When it comes to rising the profile of resort golf in Portugal few are as passionate and dedicated as Rodrigo Ulrich.
As the golf director of Terras da Comporta resort about 90 minutes south of Lisbon, Portugal, the former IT and marketing executive knows he is fighting an uphill battle against the likes of more traditional European golf destinations such as Ireland, Scotland or neighboring Spain.
However, those who know the 52-year-old Ulrich wouldn’t bet against his desire to place Terras da Comporta on the list of must-visit international vacation spots.
"First and foremost Rodrigo is a people person and he is very driven," says Chris Bertram, the Golf World Top 100 Courses and Resorts editor. "My impression of his leadership and managing style is he has an iron fist in a velvet glove."
On the heels of the COVID-19 travel limitations, Ulrich arrived on site in 2022 after Vanguard Properties, the country’s largest real estate developer, purchased a previously seeded but not developed golf course and surrounding 3,500-acre property three years earlier.
"I had pine trees growing out of the bunkers," Ulrich recalls of the previously shuttered layout. "I had no machines. I had no cards. I had nothing. So let's just say it was a very interesting time. There were quite a few things to do."
Ulrich had a unique strategy when it came to assembling a team.
"I wanted to hire management that had prior golf experience and I wanted everybody else to have zero golf experience because I wanted to train them from scratch," he says.
Ulrich also had some of his own homework to accomplish, which included traveling to the United States at least a dozen times, with the help of renowned golf course architect David McLay Kidd, who designed the resort's Dunas Course, to map out some standard operating procedures for the new resort.
"We identified that the service levels in Portugal would be low hanging fruit because it could easily be improved," Ulrich says. "I went to a lot of David’s golf courses and saw the high-end experiences and you understand that you are better treated in a McDonald's in America than you are in a five-star restaurant in Portugal. It’s the truth."
The Dunas Course, near one of the most famous beach stretches in Europe, opened in October 2023, and as with most of Kidd’s international layouts, immediately gained positive attention from media and golfers alike.
"I was given an amazing golf course by David, so in my mind I had an obligation to create service that was even better than the golf course itself," Ulrich says. "That had to be our view, but I didn’t want to lose Portugal's identity. So basically we have a Portuguese golf course with American service."
The resort’s second course — the Torre Course designed by Sergio Garcia — opened in June 2025.
"People like to say ‘one course is a curiosity, but two courses is a destination,'" Bertram says. "Under Rodrigo’s direction I believe Comporta can become one of the great golf resorts of Europe."
Ulrich has embraced a goal of what he calls a seamless round of golf for resort guests, who are addressed by name and treated with the likes of cold towels on a warm Portugal day.
"Being personal with the golfers is just one element," he says. "It’s all in the details. We always know where you are, but you can't see us, you have your space. It’s our job to make ourselves invisible, but always there if you need us. It’s fascinating how the team works.
"When I came here I asked my boss, ‘Do you have anything against being No. 1?' I don't want anybody else to fail; I just want to be better than anyone else. That's the difference."
Ulrich’s desk faces the golf courses on purpose. He believes it allows him to keep touch with what he calls his clients — the resort golfers.
And on Tuesdays, Ulrich meets with his managers, but on Thursdays there is a different vibe.
"It’s the other way around," he says "We sit down and we listen to what the team has to say. It's fascinating their feedback because the roles are reversed. They are sitting in the nice comfy chairs. They tell us what we could be doing better or what’s wrong with this or that."
Ulrich admits his leadership style after 15 years of managing golf resorts has evolved, but he also credits the ownership group for allowing the upstart resort to take on a luxury feel.
"We have been given time to do things properly," Ulrich says. "And I do believe that first you walk and then you run. The investment around here is fascinating — the fact that we are allowed to have 15-minute tee times has allowed us to focus on quality over quantity."
Ulrich’s team begins its day at 6 a.m., so by the first tee time of 8:30 a.m. it’s all green grass and sand that lay ahead.
"When you arrive here as a golfer you are actually breathing silence because it seems like our lives are so fast and we’re always in meetings, and driving here and there," Ulrich says. "Here you have time just to breathe, to enjoy your game. I say this to my team, ‘Golf is just one of the components so we need to be doing something different for the golfers every day.'"
A resort hotel project will soon be announced near a stretch of coastline between Troia and Sines, which stretches for 40 miles, and is considered the longest sandy beach in all of Europe. It is just 5 minutes from the golf courses.
"It’s moving now, the engine is starting to turn," Ulrich says. "It’s very rare where you have an owner that puts in golf courses at this level, then announces the hotel, and then you start selling properties.
“I believe we’ve all created something very special here. And it’s growing … and it’s a process. My curse is attention to detail but I also see that’s what keeps the team more confident."
