Twenty-five years Celebration. Nine holes. 20 members. And not a par 4 in sight.
Balaia Golf, the short course tucked into the pine woods of Balaia Golf Village on the eastern edge of Albufeira, has marked its twenty-fifth anniversary with a members’ tournament, a prize-giving and a dinner in the clubhouse. Twenty members played nine holes in sunshine and warm temperatures. The Algarve does not really do anniversary rain.
The Winners
The French took the honours. Phillipe Cordier won the men’s prize with 20 points, while compatriot Viviane Dujardin won the ladies’ competition with 17. Ian Foulis claimed nearest the pin — the one prize on a par-3 course for which every hole qualifies.
A putting competition for beginners ran alongside the main event, and the trophy went to Belgium’s Marie-Angèle Beeckman. Balaia CEO Ana Bachmann presented the prizes, looking back over the resort’s history and thanking the team that keeps it a place guests return to year after year.
Two Founders Remembered
The course opened in 2001 within the resort businessman Robert Bachmann had founded some years earlier. The golf, though, was the idea of Gad Ron — then general manager, a friend of Bachmann’s and the man behind every stage of the golf at Balaia. Both have since died, and the evening paused to remember what they built.
There is continuity, too. Maria José Pinto has directed the golf since November 2000, before there was a course to direct. In an industry where managers change more often than pin positions, that is going some.
The Course
Southern Golf laid out nine par 3s among the resort’s pines, ranging from 67 to 160 metres; played twice, the 18-hole card measures 1,968 metres. The course is rated for the World Handicap System and has its own tees for Pitch & Putt competitions. (Visit Portugal)
It is short, not easy. Undulating fairways, excellent greens and small targets make it a proper examination of the short game — precisely where most of us lose the shots we later blame on the driver. Its hundred-plus members would agree.
A Busy Anniversary Year
The members’ tournament was not the only celebration. On 26 and 27 September Balaia hosted the Albufeira International Pitch & Putt, three rounds of stroke play over the nine holes. Hugo Espírito Santo of Quinta das Lágrimas won on 150, 12 under par, four shots clear of Finn Gordon from Vilamoura. (Jornal do Algarve)
Back at the anniversary, the prize-giving and dinner were accompanied by live music from Inês Pinto Machado. Twenty-five years of short game, it turns out, deserves a long evening.
A Base with Bonus Holes
Balaia is a resort first: around 480 apartments, tennis courts, pools, a driving range and academy, and the beach within walking distance. The nine holes are on the doorstep, so a quick round before breakfast becomes a daily habit rather than a holiday resolution.
The bigger courses are close by. Pine Cliffs and Salgados are minutes away, and the Vilamoura Old Course is a short drive east. Whatever your preferences, you are sure to find the perfect Golf Course course amongst our listings.
