ALGARVE, Portugal – Salgados Golf Club, part of Algarve Marriott Salgados Golf & Spa Resort, has been named the World’s Best Golf Course Renovation 2025 by the World Golf Awards – the leading authority that identifies and rewards excellence in golf tourism. The 12th annual World Golf Awards were announced in Madeira, Portugal on Nov. 13.
This inaugural award is a first in its category and was designed to recognize comprehensive achievements and impact from a renovation project, with benchmark criteria including such factors as: scope of work, completion time frame, meeting budget parameters, and overall facility financial impact from pre-project to post-project.
Salgados Golf Club’s €3.2 million facility renovation took place over four months, from November 2024 through February 2025, and included the installation of a new Rain Bird irrigation system across all 18 holes, a full bunker refresh, leveling and re-turfing every tee complex, and the construction of a new par-3 island green signature hole.
Completion of the intensive scope of work, on time and under budget, led to the nomination, which was further strengthened by the 29% growth in sales since reopening.
“Highgate Portugal has been reinvigorating the golf and hospitality experiences at Salgados since 2023,” said Jon Schauder, Troon Executive at Salgados Golf Club. “This recognition by the World Golf Awards is an exciting acknowledgement of the Highgate Portugal and Troon collaboration, which springboards Salgados into its next chapter and further cements it as a favorite destination in the Algarve.”
Ben Thomas, COO of Highgate Europe, added, “Having Troon organize and lead these projects was a critical component in achieving success with our investment and ensuring our guests would have a well-planned and thought-out product for years to come. The process and execution were efficient with money well spent; the deliverables speak volumes to the capabilities of Troon and their work with our Highgate Portugal team.”
Located on the Algarve coast near Salgados Beach and Salgados Lagoon Nature Reserve, the 18-hole Salgados Golf Club sits among a stellar selection of on-site Highgate Portugal accommodation options, which recently joined the esteemed Marriott Hotels & Resorts portfolio in 2025: Algarve Marriott Salgados Golf Resort & Spa; Marriott Residences Salgados Resort, Algarve; and Westin Salgados Beach Resort, Algarve.
All properties have benefited from redesigns and refurbishments across their accommodation, public spaces and food and beverage outlets to offer the exceptional amenities synonymous with Marriott locations.
Troon was appointed by Highgate Portugal to oversee golf operations, course agronomy along with sales and marketing efforts at Salgados Golf Club in 2023.
For more information on Salgados Golf Club, visit www.salgadosgolf.com.