As the chief executive of Vanguard Properties, the largest real estate developer in Portugal, José Cardoso Botelho knows more than a thing or two about being a success in business.

A self-confessed non golfer, the hugely likeable Portuguese had never been involved in a golf project prior to 2019, preferring instead to focus on other opportunities to grow the company that he founded in 2017 with Luso-Swiss millionaire Claude Berda.

Focusing on innovation and standards of the highest quality, Vanguard mainly operates in the luxury and premium residential and tourism sectors, but when the chance to purchase the spectacular Terras da Comporta development – situated around an hour’s drive south of Lisbon – came up, it was too good an opportunity for Botelho to ignore.

With the previous owners, the Herdade da Comporta Real Estate Fund, having been declared bankrupt, it took a bit of time for Vanguard to acquire all the assets, with the complicated process finally completed in September 2019.

But with golf architect David McLay-Kidd back on board to complete the much-heralded Dunas Course – his first golf course design project in mainland Europe which he initially started in 2007 – Botelho has not regretted his decision for one moment as he has set about creating one of the most exciting and sustainable sports and lifestyle destination projects in world golf.

Terras da Comporta has made a flying start.

The Dunas Course has already won widespread recognition from players and the golf industry alike since first opening for play in June. Current plans include a second 18-hole course and numerous other sports facilities, with a wide range of plots for hotels, tourist and residential condominiums also on offer.

“The project may have a long history, but this is just the beginning”, said Botelho. “Golfers will travel from far and wide to come and play here. The Dunas Course has put Terras da Comporta firmly on the map as a new golf destination, but there’s more to come – much more.

“The reasons that we wanted to develop The Dunas Course were threefold – to be one of Europe’s finest courses, to have a course in such an amazing location and the work that David McLay-Kidd had already done on the project. These factors made us realise the potential for an investment with Vanguard Properties’ positioning, strategy and values.

“We are a brand dedicated to creating unique and unforgettable experiences, which involves devising and developing exceptional, sustainable and differentiated projects in unique locations, such as Comporta. And, obviously, golf had to be part of this model.

“So, when the opportunity arose to develop something with great personality and attention to detail, which also included an emphasis on sport and services, we decided to advance. The chance to create a truly extraordinary project about an hour from a vibrant capital like Lisbon is unique and unrepeatable.

“We couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve achieved so far, and we’re also very excited about what the future holds.”

Vanguard Properties currently has 22 urban and tourist projects in its portfolio spread over upmarket locations in Lisbon, Oeiras, Algarve and Comporta covering a total above ground Gross Building Area (GBA) of around 1.027.781 m², in an investment worth more than €1.215 million.

It is Terras da Comporta that has got everyone in European golf talking, though, with the development set to transform the way that golf resorts are designed, created and managed in the future.

Terras da Comporta features two large developments: Torre, comprising 365 hectares of land and where a second course designed by Sergio Garcia is being built (set to open in 2025), and Dunas, which occupies around 1,011 hectares.

Created over 84 hectares of natural, sandy terrain on the coast in a secluded setting on the edge of the Sado Estuary Nature Reserve, it’s no wonder that McLay-Kidd was so keen to see The Dunas layout that he had first started 16 years ago reach a successful conclusion.

Alongside the golf courses, facilities for a wide variety of sports are planned (including tennis, pickleball, swimming, football and horse-riding) in addition to a number of luxury hotels, bespoke residential villas and residences, a school, library and hospital, and an array of shops and restaurants.

As with each company project, everything is being built using the best environmental, economic and sustainable practices and, with the vast majority of the properties, villas and buildings being constructed using engineered wood, Vanguard can proudly boast to creating the most sustainable golf project ever in Europe.

Botelho said: “We are committed to excellence in all our projects, and Terras da Comporta is an integral part of that. Nothing will compromise that principle and sustainability is the key element of this project.

“We have been very careful with the use of water, not only on the golf but in the entire development, and have our own treatment station in the compound that we use to irrigate the golf course and the gardens.

“We have a very sophisticated lighting system on the roads and have an energetic community where every house and building will have solar panels to produce and share energy, keeping energy costs to a minimum. As well as that, all of the bespoke houses that we design and build are going to be net-zero houses in terms of CO2 because they’re being made from wood.”

Impressive stuff, and the considerable benefits that the Terras da Comporta project will have don’t end there when you consider the positive impact that the investment is having on the local region.

Comporta has always been an exclusive place to enjoy a summer holiday but, with an increase in the number of visiting golfers and high-quality leisure amenities combined with a change in working practices following COVID and the growing number of people choosing to move to Portugal to live and work, Botelho is confident that Vanguard’s long-term vision to make the region a year-round destination will soon become a fantastic reality.

“In the past, people only came to this region in July and Augusta to holiday because there was nothing else to do,” said Botelho. “We will change that a lot because we are building golf courses, more sports, medical facilities and education. This project will create a lot of jobs.

“One of the issues that they have here is that the younger people, because they have no opportunities, they just want to complete their studies and leave, so the golf will attract people outside the summer months. There will be repeated business all-year round and that will create jobs.

“A lot of people are moving here from the United States which is amazing. They really like this area but you need medical facilities, schools etc, so people can live here the whole time. Then we are working on the cultural side.

“For the region, it’s important that Terras da Comporta becomes a destination for golf. We could have made The Dunas Course closed but we didn’t want to do that because it’s important that we make the course available to everyone.

“Playing these 18 holes will be an unforgettable experience for any golfer, helping the region to become an outstanding golf destination boasting at least four courses.”

If the other chapters of the Terras da Comporta story are anything as good as the first, then the golfing world is in for a treat.