Verdura Golf Club

This is one of the most successful creations of Sir Rocco Forte – a British-Italian of Roman origin and baronet of international luxury hotels who, with his sister Olga Polizzi, refined director of design, gave new life to two kilometers of Agrigento shoreline and to the 230 hectares over which the resort, inaugurated in July 2009, extends. The club’s identity card features, in addition to an ultra-luxurious hotel, two 18-hole courses – the East and West Courses – and a 9-hole with all par 3s, located between the shoreline and the inlands, designed by American Kyle Phillips, a student of Robert Trent Jones II and award-winning creative genius behind spectacular courses all over the world – we need only mention Kingbarns in Scotland or Yas Links in Abu Dhabi.

The holes which remain etched in one’s memory include the 18th on the East Course: from the elevated starting tees, aim at the 14th century Verdura Tower to find the fairway diagonally, with deep bunkers on the left and the Mediterranean on the right which patiently awaits your erring golf ball. Hole 6, once more on the East Course: get out your camera because you simply will not be able to resist the temptation to capture that landscape, with Sciacca resting in the background. You will be hard-put to find a green closer to the sea than this. Stay focused, however, because the short distance recalls the famous “Postage Stamp” hole in Turnberry, the theater of notable golfing tragedies in many editions of the Open Championship. The selection of the club varies each time according to the strength and direction of the wind.

Technical Details

Course : 2 x 18 holes + 9 holes, Par 72/72, 6686/6692 meters

Architect : Kyle Phillips

Topography :

The West course: it overlooks the sea and recalls the Sicilian inland;

The East course: quite a hilly course for a varied golfing experience.

Special features : most of the holes of the west course run along the beach, those of the east course more inside

Pro’s Comments

A true paradise on 36 holes and 9 exciting executives. Both courses offer wonderful holes right in front of the sea and sometimes more remote. The West course reaches the sea for the first time on holes 8 and 9, two extraordinary Par 4s, and it gets even closer to crystal clear water on the last 4 holes, with an unforgettable 18th. On the East course, on the other hand, the sea is present on holes 5, 6, 16 and 17. Even here hole 18 is a spectacle: tee-off from the top, the sea on the right, a very wide green and a deep bunker with the Club House at the back. The famous architect Kyle Phillips has shown great mastery! The Verdura Golf Resort is in my opinion one of the most beautiful in Europe. Absolutely unmissable.