Comporta Dunes to open in Portugal

David McLay-Kidd’s new links course is set to open at the resort of Terras da Comporta in southern Portugal, predicted to become of Europe’s finest golf venues for tourists.

The acclaimed designer of Machrihanish Dunes, Bandon Dunes and the Castle Course at St Andrews, McLay-Kidd’s highly anticipated Comporta Dunes will be his first course in mainland Europe. It’s expected to be fully open by this summer.

It will be one of two new 18-hole championship layouts at the brand new multi-million euro resort of Terras da Comporta, around an hour south of Lisbon, close to Pego Beach near the village of Carvalhal.

The Dunes Course will eventually be joined by the Torre Course, a collaboration between Masters champions Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia.

Both McLay-Kidd and Olazabal and Sergio Garcia teamed up with Vanguard Properties – the largest real estate developer in Portugal – in developing the courses for the new resort of Terras da Comporta.

Terras da Comporta is an outstanding project divided into two parts: Dunas and Torre. Dunas will occupy around 1,000 hectares and will be home to McLay-Kidd’s course; Torre will cover 365 hectares and will host Olazabal and Garcia’s course.

Complementing The Dunes Course will be a new clubhouse and golf academy, and Dunas as a whole will be made up of villas, residential houses, tourist condominiums, hotels, leisure and spa facilities. Away from the fairways, it will offer an array of lifestyle activities including horse riding, wellness and sailing and various sports including a racquet club and watersports.

Torre will offer detached houses, hotels and tourist condominiums as well as the 18-hole, 72-par golf course which will feature the first international golf academy in Portugal designed by a Masters champion, to go with a tennis academy, soccer, and state-of-the-art gym.

Comporta Dunes

Built using the highest sustainable practices over 84 hectares along the coast in a secluded setting on the edge of the protected Sado Estuary Nature Reserve, Dunes is a par-71, links-style layout of pine forest and sand dunes with gorgeous ocean views.

Describing the new course, McLay-Kidd said: “Golf never finds a better home than along sandy shores, like those at Comporta. Sand and sea are the fundamental ingredients to great golf, just look at any list of the best courses in the world, from St. Andrews to Pebble Beach, the sand, the breeze and the shoreline are the elements man cannot create, they have to exist naturally.

“It’s a lot of fun but it’s not easy by any means. It’s pretty challenging but it is forgiving if you get into trouble. You’ve got a chance to get back in the game, and how could you ever complain about the amazing weather in Portugal together with the beaches, cafes, food and people.”

Comporta region

Comporta is itself a village on the west coast of Portugal, but the name is mostly associated with the region of Comporta, located along the Alentejo Coast between the Sado Estuary and the sea. The region’s 12,500 hectares is comprised of seven hamlets: Pego, Carvalhal, Brejos, Torre, Possanco, Carrasqueira and Comporta.

It’s an unspoiled, pristine location with beautiful beaches and sand dunes nestled up against gorgeous countryside of rice fields and pine forests. Pretty fishing villages dot the coastline and hinterland, a relaxing escape from the hustle and bustle with hot and sunny summers and mild winters, perfect for year-round golf.