WORLD FAMOUS British golfer, Nick Faldo, is designing one of two golf courses at Oceânico Developments Amendoeira Golf Resort, currently under construction near Silves, and recently flew to the Algarve to inspect its development. During what was a very private visit, in which he spent two days overseeing the ongoing construction work and to add his own strategic refinements to the 18-hole, championship standard layout, he told the resort’s management just how excited he is about the project and that he was delighted with its progress to date.
Nick Faldo is one of the world’s most successful golfers. A winner of 43 tournaments worldwide, he has played in a record 11 Ryder Cups and has won six Major championships at some of the world’s most revered courses, including St Andrews, Muirfield and Augusta.
What set Nick Faldo apart from the other great players of his generation was his innate ability to craft the most challenging of golf shots and his instinctive appreciation for the varying demands of any given course. And so, the course is being designed with strategic play in mind, demanding golfers to use careful positioning to score well. Rocky outcrops, meandering watercourses and views to the distant mountains and orange groves define its essential character.
Nick Faldo has built up a reputation as one of the world’s most talented player-designers. Nick’s British architectural debut was Chart Hills, in Kent, UK, which has been hailed as one of the finest recently-built golf courses in England. His design company currently has 30 different projects underway in several corners of the globe.
Nick Faldo is not the only star to design a golf course at the Amendoeira resort, Christy O’Connor Jnr is putting his name to an adjoining 18-hole layout, and it is hoped that these two championship courses will host some of the world’s major events in the future, including the Portuguese Open.
“This project has the potential to be a real talking point in the Algarve and, with so many courses in the region, that’s no mean feat. There’s a real feel of Arizona about the site, and I am confident it will emerge as one of the best examples of a desert-style course in Europe. As with any of Oceânico’s projects, I am sure that the course will offer visitors an exceptionally enjoyable golfing experience – and one that is completely unique,” Faldo commented.
Simon Burgess, Oceânico Developments’ director said: “The interest we have had in Amendoeira, from both UK and Irish investors, has exceeded our expectations, underlining the demand that exists for high quality golf resorts in the less developed areas of the Algarve. The quality, location and facilities of Amendoeira are undoubtedly among the best in Portugal and, with Nick’s involvement, it will establish itself as an exclusive golfing experience, in both the Algarve and Europe.”
Portuguese specialist construction firm, Neo Civil, is using the latest technology to ensure the course is developed to the highest standard, and Nick Faldo and his design team are very closely involved at every stage. It is expected to be ready to open to the public at the beginning of 2008.
• For more information about the Amendoeira resort, or any other Oceânico resort call 282 792 109 or visit www.oceanicodevelopments.com
