“This is the project of a lifetime!”

By Alistair June 24, 2023 06:41

Rodrigo Ulrich, director of golf at Terras da Comporta, and João Machado, golf course superintendent, talk about how they have helped build one of the most stunning new golf courses in the world, which opened this month in Portugal.

The Dunas Course at Terras da Comporta in Portugal is the launch of architect David McLay-Kidd’s first course in mainland Europe, and it opened this summer.

The par-71 links-style layout, which is situated one hour south of Lisbon, was one of the most eagerly-anticipated golf course design projects to be unveiled in 2023.

Vanguard Properties, the largest real estate developer in Portugal, took ownership of the Terras da Comporta development in 2019 and the site features two plots: Torre, comprising 365 hectares of land in the Alcácer do Sal municipality, and Dunas, which occupies around 1,011 hectares of land in the Grândola municipality.

Situated in a secluded coastal setting on the edge of the Sado Estuary Nature Reserve, The Dunas Course is one of two 18-hole championship layouts that is planned at Terras da Comporta.

Created over 84 hectares of natural, sandy terrain, The Dunas Course – which will measure 6,555 from its back tees – has been built using the highest sustainable practices and is predicted to quickly become one of Europe’s must-play golfing venues when it opens.

We spoke with Rodrigo Ulrich, director of golf at Terras da Comporta, and João Machado, golf course superintendent, to find out more about this development.

Could you tell us about your backgrounds and your career paths to your current roles?

Rodrigo Ulrich: I played golf all my life. After management school and a few years in IT I moved to work in golf in the Algarve in 1999. I worked at Pestana, Boavista and Palheiro Golf before moving here to Terras da Comporta.

João Machado: After graduating in agronomy, I started my career in agriculture and sports fields in 2002. In 2003, I made the move across to golf course maintenance and since then have worked at locations across Portugal and its islands, including Vidago Palace, Palheiro, Troia and Oporto Golf Club.

What do you find most rewarding about greenkeeping, João, and what has been your biggest challenge to date?

João Machado: I love the smell of fine grass cut in the morning, and at the end of the day, when no one is on the course, it’s a pleasure to move from hole to hole to identify possible issues and prepare for the next day.

The biggest challenge to date is my current role in Terras da Comporta with The Dunas Course on my mind every day. It is the project of a lifetime for any superintendent. I love a good challenge, and growing fine fescue in southern Europe is the ultimate agronomic challenge!

David McLay-Kidd

What advice would you both give to anyone thinking about entering the profession?

João Machado: You must have an open mind when becoming a greenkeeper. As a new employee, you must also pay attention to the aspects that will define golf in the near future. Sustainability is key with aspects including biology and plant physiology important issues for maintaining grass in Europe in the coming years. But most importantly of all, you need to love to work outside.

Rodrigo Ulrich: Regardless of what position you’re looking to work in, or where in the golf club you are looking for a job, you should always spend time at the greenkeeping department to understand its complexity and its vital importance to the golf course. A golf course is nothing without a focused and motivated greenkeeping team.

João, can you describe a typical day for you and your greenkeeping team at Terras da Comporta?

João Machado: We have a maintenance meeting at 7am to assign a range of jobs including who will mow greens, fairways, roughs, rake bunkers and so on.

I move to the first hole at 7:20am and make my way around the course to check if every task is being done properly, and to assist with training of new members of the team.

Rodrigo and I always speak first thing in the morning about the course so that I am aware of what he wants and then we plan accordingly. Rodrigo also shares management information with me so that we are aligned. It is great to have input from all areas of the business and this is one of the reasons that Rodrigo and I work well together.

We have a quick mid-morning stop for a coffee, I check emails, and then I return to the course to check if everything is going according to plan and look to correct procedures and identify possible problems.

At 1pm we set a new briefing for the second jobs for the afternoon with the team, before I spend some time in the office.

Before my last briefing of the day at 4pm, I check to make sure everything is OK for the next day and meet with the irrigation team before 5pm.

After the meeting on irrigation issues and tasks, I leave to check the course once more, return to the maintenance facility at 6:30pm if needed and meet with Rodrigo before heading home.

What was it in particular about The Dunas Course and Terras da Comporta that persuaded you both to get involved with the project?

Rodrigo Ulrich: This is the project of a lifetime! Working at Vanguard is anyone’s dream. To open two courses – one from David McLay-Kidd, his first in mainland Europe opening this year, and the other the first golf course by Sergio Garcia opening in 2025 – leaves me speechless.

I was also able to create the dream team here with top professionals in all areas working at Terras da Comporta.

João Machado: Like I said before, this is the project of a lifetime for me and I’ve been trying to get involved since 2013! In November 2019, right after Vanguard Properties acquired the project, I contacted the CEO, José Cardoso Botelho, to show my interest, and now here I am. Rodrigo called when he started, and I told him how interested I was. I can honestly say that I am the happiest I have ever been in my professional life.

How excited are you about the work that’s taking place at Terras da Comporta?

Rodrigo Ulrich: I couldn’t be more excited. To see the golf course getting ready to open [the interview was conducted before the opening in June], to understand the unbelievable design and course that David created, leaves me speechless.

We also have regular meetings regarding the Sergio Garcia course and the way it is evolving. I believe that it will also be a reference in the golf world.

João Machado: It’s an outstanding golf course. David McLay-Kidd’s vision of the course is something else, and what impresses me the most is the perfect blending of the grass with the sand and native areas, making it feel like the course was always there.

Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important subject in golf. How important is the environment in the procedures you have adopted as a greenkeeping team?

João Machado: Sustainability is the word that best defines the Terras da Comporta project, in my opinion. We have a great team in place to ensure this is at the centre of everything we do. I have been recognised by the Golf Environment Organisation (GEO) as a sustainability champion since 2019 – all our actions have environmental concerns at the base of all decisions.

Rodrigo Ulrich: It’s simple. We aim to be the most sustainable resort in Europe.

With a large number of the team female, Terras da Comporta is a trendsetter in terms of the greenkeeping team makeup. How important is it for you Rodrigo and the owners to promote equal opportunities?

Rodrigo Ulrich: We hire based on capabilities and not gender. Equal opportunities are in our DNA. We are very lucky with the team we have working here. We try to create a working environment where people feel valued, and their work is recognised and appreciated.

In Portugal, the weather is of course much nicer than here in the UK! How do you go about managing the condition of the course in those drier months João?

João Machado: It’s the biggest challenge of all. We have good water quality and have Fábio Costa, an expert in irrigation, who is fully dedicated to ensuring that we have the irrigation system working perfectly. He monitors the weather forecast and soil water content levels each day to ensure we only irrigate what is needed.

Soil conditions are tough (hydrophobicity, water repellency, infiltration rate), but with the help of wetting agents and organic amendments, we are going to have the course in good conditions throughout the summer months.

The Dunas Course at Terras da Comporta is now open to the public. For more information on the venue, visit www.comporta.com