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 November 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, levelling and returfing 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.
About World Golf Awards
World Golf Awards serves to celebrate and reward excellence in golf tourism, world-class courses and golf destinations. Launched in 2014, World Golf Awards aims to drive up standards within the golf tourism industry by rewarding the organizations that are leaders in their field. Votes are cast by professionals working within the golf industry, the media and by the public (golf tourism consumers). World Golf Awards is the sister organization of World Travel Awards, currently celebrating its 32nd anniversary. For more information about World Golf Awards visit worldgolfawards.com.
About Troon
Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Troon is the world’s largest golf and golf-related hospitality management company providing services at 950-plus locations in 45-plus states and 40-plus countries, including operational responsibility for 575-plus 18-hole equivalent golf courses. In addition to golf, Troon specializes in homeowner association management, private residence clubs, estate management and associated hospitality venues. Troon’s award-winning food and beverage division operates and manages 600-plus food and beverage operations located at golf resorts, private clubs, daily fee golf courses and recreational facilities. Troon’s family of brands includes Troon Golf, Troon Privé, Troon International, Indigo Sports, CADDIEMASTER, ClubUp, Cliff Drysdale Tennis, True Club Solutions, RealFood Hospitality, Strategy & Design and RF DesignStudio, ICON Management and Eventive Sports. For additional news and information, visit www.Troon.com.
About Highgate
Highgate is a leading hotel management, investment, and development company, and one of the key players in major U.S. gateway cities, including New York, Boston, Miami, San Francisco, and Honolulu, with a growing presence in Europe, the Caribbean, and Latin America. The hospitality-focused company offers expert guidance across all stages of the asset lifecycle, from planning and development to recapitalization or disposition.
Highgate has a proven track record in developing its diversified portfolio of bespoke lifestyle hotel brands, legacy brands, and independent hotels and resorts, supported by a contemporary approach with strong digital capabilities. The company leverages industry-leading management tools that efficiently identify and forecast evolving market dynamics, driving performance and maximizing asset value.
With an executive team composed of some of the most experienced leaders in hotel management, the company is a trusted partner for major ownership groups and the world’s leading hotel brands. In Europe, Highgate operates an expanding portfolio of both branded and independent hotels and resorts, capitalizing on deep market knowledge and extensive experience across strategic destinations throughout the continent. With offices in London, Portugal, and France, Highgate brings its operational expertise to countries such as the United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania. www.highgate.com
Media Contacts:
Rob Myers
Troon
480.477.0506
rmyers@troon.com
Clinton Norris
Troon International
+971.56.687.6116
cnorris@troon.com
