4 the World Of golfing
courses - Madeira
Madeira Tees Up
Golfing Boost
Courses
Madeira has experienced a boost in golf
numbers during the first four months of
2019, with the two ‘mainland’ courses
experiencing almost double-digit growth. number of golf rounds has increased
significantly. Also on the up is Madeira’s
overall tourism revenue which showed
almost two per cent growth in 2018.
Palheiro Golf has enjoyed 9.4 per cent
growth on the same period last year,
while Santo da Serra is not far behind
with an increase of 8.4 per cent. The news is a boost for the archipelago’s
tourism industry and its agency Discover
Madeira, which has been actively
targeting golfers with its marketing.
Tourism officials believe the archipelago’s
mild climate – which makes Madeira an
ideal all-year-round destination – and
short-haul journey time from Europe is
attracting golfers who might previously
have travelled further afield for their golf. A spokesman for Discover Madeira said:
“This is good news for the tourism sector
on Madeira and is something we will be
looking to build upon in 2019. We are
particularly encouraged by the number
of new visitors coming to the archipelago
to play golf on our three excellent
courses.
Visitor numbers to the island are also
up overall, but only slightly, whereas the
“Madeira is an ideal year-round golf
destination and, it would appear, people
are beginning to appreciate that.”
The par-72, 6,656-yard (6,086m) course
at Palheiro Golf – designed by Robinson
– is situated within the magnificent
Palheiro Estate, which is more than 200
years old. At nearly 1,640ft above sea
level, the location enjoys dramatic views
of Madeira’s mountainous skyline and
the ocean, as well as – nestling below,
just 10 minutes away – the island’s
capital, Funchal.
The original course at Santo da Serra,
dating from 1937, was redesigned in
1991 by Robert Trent Jones Snr, who
created a new and spectacular 27-hole