Golf legend Sir Nick Faldo makes announcement: "I cannot wait..."

Six-time major champion Sir Nick Faldo has lauded the site of his hotly anticipated new course at Ponta do Pargo in Madeira after heading to the Portuguese archipelago for an inspection trip this month.

The 30-time DP World Tour winner first set foot on the site – on the westernmost point of Madeira’s main island – more than 20 years ago and returned there once again earlier this month as the construction project nears its final stages.

Scheduled for opening in 2026, the par-72 layout is perched high on the clifftops and boasts spectacular views across the archipelago and out to the Atlantic Ocean. 

Faldo and his team were challenged to create a course that could be enjoyed by players of all skill levels without sacrificing the dramatic natural landscape and frequent elevation changes that define the site.

Now as the finishing touches are applied, the course’s route stretches along the famous Miradouro do Fio before winding back to a strategically located clubhouse with breathtaking panoramic vistas.

Faldo said: “Building on a site with such natural beauty is a golf course designer’s dream. It is one of those sites that you could walk a million times and still find yourself lost in the scenery. I walked the land and was instantly playing the course in my mind; I cannot wait to get a club in my hands.”

Sustainability has also been at the heart of Ponta do Pargo’s development process, with a number of key measures in place to reduce the environmental impact of building and managing the course. 

The choice to install Madeira’s native Kikuyu grass, which is capable of thriving on the climate’s natural rainfall alone, is expected to drastically reduce demand for water throughout the year.

Faldo continued: “I have always felt that golf courses need to be designed in a way that protects and showcases the natural flora and fauna - when you get a special site like this, sometimes the hardest part is not tinkering with it too much. I have been fortunate to work on some spectacular sites around the world, but Ponta do Pargo is in a league of its own.

“The calibre of golf that we are designing combined with the astonishing views only complement the culture and hospitality the region is known for.”

Across a glittering career, Faldo won the Open Championship and the Masters Tournament three times each – a feat only achieved by three other players in history. He represented Team Europe in eleven Ryder Cups as a player and once as a captain, winning four times and retaining the trophy with a tie in 1989.

Ponta do Pargo will become the fourth course to draw golfers from across the world to Madeira, joining three more designs by the sport’s leading figures: Cabell B. Robinson’s Palheiro Golf, perched high above the city of Funchal; Club de Golf Santo da Serra, a 27-hole venue built by legendary architect Robert Trent Jones; and Seve Ballesteros’ acclaimed Porto Santo Golfe on the nearby island of Porto Santo.

For more information on Madeira visit www.visitmadeira.com