Portugal Golf – 8th Madeira Golf Trophy registers record number of entries

Madeira Golf Trophy 2023. Santo da Serra will host the 8th Madeira Golf Trophy.

Santo da Serra will host the 8th Madeira Golf Trophy

Clube de Golf Santo da Serra, who is hosting the eighth annual Madeira Golf Trophy on June 10th, has announced a new record number of registrations for the tournament.

The organization estimates “the presence of around 300 people”, which, it adds, “will lead for the first time to the use of the 27 holes of the Santo da Serra golf course, simultaneously, to guarantee the dignified and high participation of all players, regional, national and international”.

“There are many influential individuals from the political and commercial worlds who go to Madeira just for the tournament, and this has a positive effect on the island’s profile”, as noted by the same source.

“All of this is possible thanks to the commitment of the Regional Government, the personal commitment of the management of the Santo da Serra Golf Club and all of its staff, and Gilda Paredes Alves, a media person that has collaborated with the organisation since 2008”, says the same source.

Santo da Serra board believes that 2023 will be a year with excellent prospects for growth, thanks to the excellent quality of the course, which continues to prove that golf is vital for the regional economy.

The golf club remembers that it was “the first in this idyllic destination to apply a totally eco-friendly system, by carrying out a series of upgrades on the course in order to make the golf experience even more memorable and distinctive for all its members and guests”.

The Madeira Golf Trophy is modelled after the Funchal City Tournament, which was first organised in 2008 to celebrate Funchal’s 500th anniversary, an initiative of Miguel Albuquerque, former Mayor of Funchal and current Regional President of Madeira.

Book your golf holidays in Madeira with Tee Times Golf Agency and play on some of the best golf courses in Portugal.

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Portugal Golf – Ben Schmidt wins on the PT Tour

Ben Schmidt wins Bom Sucesso Classic. Ben Schmidt wins on the PT Tour.

Ben Schmidt wins PT Tour’s Bom Sucesso Classic

At PT Tour’s Bom Sucesso Classic, the Englishman Ben Schmidt triumphed. Tomás Bessa, the best Portuguese competitor, finished sixth and maintains his lead atop the circuit’s Order of Merit.

Ben Schmidt won the tournament owing to a phenomenal second round in which he shot 61. (-11). A total of 132 (71+61, -12) was his final score, one stroke below the second-placed Irishman Daniel Mulligan’s (67+66,-11).

Again, Tomás Bessa represented his country well on the golf course, as he finished in a tie for sixth place with North Irishman Owen Crooks after 140 strokes (-4) throughout the tournament.

It should be remembered that Tomás Bessa has already won two titles (Palmares Open II and III) this season on the circuit for professional golfers that usually takes place in Algarve golf courses, but this time travelled to the Lisbon region, to Bom Sucesso.

“Even though I made a bogey on the opening hole, it was my greatest competitive round ever. I made tiny adjustments last night on the putting green, and this morning on the driving range, and everything went smoothly, as long as I kept faithful to the plan”, the youngster Ben Schmidt stated at the end of the competition, on March 3rd.

This was the tenth tournament of this season on the PT Tour, four of which were won by Portuguese golfers – in addition to the two triumphs of Tomás Bessa, Vítor Londot Lopes won the Palmares Classic, and Tomás Melo Gouveia also won a title at the Dom Pedro Pinhal Open II.

Book your golf holidays in Portugal with Tee Times Golf Agency and play on some of the best golf courses in Europe.

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Portugal Golf – Golf generated record revenues in Portugal in 2022

Vale do Lobo Royal Golf Course. Golf generates record revenues in Portugal.

Green fees generated record revenues in Portugal last year

In counter cycle with the peaks in tourism demand, golf is preparing for its first high season of year, which starts in March and lasts until May. With the great revenues obtained in 2022 following the interregnum imposed by the pandemic, there is reason for confidence.

Revenues from golf in Portugal hit a record high of 154 million euros in 2022, a 6 percent rise from 2019, the last year before the pandemic, thanks to a total of 3 million rounds played. However, the actual effect of the sport on the Portuguese economy is expected to be far greater.

“The 154 million euros are only from green fees, not from any additional purchases made while at the golf course. rental of buggies, provision of meals, and teaching of related skills are only a few examples of the many businesses revolving around this sport”, says Frederico Brion Sanches, board member of the National Council of the Golf Industry (CNIG).

Foreign tourists are the main ones responsible for record revenues in the country, representing 80 percent of the rounds played last year. It is in the Algarve that the international market assumes greater weight (92 percent) with the British and Irish in the majority, followed by the Scandinavians and France.

“Playing four or five times throughout a week in Portugal is the norm for visitors from other countries. Non-Portuguese players are responsible for a significantly greater number of rounds compared to their Portuguese counterparts”, as Brion Sanches puts it.

Portugal has made the first step in establishing itself as a golf destination, and the country’s worldwide accolades enable it to compete with its key competitors, like Spain or Italy.

In 2019, for the sixth year in a row, Portugal has been named Europe’s Best Golf Destination by the World Golf Awards, and it has also been chosen as Europe’s Best Golf Destination by the World Travel Awards five times.

Frederico Brion Sanches thinks the industry has a lot to develop, but he cautions that more flights, more destinations, better air connections, and more convenient schedules are all essential, and defends an air bridge between Lisbon and the Algarve.

The lack of human resources, transversal to all areas of tourism, is another of the challenges pointed out by Brion Sanches, along with sustainability.

“Last but not least, we should expand our efforts to promote Portugal as a golf holiday destination. We are talking about more marketing campaigns and the constant promotion of Portugal as a golf destination”, he concludes.

Book your golf holidays in Portugal with Tee Times Golf Agency and enjoy some of the best golf courses in Europe.

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