- Salgados GC is introducing a service that delivers food and drinks to golfers on the course by drone.
- Golfers order through an AI concierge on WhatsApp, with payment taken through the club’s own point-of-sale system.
- The Troon-managed club describes it as Europe’s first operational on-course drone delivery service.
The halfway hut has competition at Salgados. The Troon-managed club on Portugal’s Algarve coast is introducing on-course drone delivery, which lets golfers order food and drinks mid-round and have them flown out to wherever they are on the 18-hole layout. The club says it is the first operational service of its kind in Europe.
How does it work?
Ordering is done by phone, with no app to download. The process runs as follows:
- Golfers send a message to the club on WhatsApp, and an AI concierge takes the order.
- The order goes straight into the club’s point-of-sale system.
- Staff prepare the food and drink and box it up for delivery.
- A drone collects the box and flies it to the golfers on the course.
Payment is handled through the same point-of-sale system, so the club’s own till covers the whole transaction from start to finish. The drone and AI fulfilment network is run locally, under its own regulatory licences and approvals, and covers the full course.
The drone adds to the club’s existing refreshment service rather than replacing it. Jon Schauder, Troon Executive at Salgados Golf Club, said: “Advances in technology streamline the ordering process, allowing golfers to enjoy our service quickly via drone in addition to our buggy bar.”
Where is Salgados?
Salgados is an 18-hole, par-72 course on flat land behind Praia de Galé, near Salgados Beach and the Salgados Lagoon Nature Reserve. Highgate Portugal appointed Troon in August 2023 to run golf operations, agronomy, sales and marketing, and the company says the course, its infrastructure and the guest experience have all improved since then.
The club sits within a cluster of on-site Highgate Portugal properties that joined the Marriott Hotels & Resorts portfolio in 2025, including the Westin Salgados Beach Resort and Marriott Residences Salgados Resort. The hotels have been refurbished across their rooms, public spaces and food and beverage outlets.
Last month Highgate appointed Albert Docker as golf sales manager at Salgados to build the club’s golf business in domestic and international markets. Visitors planning more rounds in the region can use our Algarve course tour, which runs from Penina to Monte Rei.
For more information on Salgados Golf Club, click HERE.
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Simon Bale
Simon Bale is the publisher of Golf Today. A low single-figure handicap golfer, he was previously a major shareholder and course reviewer for Top100GolfCourses.com for over a decade, starting in 2010. Through this role, he developed extensive knowledge of golf course design and architecture while playing more than 300 courses worldwide.