Having already launched a new portfolio of signature apartments as well a new signature restaurant in 2027, Palmares – which is managed by Details – Hospitality, Sports, Leisure, Portugal’s largest golf course operator – made a series of upgrades to its golf courses and practice facilities this summer to further elevate the playing experience being offered to members and guests. As part of the latest investment, all three of Palmares’ nine-hole loops have undergone significant renovation work to improve course conditioning, playing surfaces and landscaping. A new short game area and putting green have also been constructed while the resort has updated its fleet of greenkeeping machinery and is changing its course maintenance and irrigation practices, with the aim of reducing the total area it needs to water by 20 per cent. Nuno Sepulveda, co-CEO at Details – Sports, Hospitality, Leisure, said: “This investment is part of a much bigger vision for Palmares. As the management company, we took a hard look at the resort and it was clear this was what was needed to bring the golf course back up to the standards that a place like Palmares deserves. “After the renovations we’ve carried out across our golf portfolio, it made perfect sense for Palmares to be next. With its combination of parkland and links-style holes in an incredible coastal setting offering the best views in the region, Palmares is such a special place. This project will deliver improved playability, upgraded facilities and modernised infrastructure, while putting sustainability at the core of how the course is run.” Integrated into the natural amphitheatre of Bay of Lagos, Palmares’ 27-hole golf course was redesigned in 2011 by the renowned Robert Trent Jones Jr. of Robert Trent Jones II Golf Course Architects (RTJ II) and is regarded as one of Portugal’s premier golf destinations. Featuring three distinct nine-hole loops – Alvor, Lagos, and Praia – the course gracefully descends towards the ocean, offering a unique and challenging experience for golfers of all levels, and the investment further elevates the golf experience and improves the resort’s green footprint. “We’ve increased the ‘fun factor’ for golfers of all skill levels by widening fairways and incorporating short grass as a defence instead of sand bunkers on many green complexes,” said Bruce Charlton, president, RTJ II.  “We’ve also updated tee surfaces and bunkers.” As part of the course improvement programme and using upgraded machinery, all the tees are being resurfaced with a grass more suitable and sustainable for the Algarve climate. Each bunker is being reconstructed and renovated with new sand installed to restore optimal performance, while selected bunkers are being strategically repositioned and refined in line with Trent Jones Jnr’s original design strategy. In addition, a new short game area and larger putting green are being installed to allow players to hone all aspects of their games while particular focus is being placed on modernising Palmares’ irrigation system to make the resort more sustainable. By concentrating using water on primary playing surfaces, the greenkeeping team

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When the Estonian Golf & Country Club opened its doors in 2005, hosting a professional tour event was always the mission. 21 years later, the club’s Sea Course welcomed 156 players for the first Infortar Estonian Challenge on the HotelPlanner Tour. We went behind the scenes with Hanno Kross, the club’s CEO, to find out how it went, what it actually takes to host a professional event and the benefits it can bring to a venue. A first for Estonia The clearest sign of how the week went, according to Kross, came from the players themselves. “There have been more than a dozen emails from players sent personally thanking us for the tournament and the exceptional conditions,” he says. “One player, who has earned many millions across his career, thanked us we had created ‘a DP World Tour feeling,’ which was a very proud moment for a first-time host. “And the feedback wasn’t only about the golf course and the Estonian talent, but everything around the tournament: hospitality, organisation and the location. So it’s very positive.” What it took: partnerships and expertise “There are a lot of moving parts in tournament hosting,” Kross says. “But when you have the right people and the right processes in place, that’s when things come together.” Hosting a professional tournament isn’t something a venue does alone. For Kross, being part of the European Tour Destinations network for over two decades was central to making it possible at all. “When the Estonian Golf Association had their initial discussions with the European Tour Group, the Tour said, ‘Of course, we’re going to host it at the Estonian Golf & Country Club. They’ve been a part of us for 20 years’. “Everybody recognised the relationship we have with the Tour, so it made things a lot easier.” But it didn’t come without its challenges. Kross points to two in particular. “We had hosted the European Championships just three weeks prior. So that turnaround was down to a brilliant effort from the greenkeeping team,” Kross says. “And of course, the course was closed for another week after the European Championships. I was expecting some frustration from members, but I think they all understood. They were proud that it happened here and really got behind the event.” Measuring success: a national impact For Kross, the tournament’s most significant impact may not be measured this year at all, but in the next generation of Estonian golfers it inspires. “There were three Estonians who made the cut for the first time ever at this level. It doesn’t matter that all three guys were actually from another course. We’re one big golf family here in Estonia,” he says. “It’s fantastic to see the impact the tournament has on our younger golfers. As a 13-, 14- or 15-year-old kid, watching some of the best players perform here in Estonia will give them real encouragement and motivation that they can do the same in three or five years.” The long-term benefits of hosting “The

Golf is more popular than ever, with the National Golf Foundation (NGF) reporting a record number of players in 2025 – 48.1 million – and the European Golf Association announcing a 4% increase in registered golfers in Europe, to more than 4.9 million in the same year. One contributor? The growing participation among 18-34 year olds – now the largest on-course age group in the US. For golf clubs and resort destinations, that shift represents a significant opportunity. However, capturing it requires understanding what this younger demographic actually wants, and how differently they engage with the game. One European Tour Destination seeing this shift firsthand is The Dutch, a private members’ club an hour from Amsterdam, where the average member age has fallen from 56 to 52 in under a decade – compared with a Dutch national average of 67. But the club’s strategy is about more than simply lowering the average age. Its under-40 memberships are aimed primarily at business owners, executives, professionals and high-potential talent who value quality, convenience and access to a relevant network. We spoke to Phil Helsby, the club’s General Manager, to find out what the commercial opportunity truly is and how other clubs and resorts can capitalise on it. The commercial opportunity isn’t just on the tee sheet In the modern era, according to Helsby, golf clubs are no longer competing against the course down the road. They are competing against the entire spectrum of lifestyle choices. For the millennial and Gen-Z professional, the decision is not which club to join, but whether golf is a better use of limited time than travel, fitness or family. A critical insight he shares is that a younger demographic does not equate to a lower-value one. Data from The Dutch reveals a significant shift in playing characteristics: since 2018, average rounds played per member fell from 36 to 30, yet total spend per visit increased. This signals a transition from a volume-based model to an experience-led value model. “The average spend of the younger generation is high,” Helsby explains. “What they spend per round – not only on the golf but on food and beverage – has increased.” To capture this, venues must ensure revenue follows the person rather than just the tee sheet. Therefore, elevating the culinary and social environment to match the high-end expectations of members who may only play 2-3 times per month is important. For a demographic whose greatest constraint is often time, this ability to combine sport, business and social connection within a single visit is a significant part of the club’s value. Flexibility matters, but so does time efficiency. Flexible membership models The Dutch has developed a tiered membership structure specifically designed for those under 40, built around flexibility and social connection. “We have two different types of memberships for this demographic, because a one-size-fits-all model doesn’t work for them,” says Helsby. “The first is our Off-Peak package, which gives members access to the course just outside working hours, from 4pm