GEO - When people come to Torre what can they expect?

Snorri Vilhjalmsson - The rolling topography and dune landscape are very inviting and the excitement of playing golf in this terrain begins long before arrival.

It is an ideal place both to learn the game and to hone your skills. The large practice area with a dedicated chipping green, bunker practice area, and putting green welcomes golfers of all levels. The double-sided driving range features a unique integrated 9-hole Par-3 course, offering the opportunity for kids, groups, or corporate days to play and learn on holes ranging from 50 to 80 meters.

The golf course itself is crafted to blend seamlessly with the surrounding natural landscape, offering exceptional playability and stunning scenery, featuring a combination of risk-and-reward holes, small greens, and tight fairways. It is designed to be highly accessible. With six sets of tees per hole, it plays from 6,670 m down to 3,825 m from the dedicated beginner tees positioned on the fairways.

GEO - Take us on a journey through the course.

Snorri Vilhjalmsson - The golf journey begins with expansive views overlooking the practice facilities and the first and ninth holes. After warming up and playing the first, which features a unique green guarded by pine trees, golfers cross a ridge on the second hole and find themselves playing down and back up through a valley. Once returning over the ridge on hole 8, the views down the 9th are stunning, looks wide and inviting, yet still requiring a precise shot.

Heading east past the Clubhouse, the back nine offers a tighter sequence of holes with greater elevation changes and glimpses of the sea. The final stretch is designed as a challenge, with risk-and-reward opportunities and a heroic opportunity on the 18th. Each group of holes provides a unique experience while contributing to a full “roller-coaster” round, one that leaves a lasting memory and, hopefully, the feeling of wanting to return.

GEO -  In your mind what was unique about the way Torre was designed and constructed?

Sergio Garcia - The quality of the land for golf course construction was everything a designer dreams of. The topography, working in pure sand and the minimal need for imported materials is an inspiration to getting the best out of the existing landscape from the outset.

With an engaged client (Vanguard Properties), the superintendent involved from day one (Joao Machado) and an expert golf construction team (CJW Golf) there seemed to be a seamless flow between design, construction, irrigation design and the on-site adjustments, all with a shared goal of creating an exceptional golf course.

GEO - Tell us about the vision for Torre and what kind of consideration was given to sustainability-related issues in the design of the course?

Sergio Garcia - There was a clear vision at the beginning to respect the surroundings and honour the natural environment. We worked on having a minimal intervention of the land when laying out and grading the golf course and used the existing sand for all construction purposes, bunker sand, sandscapes and topdressing. Even the organic top layer was set aside and reused in the landscaping and out  of play areas.

The design focused on smaller greens and minimal irrigated turf, without compromising the enjoyment of the golf course. There is no drainage pipe on the golf course with gravel and rootzone amendments being the only imported material apart from the grass for the golf construction.

Throughout design, construction, and now in operation, we have been fortunate to pursue true sustainability with respect to nature, resources, and the local community.

GEO - With so many great aspects to the course, what are you most proud of with this project?

Matthias Nemes - It is difficult to choose just one thing, but from a design perspective, I believe it is the variety in the routing and playing experience where each hole is truly unique while still harmonizing as part of the whole.

We received tremendous feedback from the very beginning, and being recognized as the World’s Best New Golf Course 2025 by World Golf Awards is a testament to the hard and detailed work that went into the project.

Ultimately, it is the positive overall project experience and the final result which is something everyone involved can truly be proud of.