Ernie Els' new Portugal course puts a fresh spotlight on his design ambitions

SportLocation Golf Desk · 11 Aug 2026

Golfweek reports that Ernie Els' new course in Portugal offers a dramatic backdrop for PGA Tour Champions, underlining how the four-time major winner's influence now stretches well beyond tournament golf.

Ernie Els is back in the conversation for more than his swing, with Golfweek highlighting how his new course in Portugal is drawing attention for the setting it creates around PGA Tour Champions golf. The story matters because it shows Els extending his impact from elite competition into course design, where landscape and strategy become part of the appeal. That broader footprint keeps his name relevant in a different but still highly visible corner of the game.

The appeal of the project is tied to the dramatic backdrop Golfweek describes, which gives the course a distinct identity rather than a generic championship feel. In golf, that kind of setting can shape how a venue is remembered and how players experience it, especially when the scenery becomes part of the competitive atmosphere. Els' involvement suggests a designer's eye for presentation as well as playability.

The report also places the course within the wider PGA Tour Champions picture, where venue quality and character can help define a stop on the schedule. For a player of Els' stature, that connection is significant: it links a decorated career to a practical role in shaping where senior professionals compete. It is a reminder that influence in golf often continues long after the final putt of a playing career.

There is a neat symmetry in seeing Els associated with a project that depends on rhythm, balance and control, qualities that also defined his best years as a player. On the range, a golfer in white cap and shoes is captured settling over a tee and then moving through a full, unhurried swing, a small reminder of the composed style that made Els such a recognisable figure.

Golfweek's framing suggests the Portugal course is not just a property development but part of a larger golf narrative, one where architecture, scenery and tournament identity intersect. That is important because courses can become part of a player's legacy in the same way trophies do, especially when they are built to host meaningful competition and leave a visual impression.

For Els, the story reinforces a career that still carries weight in the game's present tense. Whether through design, event staging or the reputation attached to his name, he remains a figure whose projects attract attention from serious golf audiences. The Portugal course gives that influence a fresh setting, and one with enough character to stand out.

Sources & further reading

Ernie Els' new course in Portugal offers dramatic backdrop for PGA Tour Champions

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