Clube de Golf Santo da Serra

Clube de Golf Santo da Serra sits high on the hills above Machico Bay in eastern Madeira, the spot where Portuguese navigators first landed on the island. The club describes its setting as about 660 metres above sea level, with views across the Atlantic to the other islands of the archipelago. Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed its 27 holes, which opened in 1991 and were completed in 1998.

The 27 holes are split into three nines. Machico is known for its dramatic coastal views; its par-3 4th is played over a ravine to a shallow green with bunkers front and back, perched far above the ocean. Desertas has big elevation changes and a par-5 2nd that drops towards a lake. Machico and Desertas together make the championship 18 used for the Madeira Islands Open: 6,826 yards to a par of 72. Serras, set further inland among the mountains, is a gentler and more relaxed loop with wide fairways.

Fairways are generous at roughly 25 to 35 metres wide, with Penncross greens running at about 9.6 on the stimpmeter. Four lakes and plenty of trees give the property the feel of a botanical garden, and four tee options on every hole let golfers choose between a relaxed game and a stiff test.

The clubhouse has a lounge with fireplaces, a games area with snooker, a terrace and the Trent Jones Restaurant, which serves local and international food, including homemade Madeiran sweet potato bread, with panoramic views of Machico Bay. Practice facilities include two putting greens, a chipping green, a bunker and a driving range, and the Peter Mitchell Golf Academy gives lessons. The pro shop, which the club calls one of the best in Portugal, rents clubs, buggies and trolleys.

Golf in Madeira began at Santo da Serra. The first competition was held there on 2 October 1932 on a nine-hole course of par 3s beside the Pousada da Serra inn. A new nine-hole layout, the Favellas Course, opened on 25 February 1937, inaugurated by British golfers including J. H. Taylor, Abe Mitchell and 1936 Open champion Alf Padgham.

In 1988 the regional government commissioned a new 27-hole project from Robert Trent Jones Sr. The Machico–Desertas 18 opened on 30 September 1991, and the final nine holes followed on 10 October 1998. A new clubhouse opened on 13 September 2000.

The first Madeira Open, a European Tour event, was held in January 1993 and won by Mark James. Santo da Serra went on to host the tournament many times until 2015. Severiano Ballesteros played it in the early 2000s, Alastair Forsyth won the 2008 edition in the event’s first sudden-death playoff, Ricardo Santos became the first Portuguese player to win a European Tour title at home in 2012, and Peter Uihlein won in 2013.