Clube de Golfe Santo da Serra’s decision to carry out a €2.5m course upgrade has paid immediate dividends, with the club reporting a record entry for this summer’s 2023 Madeira Golf Trophy and a rise of up to 27 per cent in rounds played this year. The club, one of three golf venues in the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira, is reaping the rewards for offering an improved golf experience to its members and guests after the completion of a major sustainable renovation programme of its 27 holes, including the installation of a new state-of-the-art irrigation system which has helped to reduce water consumption by nearly two thirds.
First held in 2008 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the island’s capital, Funchal, this year will be the eighth time that the prestigious Madeira Trophy has taken place when it is held on Saturday, June 10, with the event sold out more than four months in advance.
In total, the event – which has attracted a record field with golfers both home and abroad and will be played across Santo da Serra’s three nine-hole loops, the Machico, the Desertas and the Serras – will be attended by 300 players and companions, with all guests treated to a gala dinner and prize-giving ceremony at the Reid’s Palace hotel in the evening.
DP World Tour star Ricardo Santos was among a group of club officials, members and local dignitaries who gathered at Santo da Serra in January to celebrate the official inauguration of the multi-million Euro course renovation, and growing numbers of golfers have been eager to experience the improvements since then.
The number of rounds played at the club in February rose by 27 per cent compared to the corresponding period in 2022, while visitor numbers rose by more than 18 per cent in March.
Ricardo Vieira, sales and marketing manager at Clube de Golfe Santo da Serra, said: “Everyone at the club is thrilled at the growing number of golfers we’ve had since we completed the renovation work. To sell out of places for this year’s Madeira Golf Trophy so far in advance is amazing and is another indicator of the important role that golf has to play in raising the profile of Madeira as a must-visit destination.”
