Vale da Pinta Golf Course - latest comments and reviews

Christine Woods 2023-10-02
Today there was the October golf festival being held. There were no buggies except that we had to wait till morning players had finished their rounds. It was a shambles with some of the afternoon players having to wait up to 60 minutes. We actually waited approx 20 minutes, then the play was extremely slow. It took our 4 ball 5 hours and 20 minutes to play 18 holes. No one from the club comes around to try to move slow players on. Very disappointing

Andrew Head 2023-10-02
Course overbooked for the day, had to delay tee time for 1/2 hour due to lack of buggies, very slow play, took 5-1/2. Hrs to complete 17 holes, no Marshall’s moving people on. Course very good but disappointing having to wait so long.

Michael Butterworth 2023-09-27
Well designed course, each hole quite different, some v tough holes. greens not at their best but still playable.

Nick Jones 2023-09-22
Course fairways and greens could be better. There were some bald patches on greens.

Eamonn Ryan 2023-09-18
Course suffering from the high temperatures. Greens in poor condition.

Jonny Bryce 2023-09-07
Course was a little disappointing and thought it’s sister course Gramacho was in much better condition and better designed course. The greens were terrible given it had just reopened from maintenance and very bobbly and slow.

Alexander Loeffen 2023-06-28
Like Gramcho en beautiful course, but we've seen even better ones. javascript:save_rate(8,29)

Richard petch 2023-06-10
2 many doglegs for myself but the course was in excellent condition.

DAVID GREATHEAD 2023-06-04
Qualty of course very, but marshalling of slow play non existant. Compacted sand in bunkers not acceptable.

Christine Woods 2023-05-18
The Greens were not up to their usual standard

Brian Trenbirth 2023-05-16
Enjoyed the course although the greens were not at their best

Mark Wilkinson 2023-05-12
First time of playing was tricky with all the dog legs but good fun. Greens were disappointing.

Ian Geoffrey Mitchell 2023-04-24
We would have enjoyed our visit more if the course had been more actively stewarded. We could easily have completed 18 holes on a twilight rate but the group we were stuck behind broke many of the basic rules of golf. They parked buggies in silly places that stopped us playing our first shot, we’re obviously not up to playing off the white tees and thus took ages. Losing balls. Etc. the list is endless. We started at 3.25 and it’s was so slow that 2 groups of decent golfers gave up on the 4th they couldn’t bear it. The course is a decent challenge it has some hard holes and another time we would have enjoyed it. we stopped at the 13th especially as it was raining and we had to drive back to Villamoura. We would have to think seriously about playing it again.

Peter Tweed 2023-04-19
Love this course but today there were no buggies available and it is not the easiest course to walk round when you have a heart condition. Also, because of slow play we were only able to complete 15 holes !

Paul Haran 2023-04-13
Catering could be improved good course

Jan Remie 2023-03-19
Nice hilly golf course. Average maintained fairways, and relative slow greens. Took us 5 hours for the round due to extreme slow four-ball in front of us. Unfriendly caddy master and outdated club house.

Alexander Lewis 2023-01-17
Course still wet under foot

Johannes Vreeker 2022-11-15
Nice course with good fairways but greens need to be replaced for the present quality is far below the neighborhood courses!

Steven Johnston 2022-11-14
Course in good condition, well looked after by reception and the starter. Forgiving course off the tees.

Libor Stehno 2022-11-07
Yes

Max De Groot 2022-11-02
Unfortunate to get a tee time at 12h54 even though we booked several months ago. We ended too late in twilight

Tom Jones 2022-11-01
Great course. Buggys a bit expensive

John Shpughnessy 2022-10-24
Greens in very poor condition

John Shpughnessy 2022-10-20
Greens not in good condition.

Sam Stock 2022-10-14
Good course , greens a bit rough

Chris Robertson 2022-10-11
All arrangements were as agreed and we were welcomed well

David Stewart 2022-10-10
Excellent course

Paul Mullane 2022-10-07
The course was in good condition staff very helpful and friendly the pace of play was fair for this time of the year the greens were in poor condition and should be much better I met up with a wonderful couple from Holland Bert & Renne and there friend Vickey from England who were great company and fun to play with and all are very good golfers it was a Pleasure to meet ye and play around with ye and would hope to meet any of them again. Thanks Paul

Stephanie 2022-10-04
Very diversified Golf course in average condition. Greens and facilities, Restaurant and restrooms, could use an update. Very friendly staff. All together a good experience.

John Redmond 2022-10-03
Greens in terrible condition

Elinor Webb 2022-09-27
Course in great condition staff helpful no complimentary water in buggy no on course refreshments.

Bruce Whipham 2022-09-22
The Golf Course is excellent!! The greens are Absolutely Terrible!! So Sad!!!

Jane Sheppard 2022-09-16
Staff not very welcoming

David Brown 2022-09-15
Great track. Staff were really helpful.

Sacha Joanne Haken 2022-07-08
Nice quiet course, definitely need a buggy!!

Conie Mascarenhas 2022-07-06
Enjoyed the Golf course as I had played there many years ago. Disappointed as there were no towels to have a shower after the game and only toasted sandwiches available. Check in staff were wonderful.

Ronny Krogh 2022-07-04
Course is ok facilities non existent. Not even a menu at the bar just burgers or toast. Pestana courses just scream stay away

Lars Fins 2022-07-04
Nice course - bad greens.

Chris DREW 2022-06-29
Very good reception desk young ladies, even took us to show us the Locker Rooms. Starter/ Buggy Master a bit “Gruff”, not vey welcoming, but I discovered after that he was trying to do 2 jobs at the same Time and was Harassed! Very busy and we were put with 2 others who were excellent company. Course fine, but the Greens had some kind of disease and didn’t not look good. The Secondary flag on the Greens were all in the same place which did not indicate front, middle or back.

Christophe Dupuy 2022-06-12
répétitif et sans intéret entretien pas génial je ne recommande pas (son voisin gramacho est nettement mieux)

Rob Pollock 2022-06-10
Good reception, brand new buggies. Course OK, greens slower than expected. Bunkers great!

Peter Tweed 2022-06-09
A enjoyable course for all handicappers

Richard Martin 2022-06-05
Very good check in. Course in good condition.

David Stewart 2022-05-17
Very enjoyable round and course in excellent condition.

Stephen Turner 2022-05-14
Friendly welcome. Efficient service. Course in very good condition.

James Still 2022-05-02
Would highly recommend, great service

David Wells 2022-04-26
Tough fun golf course!

David Findlay 2022-04-25
Got very wet so came off 3 holes early. Still enjoyed what we did. Would return

David Wells 2022-04-07
Great course… fast greens

Peter Maxfield 2022-03-30
Very good course and enjoyed the golf

Derek Cowell 2021-10-14
Course conditions fine , couldn’t finish despite teeing off 3pm too slow , no course etiquette or marshals to hurry people along ridiculous really

Dorte Lægteskov 2021-09-11
Pinta is a little to difficult for us. We can't complain about that, it is not your foult

Joao Almeida da Silva 2021-08-06
Nice course, well maintained and efficient starter. 3 ball in 3:30 hours in good pace. Will come back.

Eamonn Ryan 2021-07-23
Excellent

Marion Brosens 2021-04-21
Always love to play Pinta!

Andy Davies 2021-01-25
Very good course and facilities. Will play here again.

Bo Sundberg 2020-10-17
Overall ok course but some attention needed: More sand in the bunkers, some dit just have a few millimeter of sand. Better quality on the greens, today a bit ''bumpy''.

Neil Macklin 2020-10-17
I really liked the design of the golf courae , it kept me interested to see the next hole.. i have to say the greens had seen better days ... i will be keen to play the course again ..

Paul Bailey 2020-03-25
Nice course, better than Gramacho ( next door), only minor moan is that there are too many holes around the same length... ( 3 wood and mid to short iron) 18th is a good very long par 5.... 3 x my best 3 wood shots

Andrew Head 2020-03-20
Another excellent course, a bit of walking between some holes but apart from that it was great.

Jan Näs 2020-03-01
Nice course, fine greens. In a good shape

Jolanda nijhuis 2020-03-01
Nice course, little bit rain

Linda Montgomery 2020-02-13
beautiful course. greens in great shape. we were able to pass a slow foursome and finished in 4 hours. Buggies are quite expensive at 45 euros. Most we've paid anywhere !!!

Maurizio Spampinato 2020-01-26
Play just 9 hole due to heavy rein. Anyway I had the chance to play with two pro. Truly enjoyed.

clerget didier 2020-01-12
Je ne suis pas très fan de ce golf.beaucoup trop de doglegs, des trous trop tordus ,il Faut toujours travailler la balle,pour être bien placé pour le second coup. Golf très vallonné, on ne peut pas vraiment ce faire plaisir,sur les longs coups. Didier C. Hdc 1

Dominik L. Zuhorn 2019-12-26
Ein abwechslungsreicher, nicht ganz einfacher Platz mit langen Wegen in befriedigendem Zustand.

Mr Ronald J Lee 2019-11-20
Challenging course. All the greens protected by bunkers. In excellent condition. Downside for us was we had paid for a buggy, 45 euros a bit expensive, as my wife had an injured foot and couldn’t do a lot of walking. There were several holes where we were not allowed to take the buggy onto the course (Including one very steep hole) so quite annoying. Would play again though

ELAINE HENDERSON 2019-11-07
A nice wide course with lots of bunkers to add to the challenge.

Martin Punch 2019-10-30
Very Welcoming, Course in good condition and not too difficult, Buggy at €45 expensive and not really necessary on this course as many players with pull trolleys Will definitely play again.

Mick Long 2019-10-28
Good course in good condition. Some very nice holes and well run process by noce staff in good clubhouse.

Jane Sheppard 2019-10-22
Very good reception staff great course as always good very enjoyable

steven ostle 2019-10-19
VERY GOOD AGAIN SURPRISED AT THE QUALITY OF THE COURSE

Brian o shaughnessy 2019-10-11
Dxcellant

Westley Macey 2019-10-01
Fantastic layout good condition slightly slower paced round

Patricia Horstead 2019-09-16
Service was good and people were friendly. The course is not in good shape, lots of standing water, mud in one sand trap and the greens were not in great shape; very slow and bumpy.

Neil Brady 2019-09-12
Good, only issue was greens were poor.

Mal Clifford 2019-09-09
Course good and good service

James Curley 2019-09-08
The tees and fairways were ok. The greens are a disgrace I am glad I paid for twilight golf as the course does not merit fool price.

Bruce Budge 2019-08-29
Very enjoyable

Stephen Oliver 2019-07-05
Good course which is made challenging by difficult bunker placements, and not a lot of sand in the bunkers! Otherwise a good course for all levels.

Thelma Keating 2019-06-15
Very good course enjoyable to play .Quality of sand in bunkers should be improved

Neil Rodgerson 2019-06-14
Course in good condition. Greens really good to putt on. Staff not the friendliest.

Kevin Burke 2019-06-12
Well organised, buggy available immediately, time sheet was spot on, course in good condition

Ben Bembrick 2019-06-10
Good challenge. Pace of play was fine even as a two ball. No issues

Robert Craig Rea 2019-06-10
Good course. Slow golf though and we didnt see much marshalling on the course to speed play along.

Brian Trenbirth 2019-06-02
Great golf course which we all enioyed

Roman Clavadetscher 2019-05-06
The Course is in good conditions.

Frank Doherty 2019-05-02
Course was good but busy, almost 5 hours!!

Dr. Markus Feidicker 2019-04-14
Interesting to play, some blind shots, but fair. Greens in good shape, fairways very dry, bunker hard. Friendly staff. Surrounding not special due to many villas next to fairway and no views. Overall nothing special.

Richard 2019-04-07
The golf cart didn’t come round with food and drinks even though we asked in the club house.

Richard Oakley 2019-04-05
Sadly round cut short by heavy rain - very disappointed no towels available to shower and dry ourselves off when returned to clubhouse.

Martin Mapplebeck 2019-03-15
Played this course many times. The greens were probably the fastest I've known them. Generally the course was presented very well.

Clive Taylor 2019-02-23
Very enjoyable and a taxing course

WINKELMANN Brigitte 2019-02-20
Lots of ups and downs (we like it!). Buggy recommended. The battery of our buggy was empty on hole 12; after a phone call, it was exchanged within 5 minutes! That was really quick.

John Ryan 2019-02-04
4 hours 45 mins too long. Finished in pitch dark. Greens super. Fairways ok. Need course Marshall to keep slow play under control.

Mikko Raunio 2018-11-07
Very nice course and good condition. Quite short from yellow tees, white are normal club tees there.

Fred Zickmantel 2018-11-03
Great course

Chris Secular 2018-10-17
Love this course,but it always takes 5 hours to get round!

Rory Behan 2018-10-13
Course was in decent condition and was interesting. Play is slow with tee times very close together.

Barry O'shea 2018-10-11
Everything ran Very well as usual

Gasche 2018-10-11
A wonderful course!! But teetime 07:21 too early on a cloudy day...!! It was 07:45 when we could start! But anyway - a great course!

Lindsay Desmier 2018-10-05
Great course. Played here a few times, always very busy but moves along well.

Jeremy Nesbitt 2018-09-30
Excellent and testing course.

Phil Sharpe 2018-09-26
We really like the course at Vale da Pinta, hence us playing it for the 3rd time this month. However, the greens were really poor, particularly the back nine, so slow and not cut like the greens on the front nine. That’s the worst condition we’ve seen the greens this year over there.

John Halvey 2018-09-22
Very good

John Halvey 2018-09-21
Greens were very poor and pace of play was slow

Steven Williams 2018-09-12
Always a great course, service excellent, greens in poor condition (slow and very patchy) considering the usual high standards but assume this has something to do with the seriously high temperatures of late!

Malcolm MacDonald 2018-09-10
Enjoyed the course but the greens were not very good being quite patchy

chris may 2018-08-03
Beautiful course friendly staff spoiled by extortionate price of 45 euros for an out of date buggy and 23 euros for an electric trolley. Also no halfway house or drinks cart in operation!!!

Hans Ekmann 2018-07-23
Good layout

David Levitus 2018-07-23
Nice course and good service from both the course and from teetimes.pt

Barry McNally 2018-07-15
Very happy with course

Hans Ekmann 2018-07-14
Fine layout

Phil Sharpe 2018-06-29
Course in good condition, with the greens running well. Pace of play today was good, we’ll marshalled. Only criticism I have is the lack of sand in many of the bunkers. Good menu on the 19th hole and staff always friendly.

Gareth Toms 2018-06-22
Very nice course, the clubhouse felt very industrial and the staff not the most friendly

Morris McKinlay 2018-06-17
Club house, pro shop and staff all very friendly and helpful. The course is a must for any golfer to play.

Colin Dixon 2018-06-06
More challenging than Gramacho or Silves and probably the best maintained, fast and true greens

Eammon Ryan 2018-05-28
Good course and enjoyable experience

Alan Seery 2018-05-15
Very enjoyable course. Greens were good.

Nicholas Georgevic 2018-05-08
Good course, greens could be quicker. Many well maintained bunkers which we visited too frequently.

Peter Heinecke 2018-05-08
Pinta is a challenge

Neil Jeffrey 2018-05-06
Loved the course and we received a warm welcome. Read a review somewhere that the clubhouse was a "shed". Not sure what kind of shed that person has but it certainly was not like the shed I have at home. Very nice and the food was good too.

Paul Moore 2018-05-03
Lots of blind tee shots due to numerous dog legs. Greens have less breaks than Gramacho. Restaurant didn't open until 10am so had to have breakfast at Gramacho 3 minutes away but no great problem. Less busy than Gramacho so you can play as a 2 ball.

Darren Gatward 2018-05-01
Nice course in good condition, very busy and round was very slow.

Nigel Wallington 2018-05-01
Good conditio,n

Katharina Cugliari 2018-04-18
One of the prettiest courses we have ever played. Difficult greens and good exercise walking the course. Stunning views!

Mick Long 2018-04-15
Punta was in good condition despite the heavy rain making the bunkers unplayable. Suited to all level of golfers. A slightly cheaper buggy rate would add to experience.

Mr N Suffolk 2018-04-15
The staff were helpful, and I was paired accordingly. The pace of play was very slow (5 hours), due to people playing who just weren't good enough for this course.

Graham Whittington 2018-04-14
Course extremely busy but to be expected at this time of year, staff friendly and efficient, course was looking a bit tired but greens running fast and true. Still good value.

Michael McKenna 2018-03-26
Super golf course unable to finish the 18 holes because of 3 lady golfers in front which held up the whole course. Suprised no course ranger to move them along

Ray Good 2018-02-21
I found the customer satisfaction very high with Telma...well done.

Higgins 2018-02-18
On time start and course in excellent condition

Jemson Chris 2017-12-04
Pinta, like Gramachio, is an excellent course for all standards of play. I have taken a group of my former colleagues to play golf at these courses many times. On every occasion we have found the course in excellent condition and we, as a group were completely satisfied with the greens and the general upkeep of the course. I would frecommend the course to anyone and we fully intend to play the course within the next few months.

Libor Stehno 2017-11-08
very good golf course , but bad tees

Thijs Beetstra 2017-11-03
We thoroughly enjoyed playing at Vale da Pinta. It is a great golfcourse, which we will certainly play more often. Fortunately we could

Eddie Karakas 2017-11-03
Good Course

Odette 2017-11-02
It's always great to play this course

Susan Crawford 2017-11-01
Course was in great condition considering the lack of rain.

Gordon Sim 2017-10-30
Too slow did not finish before dark, course condition satisfactory

David Phillips 2017-10-26
Played many times normally in better condition

Eddie Karakas 2017-10-25
Excellent... well maintained course.

Odette 2017-10-23
Friendly service - will come back

Alan O'Brien 2017-10-23
Excellent course. A joy to play. The nicest of the Pestana courses I played.

max de groot 2017-10-22
Course is Nice but play is far too slow. Either play with three-balls instead of four-Balls or allow more time between flights

Barry Oshea 2017-10-16
V.good

Neil williamson 2017-10-14
Didn't really like the course, course condition was quite poor & the sandwiches we ordered took 45 mins & it wasn't busy.

Tom Feeney 2017-10-13
brillient

Peter Roberts 2017-10-11
Nice course with lots of raised greens and nice clubhouse/bar area.

Mr Ian Littlejohn 2017-10-02
Nice course. We played on a Saturday, and although the course was busy, the tee times are well spread from the first tee so there was no delay during the round

Andrew Ford 2017-09-21
Love the course and in good condition as well

Neil Brady 2017-09-18
Best course of the 3, excellent.

Trevor Kerr 2017-09-12
Great layout but was in very poor condition. The greens were terrible. I emailed Pestana last week to let them know of our opinion of the greens and got a reply the following day stating that the greens were behind schedule due to the warm summer. I mentioned to them that we would not have booked it if we had known how bad they were. On top of that they charged more for lager than the other courses which was surprising as I assumed it would be standard pricing across the board

David Levitus 2017-07-26
Fair but challenging course

Alan Cooper 2017-07-14
Very helpfull and good let's us tee off on the 10th as it was all 4 balls teeing of on the 1st

Doug Smith 2017-07-06
Vale do Pinta is a really nice course. One or two blind tee shots so it's always better if you know your way round. Yesterday the greens were in great shape. Quick and true. Not one to miss.

Sean Rynne 2017-06-25
Beautiful course, thoroughly enjoyed

Jean-Guy HOTTIAUX 2017-06-17
A bit busy and the starter was a bit lost

Dave Thompson 2017-05-27
Great course and in fab condition. Hope to return

Jean Harings 2017-05-05
Difficult to play and very busy. Play was much to slow, caused by non-handicappers (or very high-..)

Karel Reznicek 2017-04-27
very pleasand holiday golfcourse

Katharina Cugliari 2017-04-19
Along with Gramacho this was another favourite. Beautiful vistas, very hilly, fun to play.

Sarah 2017-04-15
An enjoyable course.

Ronnie McGrath 2017-03-31
Not as good as Gramacho. But OK

Graham Lucas 2017-03-31
Great course, interesting contours, albeit some holes are too adjacent to villas and their 'noisy-in-peak-summer' gardens. After experiencing 5.5+-hour rounds, suggest the 'golf police' patrol more effectively to make slow players maintain a good pace.

Denis Duff 2017-03-27
We could see from the coach that there was water on the greens, in the bunkers and on the fairways at this course as we arrived to play on Thursday 16 March 2017. As the water was extensive and the rain continued to fall heavily, many of us considered the conditions to be unsafe for play. Yet we were informed that the course was open as it had been deemed playable by the Greenkeeper. We decided not to play mainly because it would not have been enjoyable due to the weather, but we were concerned that the course would have allowed us to play in what looked like unsafe conditions. My fellow travellers asked me to relay this message to you.

Fran Mackey 2017-03-10
Beautiful course in great condition, enjoyed by all

Paul Fitzsimmons 2017-03-02
Similar to Gramacho but thought some of the course was a bit scruffy compared to last year. Again excellent greens and well bunkered.

ERNEST ROBINSON 2017-02-02
The speed of the greens was a little too fast i.e. as on the first hole, where the placement of the flag on the lower tier meant that if you landed on the upper tier, any putt down the hill ran off the green and ended up 20 metres from the green. The rest of the course was in good condition.

Libor Stehno 2016-11-16
very good course

Susan Crawford 2016-11-13
Always enjoy playing this course. Only spoiled this year by a scary thunder and lightning storm. No one told us at reception whether we were to come in if there was lightning but we made that decision ourselves!! Maybe they knew something because after the downpour following the flash and thunder right overhead, the weather cleared up and some of our party played on. The course dried out very quickly, again a testament to the maintainance that goes on at Pestana courses.

Julian Pallister 2016-10-31
Had not played for some years but in excellent condition better than i expected

Bill Robertson 2016-10-20
Very very slow...otherwise good

Raymond Gilbert 2016-10-19
Our favorite corse was Boavista, it was more relaxed and not so busy. Gramachio & Vale da Pinta was overbooked and a round could take 5 Hours. PS could not select Boavista as favorite above, Regards Ray

Robert Blackett 2016-10-15
Very enjoyable course, not a driver each time off the tee and strategy needed. Great service and friendly staff

Derek Thomas 2016-10-14
Helpful staff good course Enjoyed the round

MICHAEL MITCHELL 2016-09-23
Great course, up there with the best deep bunkers loved the 7th par 3, a real challenge.

Neil Burton 2016-09-23
poor condition of greens

smith mark 2016-09-23
Very good and efficiant

Daniel Kirwan 2016-09-16
We love Vale Da Pinta. Seems to be some problem with the Greens at the moment, hopefully that will be rectified for next year.

Malcolm MacDonald 2016-09-16
Always one of our favourites and again did not disappoint.

Alex Stewart 2016-08-20
Well received and welcoming. Loved the golf course.

Julia Bell 2016-08-13
Excellent

robert craig rea 2016-06-20
Too crowded. Very slow.

Stephen Curley 2016-06-19
Good golf course with a good clubhouse.

James Galbraith 2016-06-17
HAD SOME DELAYS NOT SURE EXACTLY WHY

Rosemary Dobson 2016-06-01
Really liked this course. Course in good condition. Play a bit slow but maybe to be expected when using buggies.

Jim Redmond 2016-05-28
Excellent course, the best of the four in my opinion. I will definitely be returning to play it again.

Derek Shortall 2016-05-23
Good

Michaelis, Ulrich 2016-05-11
Bad organization !!! When we arrived no trolleys were available, got it in last second. Four flights ahead of us 12 people had much fun but were very slow, so that we had to wait on each whole and gave up totally frustrated after 13 wholes.

Bill Robertson 2016-04-17
Brilliant day

Jonathan Lloyd 2016-03-19
Nice course but a very slow round

Eamonn Ryan 2016-03-09
Nice course. Always very enjoyable to play there

Penny Dawson 2016-02-26
Super course.

Hermann Heddens 2016-02-15
Zu viele Flights, kein Ranger, der sich um viel zu langsame Gruppen gekümmert hat. wir haben dadurch ca. 5.40 Stunden gebraucht. nie wieder Pinta.

Richard Power 2016-02-15
Challenging course, good greens and would play again.

Daniele Pierrat 2016-01-16
good

Johanna Pyykkö 2016-01-14
Exellent.

Dominik L. Zuhorn 2016-01-11
ebenfalls gut gepflegt, abwechslungsreich, mittelschwer

Edward Aitken 2015-12-23
We had a nice experience, course was 1st class

Edward Aitken 2015-12-23
We had a nice experience, course was 1st class

Karel Reznicek 2015-11-16
Excellent conditions

Susan crawford 2015-11-08
Always love Pinta, was in great condition.

Lindsay Desmier 2015-10-27
Good course. Played here a few times, fairly short off the yellows

Michael Hardman 2015-10-27
Course in excellent condition

Ron McLachlan 2014-01-10
Tournament Review – Pestana Vale da Pinta, 4th January 2014 Vale da Pinta is located in Lagoa, Algarve, just a short drive from the seaside village of Carvoeiro. The course opened in 1992 and has since hosted the European Tour and Seniors Tour Qualifying Finals, and that fact alone can confirm the quality of the course. At 6127m this is not a particularly long course even off the championship tees but it is quite undulating, with Bermuda fairways, Penn Cross Bent greens, strategically placed bunkers and lakes amidst the local flora, which includes an olive tree that is over 1200 years old! Overall a challenging but very pleasant course. Our field of 20 this week consisted of a mixture of Chez Carlos members and regular visitors. With 7 lady players we offered prizes this week for the leading two players from both sexes! Nearest the Pin at the 5th was Marie Stradling and at the 15th, Neil McNeill, both winning the usual bottle of wine. Marie also won the Ladies competition. Playing off 16 handicap she pipped Mary Strutt (18) by just one point. Mary won 2nd place on the better back 9. For the Men, it was a family affair! Brothers Gerry(12) and Tony McInerney(20) finishing 1st and 2nd. Gerry scored a remarkable 41 points with Tony 5 back on 36, again due to a better back 9. Whilst it was a windy day, that helped restrict the threatening clouds to just one outburst for little more than a few minutes and it was a particularly enjoyable round. We returned to Chez Carlos for tasters of chicken curry and French fries washed down by everyone’s favourite tipple. Thanks to Felipe and his team.

Chez Carlos Golf Society 2012-09-26
We had played Vale da Pinta course last June but it seemed eveyone liked it so much that it made sense to repeat this Algarve golfing experience. It is in fact quite a varied Algarve golf course with no two holes alike and set on beautiful undulating landscape close to the fishing village of Carvoeiro. Host to a number of pre-qualifying events for the PGA seniors’ school, it is no walk in the park. A good entry of lady golfers meant we were able to mix the sides up and this week we returned back to our usual format of individual stableford. After the enjoyable golf, we headed off to our local nest, the Caddyshack in Carvoeiro, where we socialised and had a pleasurable time chatting around a few nibbles and drinks. Always a day well spent!

Chez Carlos Golf Society 2012-06-09
A visit by the Algarve Golf Society to Vale Da Pinta Golf Course has been long overdue. Hosting the European Seniors Tour Qualifying final for a consecutive 8 years the course has all the credentials to make for an enjoyable game and many of the today’s Chez Carlos Golf Society 16 strong field had never played it before. Designed by the American golf course architect Ronald Fream and inaugurated in 1992 Vale de Pinta Golf Course has earned its place as one of the best designed courses in the Algarve and in Europe. Rolling terrain crafted through an old olive grove (including one tree over 1200 years old!), carob, fig and almond trees are all there in play. Recent construction around the course has sadly spoilt its original effect nevertheless it is still worth a visit as is its neighbouring sister Golf Course Gramacho. The new clubhouse overlooking the first two holes completes the picture for this delightful course. Pairs betterball stableford was the chosen format today off 7/8 handicap and with forward yellow tees high scores in the forties was always on.