Faldo layout on Madeira cliffs to open in 2026

The Regional Government of Madeira plans to open a new Faldo Design course at Ponta do Pargo in 2026.  

“We are now going to move forward with one of the most beautiful courses in Europe – I am not afraid to say it – which will be located in a parish in the west of the island, next to a promontory over the sea,” said Miguel Albuquerque, president of the Regional Government of Madeira. “It will be one of the iconic courses at European level and be an anchor project for the whole area.” 

The first phase of course construction began in 2009 but was halted three years later. Work recommenced in May 2023 and is due to be finished next summer, with a second phase expected to take a further 18 months to complete. 

The course will become the fourth in Madeira – a Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean northwest of Africa – and the first for 22 years, since the Seve Ballesteros course at Porto Santo opened. 

Ponta do Pargo’s par-72 layout has been designed in line with Madeira’s sustainable credentials with a number of measures planned to reduce the environmental impact across the 120-acre clifftop site, including the installation of a state-of-the-art irrigation system. 

The development includes a driving range and chipping and putting green, and a nine-hole pitch-and-putt course. A clubhouse, restaurant and hotel are also planned.