Sergio Garcia Has Designed a New Golf Course in Portugal

Ryder Cup icon Sergio Garcia has been expanding his portfolio by unveiling his first major golf course design project, which will open next year in Portugal at Terras da Comporta.

His creation - The Torre Course - will join the acclaimed Dunas Course at Terras da Comporta, which has earned widespread global praise since opening last year, and the luxury golf development’s second 18-hole layout is expected to receive a similar reaction when it is unveiled to the golf world in June 2025.

Created over an area of natural sandy terrain one hour south of Lisbon, the par-72 layout is European Ryder Cup legend Garcia’s first golf-course design project where he has been given overall responsibility.

Terras da Comporta’s team of greenkeepers completed seeding on the course’s teeing areas, fairways and greens at the end of last month and the layout remains on schedule to be ready for play at the start of next summer.

Measuring, 6,575 metres from the back tees when completed, The Torre Course is set to feature a combination of risk-and-reward holes, tight fairways and small greens, with Garcia taking inspiration from his favourite course in the world, Valderrama.

Garcia said: "When it comes to full-on design, this is my first project and we are very, very excited about the course. It’s something that I can really put my stamp on.

"The site is located in striking scenery, just a couple of kilometres from the beautiful beaches of Comporta, and the land has all the ingredients for a spectacular golf course. It’s a beautiful spot for a golf course and we are building it using the best sustainable methods.

"We have tried to fit the course as naturally as possible into the landscape in order to give the guests the feeling that the holes were shaped together with the surrounding by the hands of time. Players will find large, sandy waste bunkers along the not too overly wide fairways.

"My favourite golf course is always Valderrama - I enjoy tight fairways, small greens and a target golf course. The Torre Course will feature a mixture of risk-and-reward holes and the golf course, in general, will favour precision and shot-making over length and power.

"It will be a challenge but also very playable as we want people who play the course to come back, and to keep coming back. With six teeing positions on each hole, the course will cater to all levels of golf from beginners to professionals and young to old."

Rodrigo Ulrich, director of golf at Terras da Comporta, said: "It’s been an amazing first year for The Dunas Course, and we are expecting people to be just as excited when they see The Torre Course.

"It’s being created on another amazing piece of land but, while the terrain is similar, the essence of the course will be a little bit different. Sergio has done an incredible job with the design, and we couldn’t be happier with how the course is progressing. Next summer can’t come quickly enough."

News of The Torre Course’s opening date comes as The Dunas Course continues to receive critical acclaim from players and the golf industry alike, with the David McLay-Kidd creation achieving a new first recently after being rated as the number one golf course in Portugal by users of the respected Leading Courses website less than a year after opening.

The spectacular course near Lisbon shot straight to the top of the rankings in Leading Courses’ updated ‘Golfers’ Choice Awards 2024’. Decided by reviews given by the Leading Courses community, each course is assessed across a range of categories including design, surroundings, maintenance, hospitality and value for money, with The Dunas Course scoring highly in each.

The honour is the latest in a growing list to be bestowed on The Dunas Course since the par-71 layout opened - including being named as the ‘World’s Best New Golf Course’ and ‘Europe’s Best New Golf Course’ at the 2023 World Golf Awards.

Owned by Vanguard Properties, Portugal’s largest real estate developer who took ownership in 2019, Terras da Comporta features two large developments: Torre, comprising 365 hectares of land, and Dunas, which occupies around 1,011 hectares.

Complementing the two 18-hole golf courses will be an array of lifestyle facilities including horse-riding, wellness, tennis, padel, pickleball and many other sports, with a wide range of plots for hotels, tourist and residential condominiums also on offer.

For more information, please visit: www.comporta.com/.