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 is aiming to significantly improve water efficiency, reduce operating costs and enhance long-term sustainability so that the total area bring irrigated is reduced by 20 percent.
Gonzaga Liniers, general manager at Palmares Ocean Living & Golf, said: “Joining Palmares at the same time as this significant renovation has been really exciting, and it gives me real confidence that within the next two years, we will position Palmares as one of the best golf destinations in Europe.
“That won’t just be down to the golf. With our award-winning clubhouse, the new leisure facilities and the arrival of JW Marriott, the brand’s first hotel in Portugal, every part of the resort is moving forward together. It’s a great time to be here and we’re looking forward to showing people the very best version of Palmares.”
Launched as an 18-hole course in 1975, Palmares has established itself as an icon of tourism and golf in Portugal over the last five decades, developing into an integrated luxury resort with 200 hectares of panoramic views of Meia Praia and the Alvor estuary.
Complementing its golf facilities are an award-winning clubhouse featuring the new signature restaurant Preceito and Signature Residences. The Algarve resort recently enhanced its reputation by joining the prestigious European Tour Destinations network, while further investment will include the opening of the first JW Marriott hotel in Portugal in 2028.
Palmares Ocean Living & Golf is part of the portfolio of assets managed by Details – Hospitality, Sports, Leisure, which is owned by Arrow Global and is the company responsible for managing its tourism assets in Portugal.
The resort is one of 13 golf venues in the Details portfolio which also features the likes of Vilamoura Golf, PGA Aroeira Lisboa, Troia Golf, Monte Rei, San Lorenzo, Vale Pisão and Costa Ragusa Golf in Sicily.