Design team focuses on bringing back the ground game and integrating the course with the site’s natural dunes
By Richard Humphreys |
Robert Trent Jones II Golf Course Architects (RTJ II) has renovated the golf course at Tróia Golf, located on the Atlantic coast about an hour’s drive south of Lisbon, Portugal. The 18-hole layout is expected to reopen in spring 2027.
The resort, now managed by Details – Hospitality, Sports, Leisure, is located between the Atlantic Ocean, Sado Estuary and Serra da Arrábida. The golf course was originally designed by Robert Trent Jones Snr in 1980, and the renovation is the first phase in Details’ plan for the resort, with further investment expected to upgrade the existing hotels and infrastructure.
“The transformation of Tróia Golf represents an important new chapter for one of Portugal’s most distinctive golf experiences, and the extensive renovation programme has addressed every aspect of the course,” said João Godinho, general manager at Tróia Golf.
“Central to the project is a commitment to preserving the character and identity that have made Tróia Golf so special. We have not sought to change what makes the course unique but to restore and elevate it, to create an experience that respects Tróia’s heritage while introducing it to a new generation of players.
“This new investment forms part of the wider evolution of Tróia as an Atlantic golf destination. The renewed golf experience will complement the destination’s exceptional natural setting, hospitality and broader tourism proposition, strengthening Tróia’s position within Portugal’s golf landscape and re-establishing the course as one of Europe’s bucket-list venues.”
The project has been led by RTJ II president Bruce Charlton and senior design associate Mike Gorman. In the company archives, Gorman found Jones Sr’s hand-drawn grassing plan for Tróia, which, chief operating officer Trent Jones says, “shows rough edges that naturally bleed into the sand and show how the course flows in and out of the sand like an Irish links.”
Gorman said: “Land like this just doesn’t exist anymore for golf. I equate it to Spyglass Hill. It’s on the same type of land as Spyglass – a mix of dunes and pine trees. But while Spyglass has it on four holes, Tróia has it on all 18. We think this is the best renovation opportunity in the world.”
All 18 greens have been rebuilt with native sand mix, each bunker has been rebuilt to integrate with the dunes, fairways and turf areas have been adjusted for improved playability and maintenance, while tees and surrounds have been renovated for better aesthetics and flexibility in course set-up. Irrigation has been replaced, including installing a new pump station and controls. Landscaping work has been completed – restoring dunes and native sandy areas, with selective hydroseeding undertaken.
“It is not just a restoration of my grandfather’s work,” said Trent Jones. “The new Tróia will have a much more dramatic feel, especially utilising the surrounding dunes. We’re focusing on tying the course into the dunes, flashing up bunkers into them, and using the dunes to cradle greens. We’re bringing back the original Trent Jones Sr character, updated to modern design standards.”
Gorman adds that the emphasis has been on playability – including bringing back ground game options that were lost over the years – fun and walkability. “Tróia became a very aerial, one-dimensional, parkland-like course by the sea,” he says. “We’re digging deep on linksland inspiration, promoting links golf, which is the best kind of golf.”
RTJ II has also redesigned the practice area, which now includes a new driving range with target greens and a revamped short-game area with a 3,000-square-metre ‘social green’.
“This is the beginning of a new era for Tróia and the objective is clear: to restore the course’s natural character, protect its environmental integrity and elevate the playing experience to international championship standards, ensuring it remains relevant, competitive and distinctive for decades to come,” said Nuno Sepulveda, co-CEO at Details.
“We’re so excited at the prospect of what lies ahead, and the chance to put the resort and the surrounding region firmly back on the map as a golf destination of international renown and repute.”