Silves Golf is the inland member of the Pestana group’s western Algarve courses, set at Vila Fria between the old Moorish town of Silves and Lagoa, with the Monchique hills to the north. It opened in 2006 and measures 5,592 metres, par 70, which makes for a brisk round. The card hides plenty of trouble, though: six par threes, out of bounds and water, and Pestana warns it is anything but a walk in the park. Prices match the group’s two Carvoeiro courses, and there are apartments beside the fairways.
Silves Golf green fees and tee times.
Book through Pestana Golf’s central reservations, online at pestanagolf.com, by phone on +351 282 340 900 (09:00 to 18:00 on weekdays, 09:00 to 17:00 at weekends) or by email to info@pestanagolf.com. The Silves clubhouse has its own line on +351 282 240 077. The scorecard sets handicap limits of 28 for men and 36 for ladies, and a round must not take longer than 4 hours 30 minutes. Report to the starter at least five minutes before your time, because a missed slot is forfeited. At peak times the starter may combine smaller groups into four-balls. Golf shoes are required; jeans, casual shorts, sleeveless shirts and tracksuits are not allowed.
INDICATIVE GREEN FEE · CHECKED NOVEMBER 2026From €93
Visitor 18 holes in December, January and June–August; €145 in February, May, September and November; €167 in March, April and October. Twilight €50 from 15:30.
18 holes, Dec, Jan, Jun–Aug
€93
18 holes, Feb, May, Sep, Nov
€145
18 holes, Mar, Apr, Oct
€167
Twilight from 15:30
€50
2 players + buggy, June–August
€160
2 players + buggy, 16–31 May and September
€234
Prices change by season and booking route, so confirm the current rate with the operator. Official rates ↗
The round, in perspective.
Pestana does not name an architect on its course pages, but the scorecard sets out the shape clearly. Each nine is par 35, with six par threes and four par fives in all. From the back tees it is rated 69.3 with a slope of 121. The 573-metre 6th is the longest hole and stroke index 1, and the 7th is a dogleg right that needs a precise drive. Pestana calls the 12th the Silves signature hole: a 483-metre par five that a long hitter can reach in two, though three measured shots are the safer route. Three of the par threes, the 3rd, 8th and 11th, play uphill, and the 11th has a narrow green. The 4th is a par five from an elevated tee with out of bounds down the left. The round ends with a straight drive between lateral water hazards on the 18th and an uphill pitch.
Know before you go.
Handicap
Men 28, ladies 36
Round time
4 hours 30 minutes maximum
Check-in
Starter, 5 minutes before your time
Buggies
90-degree rule throughout
Dress
Golf shoes; no jeans, casual shorts, sleeveless shirts or tracksuits
Make the trip work.
With a short card and a twilight rate from 15:30, Silves fits easily around a beach morning or a round elsewhere. A twilight buggy is €40. Standard hire across Pestana’s western courses is €45 for TaylorMade Qi10 clubs, €55 for an 18-hole buggy, €30 for an electric trolley and €10 for a pull trolley, and a token for 50 range balls costs €7. Marker posts on the course show distances from 50 to 200 metres to the centre of the green.
Faro airport is about 60 km east along the A22; allow 45 minutes to an hour. The course is at Vila Fria, a few kilometres south of Silves town and north of Lagoa, close to the A22. Silves has a station on the Algarve line, south of the town centre, but a car is far more practical for golf. Portimão is about 15 minutes west.
Pestana Silves Golf & Residences, a tourist village of apartments beside the course, is the on-site option and is listed with Pestana’s golf accommodation. The group also runs Gramacho Residences next to its Carvoeiro courses and the Alvor Atlântico hotel on the beach at Alvor. Carvoeiro and Ferragudo on the coast are around 15 to 20 minutes south. Silves itself has small guesthouses below the castle and is the place to eat if you want to avoid the busier coastal resorts.
Make a trip of it.
Pestana’s Vale da Pinta and Gramacho, side by side near Carvoeiro around 15 minutes south, charge the same as Silves, so a three-course Pestana week costs the same per round wherever you tee off. Amendoeira’s Faldo course is about 10 minutes east, on the road towards Alcantarilha, with Salgados a little beyond. Off the course, Silves was the capital of the Moorish Algarve, and its red sandstone castle stands above the cathedral and the Arade river.
Find your season.
Pestana’s price calendar is the clearest guide. March, April and October are premium months at €167; December, January and the summer are cheapest at €93. Summer afternoons inland at Vila Fria are hot, so an early start or the June to August two-player buggy deal at €160 is the sensible way to play. The course is open all year.
5,592 metres from the back tees, 5,219 from the yellows and 4,715 from the reds, all par 70. Men are rated 69.3 (slope 121) from the back and 67.7 (slope 118) from the yellows; ladies are rated 73.3 (slope 127) from the yellows and 70.0 (slope 120) from the reds.
Does Silves Golf cost the same as other Pestana courses?
It shares a price band with Gramacho and Vale da Pinta, €93 to €167. On the same list Alto Golf at Alvor costs €73 to €131, Vila Sol €130 to €200 and the new Ferragudo course €130 to €230, so Silves sits in the middle of the group.
What is the hardest hole at Silves Golf?
The scorecard makes the 6th stroke index 1: a 573-metre par five that Pestana says must be long and straight on every shot. The 12th, the signature par five, is stroke index 2, and the 399-metre 7th, a dogleg right, is stroke index 3.
Last checked 11 November 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
