Verdura (East) - Sicily - Italy

Me and my partner stayed and played at Donnafugata and Verdura on a two destination golf holiday in September 2017.

After the disappointment of Donnafugata (also reviewed) the two courses at Verdura were a revelation. I had been looking forward to playing a Kyle Phillips’ designed course since seeing the glowing reviews of Kingsbarns and I was not disappointed. These are both stunning gems and in my opinion should be amongst the top courses in Europe.

It is hard to pick a favourite between the East and the West, as they are similar in character and each a joy to play. There is hardly a weak hole amongst the 36 and both courses end with stunningly picturesque (and difficult) stretches of holes.

As both courses are on the coast the wind largely dictates the difficulty, but both courses generally have wide enough fairways to enjoy the round no matter what the conditions. The difficulty generally lies with getting close to the pins on the large and undulating putting surfaces.

On the East course, 16, 17 and 18 make a fine climax to the round and a real test for anyone with a good card going up to that point. The 16th is a short par 3, but fiendishly bunkered and with a narrow undulating green. It is also set across the prevailing wind and so getting close to the pin can be tough and anyway away from the pin brings a 3 putt into view! The 17th is a mid-length par 4, played down to the fairway and then up to a two-tiered green set into a hill – judgement of the second shot is vital. The final hole is a longish par 4, played from a raised tee with the Mediterranean Sea awaiting a slice. The second is a mid to long iron played to a large green sloping severely back to front. Three pars on these holes and a drink in the old castle-style clubhouse would have been well earned!

The Rocco Forte hotel around which these courses are designed is expensive, but for those able to afford the prices Verdura is a stunning location for a golf holiday.

I played Sicily’s top four courses in September – the two each at Verdura and Donnafugata. I didn’t really know what to expect of golf here but what I hadn’t anticipated was just how good the courses really are – both in terms of lay-out and difficulty. Verdura’s East Course plays 7,300 yards off the blacks and it seemed even longer as the fairways were not running. The greens too were a little slow – something I found on all four courses. It seems September is too hot for them to cut anything short or they get scorched. As a result I’d recommend most players use the forward tees on the four courses. I play off 10 and they were very challenging even off the front. The East is a lovely course – undulating fairways, bunkers everywhere and sloping greens adding to the fun. There is plenty of variety and the overall feel of the place with mountain backdrops and lots of shoreline holes make it a delight. The fairways are pretty generous if you avoid the sand and there are lots of elevated tees and greens making clubbing pretty taxing. My favourite hole on the front was the 4th a pretty, long and damn difficult par 5. The back nine opens with a poser created by a large bunker in driving range right in the middle of the fairway. From here the course heads a little inland for a few excellent and varied holes including the 220 yards uphill par three 12th, and the 13th with a sunken green. On you to a lovely finale – the super par 4 17th to an elevated green and the tantalising classic finishing hole featuring what appears to be the course’s only tight fairway with out of bounds on the right and golf’s equivalent of a ha-ha in front of the green. I loved this course, despite the grass being long on the fairways and greens to protect them from the baking September sun. @andywaple @drivinggolf

Probably a tougher course than the West, especially the back 9 which was the actual back 9 of the Sicilian open. The wind can be strong over there and many of the par 4 exceed 400 meters, namely 5th and 17th respectively measuring 460 and 430 meters!! Verdura is a great place to play golf. The 6th par 3 is my favorite hole on the whole property. I hope to return while Sicily is still relatively unknown as a golf destination. Cédric