugal
on Wed, 1st Jan 2020
Pricey for what it is
Very short par 3 9 hole course, nicely maintained and a good workout for your short game but at £45 for 18 holes with hire clubs and 3 balls costing £10 not exactly value for money.
Jack from United Kingdom
on Thu, 12th Dec 2019
The course is amazing! A real test of mid iron, short iron, wedges, chipping, putting. Play here enough and your skill can only improve.

The greens matched the quality of the more famous courses in the Algarve where you pay 70 euros or more (maybe better). Manicured fairways and bunkers that would not be out of place on any local championship course. This place is looked after and who ever is in charge, knows what there doing. A real pleasure to play.

My only negative is there is no 9 hole pricing option and 18 holes at around 30 euros may put some people off for a par 3 course, when 18 holes twilight is available at full length courses for a similar price. I do feel however the quality of the course you are getting pretty much matches the asking price.

Here is a summary of the holes, distances from the back tees but second tee option available.

The 1st hole eases you in, around 70 yards down hill. Good chance of a 3 if you find the putting surface.

2nd hole was playing 170 yards with the miss being left, trees on the right. I didnt think there would be any holes this long! Mid or long iron or even a wood. A 3 here and you've done amazingily well.

The 3rd hole is around 70 yards up hill, hows your wedge distance control?

Cross the road onto a seperate bit of land for the next 2 holes. The 4th was playing 180 yards into wind! This is no pitch and putt. OB left and bunker greenside right. Hardest hole on course along side the 2nd.

The 5th takes you back running along side the 4th, around 110 yards. OB left, the miss is right. Play to the left of the green and the ball feeds down into the centre of the green.

Back over the road and a good chance of par on the 6th. A wedge down hill but there is trouble long.

7 was playing 155 and you can only just see the top of the flag, great looking hole. The miss is left, lots of room. Anything right of the green will kick further right and feed into a hazard and likely be lost.

The 8th is slightly up hill playing 140 yards. There is a large tree/shrub feature short right of the green, likely lost ball or unplayable. The miss is long and left.

The closing hole is around 100 yards down hill to a mackenzie green, pin position was at the back of green on top tier. OB long.

Ramon from Spain
on Sun, 1st Dec 2019
Little golf course but technical and difficult.
We enjoy a lot in this little golf course all my family together.
Jukka Ahtinen from Finland
on Sun, 24th Nov 2019
Variable par 3 golf course. A great place to practice melee. Friendly service. Thank you..!
Jason from Portugal
on Fri, 8th Nov 2019
Exactly what i was looking for
One of the boys got a hole in one, was amazing.
Simon from Ireland
on Mon, 14th Oct 2019
Way to expensive
Not a bad little par 3 course but way to expensive. €35 for a box of pinnacle golf balls on top of €45 for a round with clubs that are way below average.
Robert Vanglo from Norway
on Sun, 4th Aug 2019
Perfect for testing your short irons
Perfect course for a nice round of golf. Some of the holes are demanding and gave us a challenge. As it should ;-)
Ronnie Carswell from United Kingdom
on Fri, 2nd Aug 2019
Nice wee course, ideal for family/holiday golf
David Burke from United Kingdom
on Sun, 21st Jul 2019
Great for beginners
Terrific course. Very challenging. Great fun
Nigel from United Kingdom
on Fri, 19th Jul 2019
Must try this course
Very nice course. First two holes challenging, but a must for any wanna be golfer.
Andy from United Kingdom
on Fri, 7th Jun 2019
Lovely little course. A true challenge to any golfer. Great staff too
David from Ireland
on Fri, 31st May 2019
3 star rating because the facilities do not reflect the price. Enjoyed it all the same.
Thomas from Germany
on Mon, 6th May 2019
A big surprise as I was not aware having booked par 3 course. Anyhow we enjoyed playing it the whole day with break on beautiful terrace. Holes are nice build into landscape with some tricky approaches which need very accurate playing.
Raymond Peattie from United Kingdom
on Mon, 6th May 2019
Good but not grest
A tricky little course that is tricky for even the more experienced golfers in our group.

The course itself was ok but what you'd expect for the price.

The staff were excellent and very friendly.

The biggest down fall was the large groups that were being permitted to play. We had one group of x11 golfers golfing before us on one day despite us being told there should be a maximum of x4 golfers per group. However, the staff gave us a later tee off time with no hassle.

Good all round course if you want a relaxed fun tone with a bunch of mates but would not be suitable for the more serious golfer.

Would I return here? Yes I would and most likely will.

Bart from Belgium
on Tue, 23rd Apr 2019
Casual and a surprising 2 and 7 !
Very casual 9 holes course with a few nice holes, but all in all very small and compact. Nicely done though and the personnel at both the reception and the bar were very very friendly
Hanne Reinholt from Denmark
on Thu, 18th Apr 2019
Nice par 3 course
Choserot from Portugal
on Fri, 12th Apr 2019
Cadre sympathique, bon accueil.

Golf intéressant technique ou le par n’est pas donné

Bon greens mais bunker pas top.

Bon parcours d’entrainement

Jon from Portugal
on Thu, 4th Apr 2019
Nice but small
Handy little par 3 course, well maintained but too crowded for the game to flow. A lot of ‘pitch and putter’ types with very little respect for slow play. One three ball took almost 6 hours to play 18 holes which affected everyone else behind. Some great holes, some too short and if you’re used to playing regularly there might not be a club in your bag that you can swing at some of the shorter holes!
sean from United Kingdom
on Tue, 26th Feb 2019
nice par 3
nice par 3 course not overly challenging so will suit most golfers. very friendly, welcoming people in pro shop/bar. I had a very nice relaxed enjoyable time there.
Dawn from Portugal
on Fri, 4th Jan 2019
Blast!
Great time!!

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