Golf Industry in Portugal

There are more than 15,000 federated golfers in Portugal, but it can be said that the impact of golf goes way, way beyond the number of golfers who pay their federation fees. On the international scene, the country occupies a prominent place among the most appealing greens, attracting many thousands of tourists to Portuguese lands every year. The reasons behind this? The excellent courses, embedded in stunning scenery, the mild climate all year round and the perpetual friendliness that accompanies the service provided to golfers. It would be hard to find a better destination for a golfing holiday, as the World Golf Awards have said, voting Portugal the World’s Best Golfing Destination between 2014 and 2018. The truth is that this status has been earned and the sector has invested in a wide variety of courses, all enjoying characteristics suited to the various levels of difficulty and, of course, to match all budgets. Today, there are more than ninety courses spread throughout the country, revealing a host of layouts certain to challenge, some of them designed by renowned architects, such as Jack Nicklaus or Arthur Hills.

The country occupies a prominent place among the most appealing international greens,

As a way of exploring the potential of the golf industry in Portugal, Frederico Brion Sanches, Vice-President of the Golf Industry National Council (CNIG), joins V&G in a conversation rich in experience, starting by addressing the broad picture that currently surrounds what’s going on in the sector: «golf has been the product allowing us to mitigate the effect of seasonality, enabling many hotels in the Algarve to be open all year round. Given the excellence of national golf courses, this is a product that is becoming sought after all year round.» Working as a means of stimulating the entire Portuguese economy, the industry has an affect on the hotel, restaurant, car rental and retail sectors – a trend that has intensified year on year. Until COVID-19 came along. According to Frederico Sanches, on a European level, the pandemic caused an increase in players and rounds played far above the expected, although Portugal fell behind. «As a country where golf is mostly played by foreigners, it had a very negative impact on the operational results of the companies that own golf courses, as we were suddenly reduced to the national market, which unfortunately are just the leftovers,» explains the CNIG vice-president.

There are more than ninety courses spread throughout Portugal

Still recovering from difficult times, the golf sector today reveals the need to collect and systematise data, so that tools can be developed to analyse trends and players’ requirements. «We need to adapt management and the way of presenting the game itself, making it more appealing to today’s pace of life,» he declares, guaranteeing that there is also a need for improvement in its technological element, in order to contribute to «business sustainability» and to reduce the impact on the environment. But one thing is certain, nobody questions the quality of golf courses in Portugal. The Algarve and the Lisbon coast are highly sought after by the most experienced players, not to mention the circuits of Madeira and the Azores, or even Espinho, whose course is the second oldest in Continental Europe. But in Frederico’s eyes, Portugal has yet to meet the challenge of adapting to new situations, which means rethinking sustainability: «golf courses should be prepared to respond to inevitable climate changes, paying close attention to the management of water resources, as well as the rules imposed by the European Union regarding the use of pesticides and fertilisers,» he says. These were just some of the topics discussed at the European Golf Business Conference 2023, a conference held recently in Portugal. Under the motto Rethinking the golf business – New Technology – New Generations, Sustainability & Regulations, this forum was dedicated to the approach of new strategies to attract more golf players, along with proposals in the area of sustainability and in the business of the sector itself, themes considered fundamental by the vice-president, «not only in terms of development, but also in terms of the national economy». And these is the latest good news from the golf sector, a sport that is booming, which promotes what the Portuguese most enjoy doing: socialising.