Espiche Golf

We didn’t pick this course initially but were switched here when Palmares decided to cancel our booking. The set up was much nicer than I’d expected and the staff were great. Wish we’d booked buggies as it was a bit of a slog (felt like every hole was uphill!). The course was attractive but tricky and, arguably, a little unfair at times with sloping fairways and an excess of gorse type bushes too close to the fairways for our liking which also affected the speed of play.

V pleasant course - needs a strip of semi rough to stop balls going into the nasty stuff - can lose balls v easily from sides of fairway - but v enjoyable and im good condition

We would not play there again. It is a course that you need to have played a few times since there are quite a few blind shots and fairways where the ball will run off into the rough (bad) if you don't know where to put the ball. The rough was impenetrable

Overall we would rate this course second to Palmares that we played

Fantastic course. We had heard it was very tight/difficult but we found it fine. 2 of the group played significantly below their handicap! A definite must play if in the area One of my favourite course on the Algarve

Terrible buggy bar experience. They said they would come regularly with food and drink and then after 7 we called to say getting very hungry and thirsty. Said they would come immediately. Called again after 10 and same thing. No one came at all.

Challenging (particularly with strong winds we had). Need spare balls!

Tough when playing the first time but would be a little easier with course knowledge. Excellent condition but difficulty factor does make it a slow round

2nd time playing here and love this course. Very tough round and be prepared to lose a few balls. Facilities are second to none with great driving range, clubhouse and practice facilities. A couple of our group struggled with the difficulty and marked it down but be prepared for a difficult round and enjoy the views, course and a challenge

A lovely quiet location, our tee time gave us an unhindered round with no one in front or behind. A tough and tight course, fairways very hard which allowed a lot of run for the ball. Anything off centre is punished with no real sympathy to find your ball. Greens were good on the front nine but noticeably slower on the back. Bring plenty of balls and plot your way around, you can be punished very quickly. Lovely clubhouse and scenic views of the course allow you to get over your mistakes, restock on balls and reflect with a beer. Would play again, now I’ve risk assessed it.

Great course, great food.

Far too slow with no Marshall’s so playing on final day before flight home is not recommended

A gem

Quite narrow in low to average condition. Not planning to go back.

Played Espiche twice during our stay. Lovely clubhouse, good practice facilities, staff very friendly and food excellent. The course however was unfairly set up. Drives in the centre of fairway could easily get the wrong bounce and end up in the undergrowth which bounds almost every hole. Greens weren’t in great nick and pin positions would be considered greenkeeper’s revenge at home. Almost to a man our group stated they would not hurry back, which pretty much sums it up!!!

Found this course far too difficult first time around, lots of blind tee shots compounded by the speed of the fairways - found myself teeing off with an iron and still running into water crossing the fairway. Course looks beautiful though and staff were incredibly helpful througout. Would play again.

Greens on this course were very poor. Exactly the same as the putting green. Disappointed with the condition overall.

This is a tough track. Told by the golf pro to leave the driver in the bag and he was absolutely right. Very tight with no real margin for error or the ball was gone. Still enjoyed it though. Certainly not for high handicappers though.

Very enjoyable round, challenging.

Narrow golf course but beautiful and well kept. Great clubhouse. Highly recommend

The fairways and surrounds were in good condition. The greens may have been recently dressed as they were a brown tinge and slower . The big criticism of the course was the lack of graded rough. It was tight fairway then off the course. My playing partners lost shots that landed on the fairways. Not conducive to holiday golf.

I would not recommend this course to any type or skill of golfer. Terrible

Played twice enjoyed the clubhouse, staff super

lovely course. No buggies available

Course was in great condition. Not busy and well set out.

Espiche is a tight course, and if you are offline it will probably mean a lost ball as there is scrub and bushes lining most holes. The clubhouse is modern and nicely located looking down over the course. The course and greens were in good condition.

Great course

Amazing course, possible the nicest I’ve ever played. Great food and drink too.

What a beautiful golf course. Facilities including driving and chipping area were excellent. Bit of advice - Don’t go long or wide as this will mean LOST ball! Great course !

Disappointed that they didn't have enough buggies and some of our party had to walk the long and hilly course. Reception said it was Your Golf Travels fault that they hadn't pre booked them . Whoever is at fault needs to make sure that buggies for everyone are available.

Was told this course was much harder but enjoyed it a lot more. Green condition was better and would have liked to play it twice instead

Too many blind shots, too many areas where balls were lose just off the fairway, 5 hours 20 min round, buggies not available for everyone (they need to be pre-booked) wouldn’t come back again

A devilishly tight and difficult course where you are either 'in play' or dead! Beautiful course and well designed but long and accurate shots are required! Brilliant clubhouse and lovely staff. Take plenty of balls.

Some tee boxes and greens not in the best condition, challenging layout so the course played quite hard/long.

Great course very hard if you miss the fairway

Loved this course, have played once before and wanted to try again. It's a tough ball hungry course, so we had bought quite a few with us! Enjoyed it very much and look forward to playing it again on our next visit. The menu could do with a few light bites added to it.

Trickiest of the three we played, but my favourite. A real thinking course at times, not just a hit a driver and see what happens, poor shots get punished! Slow to start off due to early morning fog but a really mature course and great variety. Played scramble on the course which I think helped as group was varied with skill set so helped overall enjoyment.

One of the best I’ve ever played A must play in my opinion ✔️

Very Challenging with the slopes on the course lose a few balls in the rough....but again nice course.

Very scenic and well maintained course with some unforgiving rough surrounding it

Great course in great condition. Hard but good test.

It’s a challenging course but most people will know that before going. The course was well kept and the greens were like carpets. We would play here again.

Nice clubhouse. Good practice facilities with a good putting and chipping area. Range is small but still good. Really tight course off the tee. Lots of trouble if you’re not hitting it straight. Greens look immaculate although they run a little slow.

This is a jem of a course, situated back from the coast so slightly different feel, but is is brilliantly laid out across the landscape. Some excellent holes, brilliant greens and general course condition. Food both in the clubhouse and to take away was very very good.

Staff very good. Well organised. Nice clubhouse. Course in very good condition. Doesn't favour high handicappers.

Take plenty of balls on the natural course a real challenge on first time better to plot your way rather than try to beat it Greens fast

Unfair set up, good shots punished by sloping fast fairways and no fringe rough to stop ball running on and on into hazards that should not have been in play when viewing the shot.

Found it difficult can't go off fairways or ball is lost. Fairways in poor condiction good greens. All courses need water.

This is a lovely course, set away from any villages, it is a decent layout and generally well maintained but fairways suffered during the long dry summer. The greens were a bit slow but very consistent. Some really lovely holes. The clubhouse is a real delight and staff all very welcoming. Definitely worth a visit and decent value too

Espiche is a love it or hate it course as it can be very harsh with very very thick bushes lining the fairways. No rough or run offs, so centrally placed shot can be lost with a poor bounce . Green looked great but a bit long and slow for me. But one of the group loved the course and the greens, mind you he did have straight birdies so he would but proved my point . Not a course for the high handicap golfer.

Fabulous, unblemished greens which ran true. It was incredibly windy the day we played which made them hard to guage. Impossible to keep the ball on the fairways and good shots were not rewarded.

Espiche was also in good condition which was pleasing. Unfortunately, I don’t play courses well that have very sloping hilly fairways and a lot of blind shots. I would not describe myself as a very straight hitting driver, but for some of my group they enjoyed it.

Course in excellent condition. Staff friendly and helpful. Clubhouse well equipped

Ridiculously hard course. Use one less club every time. Great setting and facilities but take a lot of balls. Windy when we were there which made it much more difficult. Really good challenge if you are up to is. Ground was dry because of drought in Portugal which added to the difficulty.

Tight fairways but great condition , any miss hits and you were in scrubland. reasonably priced buggies and beer afterwards

Enjoyed the course, very quick round mainly because we played quite well. Course layout less interesting than Palmeres but greater need for accuracy off tee so a good test. Worth playing.

Good course but unforgiving. If you miss the fairways you are unlikely to find your ball. If your straight off the tee it’s fine. However very windy when we played so lost a lot of balls!

Had been warned it was hard but found it easier than expected Good condition wonderful views Starter friendly and helpful as we arrived late after problems with transfer

A very tight course and a few blind holes would recommend buggies so can drive up to see were to go

Greens poor , lots thatch type grass , chipping very different to other courses due to woolly thatch type grass around the greens . Nobody wanted to return?

We really enjoyed this course. In great condition for the time of year. bar and restaurant were very good

Challenging course but a very good one at that. Condition was very good and facilities where excellent.

Very very tough round

Very hard course bring plenty of balls .

This has to be one of the most difficult in the area if you are not dead straight then you`re in trouble but the course was in fabulous condition

Always a tough course but very enjoyable

Great course in very good conditions. Knowledgeable and polite staff. We felt welcome and enjoyed our golf - both playing the course and apres. We were able to pay for buggies in advance. We will play this course again. Highly recommended.

nice course - need a good day with the driver to score well. Greens nice and fast.lovely facility and food.

A hard tight course with narrow fairways made extremely difficult by the very high wind experienced on a high elevation on a hilltop. Very easy to lose balls in the conditions.

It was a 2 club wind and this proved too difficult for the high handicappers with one of our party losing 14 balls due to the narrowness of the fairways and severity of the rough

Lovely course.......very much like to play again.

Espiche is tight and quirky. You have fairway, a strip of maybe 10 yard first cut rough and then serious bundai - as in lost ball. They really need to widen the rough and grow it to stop balls which have initially landed on the fairway ending up lost. Also a lot of work going on in bunkers which are GUR. Greens were abysmal - very slow and very bumpy. They had had their club championship in the morning too! Green keeper would be sacked at our place had he produced greens like these for such an event. Maybe being a little unfair. I've played it four times previously and enjoyed the quirkiness but as mentioned combination of poor condition and poor set-up make the wrong side of challenging - add in some breeze and its almost unplayable. Our average stableford score for eight golfers with handicaps ranging from 7 to 18 was 26. Not to mention the lost balls tally!! Pity but wont be back - would much rather play another combination at Palmares or Boavista. Final nail..... staff very off-hand!

Lovely club house, very good course. We were a mixed ability group and everyone enjoyed it, though it deserves it reputation for being a challenge. Spray it about and you lose balls quickly but you can score if you keep it in play. There was a a little work on the course when we were there but didn't interfere much.

Gorgeous location, beautiful clubhouse with 360 degree views of the course. Quite difficult course, but free buggies.

Difficult but a great course and worth a visit.

Tough but enjoyable course where if you stray off the fairway you tend to lose your ball.

4 holes. Rained off.

This is a must play; in fact we played it again on our rest day. The greens and course were as good if not better than any on the Algarve. Excellent service from all at the course; given the price it was outstanding. Bring some golf balls as the course is tight but straight drivers will score well.

Enjoyed the tough course, didn't play very well

A great golf course, needs managing and must be straight hitter or take a lot of balls. Good course to play. Fantastic clubhouse for after golf.

Not very enjoyable very hard