A Breath of Fresh Air in Portugal’s Golf World – Part 1

New Impetus through Details

In 2023, the Portuguese company Details Hospitality, Sports & Leisure Platform, which is backed by the Arrow Global Group, took over responsibility for the management of several top golf addresses in Portugal. In total, Details manages numerous hotels, real estate projects and nine golf courses, some of which I present in this and my following report. 

It is well known that a fresh breeze is always blowing on the Atlantic. This is also the case in the golf destinations we visited. The first significant investments have already been made after decades of stagnation in some cases. The results are already making the golfing world sit up and take notice.

The vision here is to permanently increase the attractiveness of these locations and develop them from seasonal to year-round destinations. Details aims to develop the clubs into the leading ones in Portugal through the measures already implemented and those planned. Furthermore, the facilities are to be raised to an internationally competitive level in order to attract an upmarket clientele.

Endless Beach near Lisbon

As early as the mid-1970s, numerous residents of the Portuguese capital were drawn to the nearby Costa Azul across the wide Tagus estuary. The rugged west coast of Portugal begins just 20 kilometres south of the city on the Setúbal peninsula. The coast owes its name to the ultramarine colour of the Atlantic and the azure blue of the sky, which complement each other perfectly. The microclimate here is ideal for year-round visits. 

This is the first stop on our round trip. It takes us half an hour by rental car from Lisbon’s international airport. The drive over the third longest suspension bridge in the world, the Ponte 25 de Abril (2,278 metres), which spans the Tagus, is enough to get us excited.

The Costa da Caparica is located on the northern stretch of the Costa Azul. Just a few minutes by car from the kilometre-long sandy beach, two iconic championship golf courses have been created on an area of 365 hectares. The Pines Classic of the Aroeira Golf Club, designed by the renowned golf course architect Frank Pennink, was opened in 1972. Eighteen fantastic avenues of golf wind their way across the sandy soil through the dense, tall pine forest. Each hole is different from the others and has its own charm. Its layout is one of the best in continental Europe.

It was nicknamed ‘Wentworth of Lisbon’ by the British press, as the parallels to the routing of the course in Surrey in England were unmistakable. It became internationally famous when it hosted the Portuguese Open as part of the European Tour in 1996 and 1997.

The layout of the second course, the current Pines Challenge, is thanks to Donald Steel. His 18-hole, par 72 gem was opened in 2000 and is longer than its twin brother. It measures 6,367 metres in white, 5,903 metres in yellow and 4,805 metres in red. It also leads through the dense pine forest through the slightly hilly terrain, which is criss-crossed by six large lakes. 

PGA Aroeira No. 1 

Thanks to Details and its recent partnership with the PGA, the club has been given a new identity and a huge upgrade. Its renaming to PGA Aroeira Lisboa goes hand-in-hand with a massive investment in the golf and leisure activities of the course, which sets new standards in Portugal. The aim is to attract golfers from all over the world. The only PGA resort in Portugal now joins the illustrious circle of former Ryder Cup hosts such as Gleneagles in Scotland and The Belfry in England. 

The Pines Classic has become PGA Aroeira No.1. After just four months of remodeling, it was opened in October this year. All the fairways were turned upside down, the undergrowth and bushes under the pine trees were removed and the holes were reseeded with Bermuda grass.

This is closely in line with the club’s sustainability concept, which also includes the newly installed state-of-the-art irrigation system and drainage. Optimizing water usage is a key aspect of the club’s future direction.

Four new tee boxes on each fairway give the tees a new look. Some are arranged in a terraced pattern, others flat one behind the other. It has a length of 6,044 metres from the back white tees, 5,740 metres from the yellow tees and 5,186 metres from the red tees.

The green bunkers have been redesigned and filled with brilliant white sand. The greens are covered with Bent grass, they are fast and true.

The pine trees have been cut back without losing the character and charm of the originally designed course. The areas under and between the trees have been cleaned up, making it much easier to find balls in them. However, if you do get lost, in most cases you won’t have to accept losing your ball, just a recovery shot through the pine trees back onto the fairways.

Some holes are uphill, others downhill, others completely flat. Water also comes into play on some holes. 

A special attraction is #17, a short par 4 that runs as a dogleg left. The tee shot must be played from the raised tee deep into the hollow, from where it continues uphill to the raised green.

We enjoy the round and are pleased that we don’t end up in any fairway bunkers. No wonder, because a special feature of this course is that it doesn’t have a single one. This also contributes to the fact that the course can now be regarded as a typical resort course, to which one likes to return after a satisfactory score, just like us. Then the fairways, whose grass is currently still in the development phase, will certainly be cut shorter and allow more roll. 

The quaint, traditional clubhouse has a special charm. On entering the restaurant, the bright turquoise colour of the stylish bar catches our eye, as do the magnificent floor tiles and some vintage furniture. From its inviting terrace, we have a great view of the rising 18th fairway and its huge green (see photo left at the beginning of the article).

PGA Aroeira Nr.2

We are also looking forward to the remodeling of the Aroeira Challenge, which has already begun. It will be closed for a few months from May next year and be renamed PGA Aroeira No. 2. It will receive the same upgrade as its older twin brother. 

The challenges for the remodeling are not insignificant, as the course does not have the same sandy soil as No.1, but rather a ground that cannot absorb water as easily.

In sporting terms, it is the more challenging of the two courses, which is due to the narrower fairways as well as the numerous water hazards and fairway bunkers. The greens are already at a top level and are blazingly fast.

The current state of maintenance cannot quite keep up with that of No.1, as all available capacity has been invested in its redesign. But this will change next year at the latest. Nevertheless, a round on this challenging course is always worthwhile. 

New villas and flats will be built on the premises as well as a new clubhouse, restaurant and café. It is pleasing to note that although the neighbouring buildings on both courses will be visually in play, they will not be disturbed at any time. Sufficient distance ensures this.

Pleasant Hotel

We are staying at the chic four-star Aroeira Lisbon Hotel, which is located in the immediate vicinity of the courses. It has 66 modern rooms and two suites. The spacious lobby with bar invites you to linger. From here, we look out through the large window front onto the pool in front of it.

The hotel’s shuttle offers a free transfer to the nearby courses and driving range. The two courses currently share one. 

As part of the expansion, Details is planning to build a new hotel in this area. This is intended to meet the expected increase in demand. 

Attractive play and stay & play packages can be found here: https://pgaaroeira.com/

We leave this new Portuguese golf jewel satisfied and head south to Vilamoura in the Algarve. Here, Details is already working intensively on other projects and we are very excited to see how they progress. I will report on this shortly in part two of my experience report.

Juergen Linnenbuerger
Cologne, November 2024