Delayed Golf Course Project Revived with Public Support, Covering 170 Football Fields
The Ponta do Pargo Golf Course in Madeira is again under construction after years of inactivity. Originally launched in 2009 and suspended in 2012, the project was revived in 2023 with strong backing from the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and developed by Ponta do Oeste S.A. The development is designed led by Sir Nick Faldo and his team at Faldo Design.
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.
Sir Nick Faldo, Golf Business News
The Ponta do Pargo golf course project will include 18 holes, a driving range, hotel infrastructure, and residential areas, covering around 120 hectares, according to Golf Course Architecture. That is the size of about 170 football fields. Officials say construction is expected to finish in 2026.
President Miguel Albuquerque called the Ponta do Pargo golf course “one of the most beautiful courses in Europe” and described it as an anchor for tourism and development in the island’s western coast.
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. (…) It will be one of the iconic courses at European level and be an ancho project for the whole area.
Miguel Albuquerque, bunkered.co.uk
Government to Spend €12 Million Euros for Yet Another Golf Course in Madeira
Despite being a private initiative on paper, the golf course is being partly financed with public funds. According to statements by opposition party Iniciativa Liberal Madeira, the regional government is investing over 12 million euros into the Ponta do Pargo golf course.
Critics argue that such investment in a leisure-focused development, particularly one targeting a wealthy tourist demographic, is severly misplaced at a time of severe housing shortages and and the erosion of purchasing power on the side of many residents.
Gonçalo Camelo, regional coordinator for Iniciativa Liberal, stated:
This is yet another example of the model in which the government socializes costs and privatizes profits, assuming the risks of a business that should be 100% private (…) private investors would move forward on their own, without needing public funds, and the fact that this does not happen demonstrates that this is an investment of dubious profitability, where the burden falls on taxpayers and the profits will benefit only a few.
Gonçalo Camelo, coordinator of IL Madeira, JM-Madeira
The party argues that public money is being used to support an elite leisure project while essential sectors such as housing, healthcare, and education remain underfunded.
Land Use and Local Priorities in Conflict
The course is being built within the Paisagem Protegida da Ponta do Pargo, a legally protected area (IUCN V) known for its ecological, scenic, and cultural significance - such as cliff formations, bird habitats, and traditional fajãs. A low-density agricultural parish with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants as of 2021.
New Study Links Golf Course Proximity to Parkinson's Disease
Unknownst to those who thought crafting yet another golf course on Madeira would be a good idea, a new study published in JAMA Network Open in May 2025 made international headlines. The study revealed a concerning link between living near golf courses and an increased risk of Parkinson's Disease. Researchers suggest pesticide exposure is the likely cause.
The study found a dose-response relationship, meaning the closer one lives to a golf course, the higher their risk. Individuals within one mile of a golf course faced over double the odds of a PD diagnosis. This increased risk persisted up to three miles away. The results of the study indicate that pesticide contamination in drinking water, particularly groundwater, and airborne chemicals from maintenance practices contribute to this elevated risk.
Calls to Suspend The Ponta do Pargo Golf Course Project
On the side of those who have voiced criticism of the Ponta do Pargo golf course, Força Madeira, a regional political coalition, has this year formally demanded the suspension of the project:
There are more urgent needs, such as health and housing (…) The State Government governs for the elites, and the people are forgotten.
Raquel Coelho, Coligação Força Madeira, JM Madeira
The group proposes redirecting funds to housing projects, especially given the difficulty young people face in accessing affordable homes in Madeira. They see the golf course as a symbol of skewed political priorities, favoring tourism over local well-being.
Another Golf Course, Another Missed Opportunity
Despite its limited size and chronical lack of useful land, Madeira already has three world class golf courses - Palheiro Golf, Clube de Golf Santo da Serra, and Porto Santo Golf Club, adding a fourth golf course and spending millions of public funds to strain the already weak road infrastructure, instead of diversifying the economy and offering real alternatives to tourism - which traps even more people in low-paid jobs - is wild - to say the least.
While the tourism sector continues to tighten its grip on Madeira, deepening the island’s structural dependence on a chronically low-paying industry with few long-term career opportunities, this public investment could have been better used to diversify the economy and create meaningful value for the people of Madeira.
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