Two courses where every hole is a par 3, plus one clifftop course with a famous exception — the Algarve's short-game and beginner-friendly rounds, with real par, length and price for each.
Not every round in the Algarve needs to be five hours and eighteen full-length holes. A par-3 course is the fastest way to sharpen your short game, introduce a beginner to golf without intimidating them, or fit in a round on a travel day. The Algarve has two genuine all-par-3 courses, plus one clifftop course that's mostly par-3s with a famous exception — here's how they compare.
Vale de Milho — the purest short-game test
Every one of Vale de Milho's nine holes is a par 3, ranging from around 60 to 160 metres, on a hillside above Carvoeiro with sea views from several tees. Dave Thomas — Ryder Cup player and designer of more than 40 courses, including the Belfry — laid it out in 1990, and it's held up as one of the best dedicated short-game venues in the Algarve, not just a beginner's course. A second nine-hole loop with different tee positions is available if you want to play on.
Balaia — no handicap certificate, no pressure
Balaia's nine holes are also all par 3, running from 58 to 160 metres through the grounds of the Balaia Golf Village resort near Albufeira. It opened in 2001 and doesn't ask for a handicap certificate, which makes it a genuinely relaxed first stop for beginners or juniors — there's a 40-bay driving range and golf academy on site if you want to work on your swing before you play. Green fees start from €45, among the cheapest rounds on this coast.
The Balaia Golf Village Resort sits right on the course, so it's easy to fit in a few holes before breakfast.
Pine Cliffs — six par 3s and one that will test you
Pine Cliffs isn't a pure par-3 course — six of its nine holes are par 3s, with three longer holes making up the par-33 total — but it earns its place here for the Devil's Parlour, a 197-metre par 3 played from 60 metres above the Atlantic, over a ravine, to a green perched on the cliff edge. Martin Hawtree designed the course in 1990 for what's now the Pine Cliffs Resort, and the shorter holes mean it's genuinely playable for complete beginners, even with that one dramatic exception.
Staying at the Pine Cliffs Residence puts the course, and that cliff-edge tee shot, right outside your door.
Looking for more nine-hole options beyond pure par-3 golf? See our full guide to the Algarve's 9-hole courses, which also covers Penina Resort.
