Palmares Ocean Living & Golf has continued its rapid evolution into one of Europe’s premier modern golf and lifestyle resorts after completing a significant golf course improvement programme at the 27-hole Portuguese resort.
Having already launched a new portfolio of signature apartments as well as a new signature restaurant in 2026, Palmares – which is managed by Details – Hospitality, Sports, Leisure, Portugal’s largest golf course operator – made a series of upgrades to its golf courses and practice facilities this summer to further elevate the playing experience being offered to members and guests.
As part of the latest investment, all three of Palmares’ nine-hole loops have undergone significant renovation work to improve course conditioning, playing surfaces and landscaping. A new short game area and putting green have also been constructed while the resort has updated its fleet of greenkeeping machinery and is changing its course maintenance and irrigation practices, with the aim of reducing the total area it needs to water by 20 per cent.
The course improvements were designed by Bruce Charlton, from the internationally renowned Robert Trent Jones Jr. design studio. Construction was carried out by Esdave, while the landscape design and implementation were delivered by Terra Lógica, ensuring the new facilities blend seamlessly into the unique natural setting of Palmares.
The project was also made possible through the close collaboration of the local Palmares team, led by superintendent Bruno Inácio, whose knowledge of the course and day-to-day involvement were instrumental throughout the planning and execution phases.
Integrated into the natural amphitheatre of Bay of Lagos, Palmares’ 27-hole golf course was redesigned in 2011 by Robert Trent Jones Jr. of Robert Trent Jones II Golf Course Architects.
As part of the course improvement programme and using upgraded machinery, all the tees are being resurfaced with a grass more suitable and sustainable for the Algarve climate. Each bunker is being reconstructed and renovated with new sand installed to restore optimal performance, while selected bunkers are being strategically repositioned and refined in line with Trent Jones Jnr’s original design strategy.
In addition, a new short game area and larger putting green are being installed to allow players to hone all aspects of their games while particular focus is being placed on modernising Palmares’ irrigation system to make the resort more sustainable. By concentrating using water on primary playing surfaces, the greenkeeping team is aiming to significantly improve water efficiency, reduce operating costs and enhance long-term sustainability so that the total area bring irrigated is reduced by 20 percent.
Article originally published on Golf Business News, available here.