The 2026 Husqvarna British Masters will be staged at The Belfry on the iconic Brabazon Course in England. In addition, Husqvarna will also be the official robotic mowing partner of the DP World Tour.

“Golf is the perfect stage to demonstrate the performance of Husqvarna’s robotic lawnmowers, already delivering world-class results at over 1,700 courses worldwide.

This partnership marks a shared commitment to reinvent golf course maintenance for a new era”, says Yvette Henshall-Bell, President Europe BU Husqvarna Forest & Garden Division, Husqvarna Group.

GREAT CHAMPIONS

First played in 1946, the British Masters has a distinguished history with past champions including Peter Thomson, Tony Jacklin, Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam, Seve Ballesteros, Sir Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie and Sweden’s Alex Noren in the 2025 tournament.

Six-time major winner Sir Nick Faldo, himself a Husqvarna Brand Ambassador, will return as host of the Husqvarna British Masters in 2026.

“As a former Champion, I take great pride in hosting this iconic tournament and it’s about to enter an exciting new era with this new partnership.

I love Husqvarna’s products, and they will be out in full force at The Belfry next August to make sure the Brabazon Course is in perfect condition”, says Sir Nick Faldo.

As part of the agreement, Husqvarna also becomes an Official Marketing Partner of the 2026 DP World Tour, building on the successful partnership in 2025.

PARTNERSHIPS IN 2026

In 2026 Husqvarna will be the Official Tournament Partner to the British Masters and the Amgen Irish Open, Corporate Partner to the BMW International Open, KLM Open and FedEx Open de France.

With this elevated status, Husqvarna will showcase its products across DP World Tour channels throughout the season, and partner with green keepers and course managers to deliver consistent quality on the tournament courses.

Recently, at the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl in Wales, 15 Husqvarna CEORA robotic mowers maintained all 18 fairways during the tournament, marking the first time robotic mowers have maintained fairways live on the world golf stage.

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The six-time Major champion talks to Matt Nicholson about his move to Montana, the future of golf course design, hosting the British Masters, and why short courses are the next big thing

Sir Nick Faldo still has a lot on his plate. His playing days and long stints in the commentary booth with CBS may be behind him, but the man from Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire has more than enough going on to keep him occupied.

On quiet days he’ll take the dogs for a long walk, and he’ll be very content. However, when he’s busy, he’s busy. Moving to the mountains in Montana to build a farm has been one project, but he has lots of others on the go.

For starters, there’s the design business. As well as an exciting new layout in Madeira, the six-time Major winner, who has designed award- winning golf courses on five continents and in 20 different countries, is behind several short course projects in America and in the UK.

He’s also the host of this year’s British Masters at The Belfry on 28 August-1 September. He might be busy, and there might be times when the dogs miss their master, but, as he tells us, he wouldn’t have it any other way…

Why did you decide to up sticks and move to Montana?

After Covid, we were about to build on Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Then we thought we wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle. We’d visited Montana a few times.

I used to go up there and fish with Huey Lewis. I had a project that was almost on the Canadian border, Wilderness Club. We went there for a couple of summers with the dogs and loved it.

We thought, ‘Why don’t we build ourselves a farm?’ That’s how it all started.

Do you enjoy the slower pace of life?

It’s nice for me, on some days, to just go, ‘What have I got to do?’ My only priority might be to go and walk the dogs. That’s nice, because when I’m busy, I’m busy.

We’ve also got more involved with the community. I’m an ambassador for a great club called Crazy Mountain over Livingston way.

I love it over that side. That’s the old Marlboro cigarette ranch. We’ve got our own – they call it town. We’ve got a genuine cowboy town, with the saloon, the jailhouse, the fire station, the brothel.

It’s very cool. It’s genuine – over a 100-year-old wooden building. We’re amongst 3,000 acres of gorgeous mountains. You’ve got rivers, you’ve got golf. Everyone enjoys the good things in life, which is nice.

What’s your design philosophy?

I’ve got a good eye and a good strategy – that was the way I played. I’ve seen all the great golf courses, and I’ve got a very good photographic memory.

I can visualise the [Alister] Mackenzie’s and the George Thomas’s. I love Colts and, in modern day, Pete Dye. You look at those and go, ‘Would I do that?’ That sort of thing – or you might be inspired by it.

I’m a big fan of trying to make it fit as naturally as possible.

How much of a challenge is that?

It’s tough sometimes. In Cambodia, for example, we had a thousand acres with four feet of movement. You’ve got to do a lot of dreaming and a lot of pumping sand. Or we get the opposite. In Vietnam, we had to blow up rock to create golf holes. You’ve got to have a good engineer who can understand it.

You can get all this dirt and rock. Where do you push it all? Or where do you get it all when it’s flat? It’s really an engineering feat. Luckily, I’ve got smart people who know how to do that!

Tell us about your new project in Madeira…

Madeira is one that we’re very excited about, what with the views in this little corner of the island. It’s very undulating. We’re going to make a lovely golf course with a little boutique hotel, about 100 rooms, so not huge.

Are there any specific projects you’re particularly fond of?

Laguna in Vietnam is a great site because of its variety. I guess the ultimate is to have as much variety as you can. Here, you start off through meadowlands, then rice fields, a bit of jungle, beach, down the river, through the rocks, back in the jungle, and then you finish the last four or five holes with huge blowouts of sand. You get a little bit of everything, which is very cool.

We always consider the history of the site. Putting something in is a bit of a trademark. For example, in Cambodia we’ve got buddhas and temples, a miniature scaled-down version of Angkor Wat on the golf course. We were inspired by that. This is the fun bit.

I always enjoy having no preconceived ideas when I go to a golf course, because you want to be inspired by what’s there. I think that’s important. We’ve got a few other ideas up our sleeve. It’s going to be fun. The design business is going very well.

What are some key trends you’re seeing in the golf course design industry?

The blowout look on bunkers is something they’re going heavily on. They can look fabulous, but for the average golfer who goes left and right, you’re making life more difficult.

If they hit a poor shot, they’re going to leave themselves 60-yard bunker shots all day long. There’s a fine balance between building a resort golf course and a pro golf course. That’s something we’re always mindful of.

How has the evolution of golf equipment impacted your designs?

Distance has exploded over the last ten years. The best example is Firestone, which we used to play in the World Series.

We would be hitting 2-, 3- and 4-irons into the par 4s. The 9th was a good drive, and you’d end up on the top of the hill. You’d have a 2-iron into this little green that was 210 yards out. Now they smash it over the hill and have a gap wedge.

I’d come back and tell my architects. It used to be 300 yards through the air – that was impressive. Then it went to 320. Now we’ve got quite a few guys who can do 340 through the air. When you design, you start thinking, ‘Where’s the golf ball going to end up?’ Making a strategy is very difficult.

If a drive goes 340, and pros can hit 240 with their 4 -iron, that’s 580. It has changed the game dramatically for course design.

How much different has it been designing the new short course at Chart Hills?

I’m very proud of it. I’ve been beating this drum for years. So many hotels don’t have room.

You say, how about 12, but they want a championship golf course. That drives me up the wall. People are recognising the fun playing short courses.

Building a 12 -hole golf course ticks all the environmental boxes: the water, construction costs, time. Time is the big thing now, where people must try and please everybody.

You’ve got a family but you want to disappear and play some golf. Eighteen is a long day, so I’m really pushing the 12 -hole concept as much as I can.

Your six-hole ‘Loop’ at Chart Hills is proof that golf can be fun in a shorter format…

Absolutely. I was able to draw inspiration from many of the great places and holes I’ve played at the likes of St Andrews, Muirfield Village, and Augusta.

It’s a great challenge for golfers of all abilities. We have our very own ‘Valley of Sin

It’s fantastic, unique. I think golf courses of this nature are only going to get more popular, and what we have at Chart Hills is very special. I’d encourage anyone to go and play it.

Are you working on other short course projects?

We’ve got a great project up at Big Sky. We’d like to do six holes for kids, and we’d like to do a nine-hole par-3 course.

Hopefully we can cart that one because you’re at 8,000 feet plus! Then maybe there’s a 12-hole course which could be serious. It’s quite a challenging project, but I think it could be ground breaking.

We’ve also got a little company I’m forming with Paul Jansen and my architects called ‘Golf in Small Spaces’. People love to have anything from a single green in their back garden all the way up to three, five, ten, 30 acres.

As we’ve seen, the popularity of them is fantastic.

The skill is to design where, if you’re brand new to golf you can roll it along the ground, and if you’re a decent golfer you can cut the corners and getting the ball to stop is a great challenge.

So I’m very excited about trying to build that side of golf.

What was it like to take on the role of host for the British Masters?

It’s a nice honour since I won that one. It’s something America has done so well over the years, with celebrities and the likes of Arnold [Palmer], Jack [Nicklaus] and Tiger [Woods].

I think our tour should do more of that. Seve would be a great one to honour, and probably Rory in the future.

All I’m trying to do is build awareness of the event, make it more British. I think that’s a fun thing.

I’ve requested that all the music to be played should be British bands. There should be no problem with a playlist on that! Little touches like that.

What’s been the most rewarding part?

Well I’m not playing. I’m there all week. I’m quite happy to give it time, get it to grow as best as
I can and make the fan experience as good as possible.

I’ve got some great ideas for the fans’ village. So we will see how we can just keep expanding it. I have my own pavilion, which is very cool, wonderful food. I love hosting people up there.

What do you think makes the British Masters stand out from other tournaments on the DP World Tour calendar?

The Belfry has a great central location. We can get good fans and create a very good atmosphere.

As I said, we can make it as British as possible. We have a good date, and in the future, we can encourage a few more top names to come and play.

It’s always a great challenge to play The Belfry, especially when you get a little bit of weather, a little bit of wind in there, and then the tricky finish. It’s always going to get a great champion.

The Faldo Series is also still going strong…

Well, that week we also host our Faldo Futures event. We have our grand final, which was a great success the first year.

We had about 1,600 participants, which was whittled down to about 120 youngsters. They loved it. We want to expand that, make that bigger and better.

 

 

 

 

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Work on the first phase of the course construction, which first began in 2009 before being halted three years later, recommenced in May and is due to be finished next summer. The second phase of the project is then expected to take a further 18 months to complete.

New course will be state of the art

In line with Madeira’s sustainable credentials and to preserve the natural charm of the course and its environment, Ponta do Pargo Golf Course – which is owned by Ponta do Oeste S.A – will adopt a number of measures to reduce the environmental impact across the 120-acre site, including the installation of a state-of-the-art irrigation system.

Situated on the most westerly point of Madeira Island in the Ponta do Pargo region, the par-72 layout, the first new course in Madeira for 22 years when it opens, has been designed in a location of unrivalled natural beauty on a hilltop setting surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean.

In addition to the 18-hole golf course, Ponta da Pargo will also feature practice facilities including a driving range and chipping and putting green; a nine-hole pitch-and-putt course; a clubhouse and restaurant and a hotel when fully completed.

Will be one of the most beautiful courses in Europe

Miguel Albuquerque, president of the Regional Government of Madeira, said: “We are now going to move forward with one of the most beautiful courses in Europe – I am not afraid to say it – which will be located in a parish in the west of the island, next to a promontory over the sea.

“It will be one of the iconic courses at European level and be an anchor project for the whole area.”

Madeira currently features three first-class 18-hole golf courses – Palheiro Golf, Clube de Golfe Santo da Serra and Porto Santo Golfe – as well as an array of outstanding historic, cultural and lifestyle experiences.

GREAT CLIMATE FOR GOLF IN MADEIRA

Located approximately 1,000km from the European mainland – and just 500km from the African continent – the island destination enjoys an amazingly mild climate, ranging from 25°c in the summer to 17°c in the winter, with very mild average temperatures and moderate humidity, making it the perfect year-round location for a golf break.

The best way to enjoy the island’s golf is with a Madeira Golf Passport which, providing holders with an unrivalled golf experience, is available to both individuals and groups and can be booked on a three or five-round basis.

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