Rotary Charity Golf Day Tees Off in Vilamoura on 30 Nov 2024 for Algarve Children

An autumn round of golf in Vilamoura is usually about perfect greens and Atlantic light, yet this year’s game comes with an extra reward: every swing on the Pinhal Golf Course will help finance projects for children and families across the Algarve. On 30 November 2024 the 8th AIRC Charity Golf Day promises a relaxed competition followed by a convivial lunch, all engineered to channel funds into social inclusion programmes that rarely make headlines but quietly change lives.

Golf, Philanthropy and the Algarve Landscape

The Almancil International Rotary Club—better known locally as AIRC—has spent the past decade turning the region’s love affair with golf into a reliable stream of charitable revenue. Portugal’s southern coast attracts more than 1.3 M golfing visitors a year, and AIRC’s organisers say the sport’s international flavour mirrors Rotary’s own mix of nationalities. By folding a friendly tournament into a broader social afternoon, the club has found a formula that appeals both to low-handicap regulars and holidaymakers looking for a purposeful outing. “Service above self” may be Rotary’s global slogan, yet here it also means a €185 entry fee that covers green fees, lunch and a direct contribution to local aid groups.

What Makes the 8th Edition Different

Club president Uschi Kuhn says the 2024 goal is to beat last year’s record haul of €14,400, a figure that funded electric wheelchairs for a dementia day-centre in Quarteira. The new edition adds a few twists: a shotgun start designed to boost camaraderie, expanded prize categories for mixed-ability teams and a silent auction featuring stays in boutique Algarve hotels. Kuhn insists the event is open to “anyone with a set of clubs or simply an appetite for good food”, noting that non-golfers may reserve a lunch-only seat for €50. Most important, she stresses, is the chance to share the fairway with neighbours and visitors who believe in “community first”.

Where the Money Goes

Rotary’s committee will select beneficiaries after the tournament, but Kuhn hints at priorities. Recent grants have underwritten theatre tickets for autistic pupils in Loulé, stocked Almancil’s Banco Alimentar pantry and paid for playground surfacing at the Fundação António Aleixo. Another partner, ASCA, used AIRC funds to keep its meal-delivery van on the road. In education, Rotary scholarships have helped Algarve teenagers attend RYLA leadership camps and equipped rural classrooms with laptops. The common thread, Kuhn says, is “dignity”—ensuring that poverty or disability does not exclude residents from the region’s growing prosperity.

Pinhal Course: From 1976 Fairways to Modern Charity Hub

Opened in 1976 and remodelled at the turn of the millennium, Pinhal meanders through umbrella pines and gentle dunes just minutes from Vilamoura Marina. The par-72 layout is challenging enough to test low handicappers, yet forgiving for novices who relish seaside scenery over scorecards. Overhead, apartment balconies and holiday villas line several fairways, turning local homeowners into impromptu spectators. AIRC deliberately stages the tournament outside the peak summer rush so that players can enjoy near-ideal weather while local hotels and restaurants gain an off-season boost—another quiet way the event nourishes the Algarve economy.

How to Join the Cause

Registration is already open through aircrotary.com and partner agencies; early sign-ups secure a discounted buggy and a welcome-pack stocked with Algarve-made olive oil. Golfers may enter as individuals, pairs or full foursomes, and companies often sponsor tees to showcase their brands beside tricky dog-legs. Those who prefer the clubhouse terrace can arrive just before noon for cocktails and a three-course meal prepared by a chef who fuses Portuguese flavours with international flair. Kuhn summarises the invitation succinctly: bring a club, bring a friend, or simply bring your curiosity—because one Saturday morning on the fairway can ripple into a year of grass-roots impact for neighbours who need it most.