Introduction

Prior to its development many commentators wondered about the feasibility of operating and having a golf course on the small island of Porto Santo, which by many tourism pundits was said to be merely a glorified stretch of beach and then..., well, nothing much else. The lack of abundant water was being touted as one of the most worrying concerns for the critics of this venture. The island is dry and has far less rain than its neighbour – the main island of Madeira.

However, a couple of years later, and surprising everybody the course has stayed on its own and survived – if not flourished. Its recent success in attracting tour operators that now fly direct to the island has thrown that argument or concern out the window too. The Porto Santo Golfe course is now poised to be able to attract international level tournaments and become part of the serious golfer’s itinerary the world over.

Designed by golf legend Severiano Ballesteros, it was inaugurated on October 1st 2004 under the tutelage of the Sociedade de Desenvolvimento do Porto Santo (Porto Santo Development Corporation - a parastatal institute to develop the island’s economy and resources). Clearly, the only way a golf course of this adventure could be achieved would have had to have been one using public (European Union) funds.

Interestingly enough, the Porto Santo Golfe course is the largest of the three (and soon to be four) golf courses on the Archipelago. It was designed by Seve Ballesteros to accommodate up to 500 golfers. The launch of several new 5 star hotels and a planned casino will be a required complement to cater for such a large capacity of golf enthusiasts.

If not traveling direct then a short 20-minute hop in a small Fokker plane from the main island airport or a two-hour ferry trip from the Funchal harbour get you the extraordinary golfing experience that the Porto Santo Golfe course is all about.