GOLF | FEATURED GOLF COURSE- SANTO DA SERRA
Challenging golf in stunning scenery
Set some 700 metres up in the rugged volcanic hills overlooking the glorious Machico Bay, where Portuguese navigators first landed in 1419, the Santo da Serra Golf Club is acknowledged as one of the most stunningly scenic courses on the European Tour calendar.
Golf was first played here in the 1920s and although a 9 hole course was formally opened in 1937, the current 27 holes were designed by Robert Trent Jones. The Championship course, where the Madeira Islands Open has been played for many of the last 20 years, is comprised of the Machico and Desertas nines, and opened in 1991. The 300 metres difference between its highest and lowest points gives an idea of the terrain of this course – the holidaying golfer may be pleased to learn that the Serras nine, which opened in 1998, is a more gentle attraction with lakes, mountain views and a much flatter terrain! All 3 nines have a broad selection of tees to cope with all golfing abilities, and the club was recently rated 12th in Portugal and listed in the“ Rolex World’ s Top 1000 Golf courses”.
The morning mist which sometimes bathes Madeira ensures that the penneagle, poa and rye grasses on the generally broad and contoured fairways are in excellent condition throughout the year, and the smooth sloping penncross greens generally roll well but can be pretty quick and a challenge to read. Having cleared the mists, the wind together with the altitude and stunning surrounding seascape make judging distance on approach shots problematic.
Since 2008 some of the wooded areas have been cleared and although just in the corner of your vision many of the pine, mimosa and eucalyptus trees are set back from the fairway and are more of a psychological than physical danger. Like much of Madeira, the variety of the plant life is expansive and with the many exotic flowering shrubs, streams and lakes you can easily imagine yourself in a botanical garden.
By Stuart Masson
40 | Summer 2012 | www. madeira-life. net |