Excitement is building after Verdura Resort revealed that it is set to reopen its second 18-hole championship course next summer following a major renovation programme.
World-renowned golf architect Kyle Phillips returned to Sicily last year to start work on improving his original design after a freak flood damaged a number of the championship layout’s holes along the coastline at the end of 2018.
Having completed all the design and construction work last autumn and winter, reseeding of the fairways, greens, tees and rough began at Verdura this summer.
The resort – home of the European Tour’s Rocco Forte Sicilian Open – will give the course plenty of time to grow in over the coming months but, providing everything goes according to schedule, it aims to reopen its second layout next summer.
Phillips, famous for layouts such as Kingsbarns Golf Links in Scotland, said: “In early 2019, plans were assembled to conform the new landscape and shoreline configuration.
“The intertwined nature of the layout of the resort’s 36 holes required that the layout of the course remained intact, but there were significant adjustments to the specific design of each hole.
“Players returning to Verdura will be most likely to notice the changes that have occurred along the coastline and how we have incorporated them. All of which will add to the drama, and pleasure, of the course. They will also appreciate playing what is, effectively, a new course, with new surfaces on the greens, freshened bunkers and new turf in the fairways and roughs.”
Sir Rocco Forte, Founder and Chairman of Rocco Forte Hotels, said: “I am tremendously excited by the new course and layout, which will enhance both the playing experience and magnificent views over the spectacular Sicilian coastline.”
The opening of the new-look layout will be an exciting addition to Verdura Resort’s wealth of exclusive luxury facilities that have helped establish the venue as one of the world’s elite golf and lifestyle destinations.
A member of the exclusive European Tour Destinations network, the resort is famous for offering guests an unforgettable five-star golf experience in one of the most beautiful settings in world golf, and was recently named as a recipient of Golf Digest magazine’s coveted ‘2020 Editors’ Choice Award for the Best Resorts in Continental Europe’ for the fifth year in a row.
Nestled in 230 hectares of stunning Mediterranean landscape on Sicily’s southern coast, Verdura’s current golf facilities include an outstanding 18-hole championship course and a par-three nine-hole executive course also designed by Phillips, a double-ended driving range and first-class academy. In addition, the venue features Italy’s only European Tour-approved Performance Institute, where players of all abilities can hone their swings using cutting-edge technology usually only on offer to Tour players.
Verdura Resort features 203 rooms and suites, all with a sea view, including six villas which offer a perfect solution for family holidays, each with its own private swimming pool. In addition, the venue is set to add to its luxury accommodation portfolio in September by opening eight new modern and spacious private Roccc Forte Villas, with each sloping gently down towards the resort’s private beach and affording unparalled panoramic views of the Sicilian coast and Mediterranean.
Away from golf, guests can enjoy an extensive array of other luxury sports and lifestyle facilities, as well as the opportunity to sample a wide variety of gastronomy, wine, history and culture.
roccofortehotels.com/verdura-resort