Special Places - Donnafugata Golf Resort

The first event of the 2011 season on the European PGA Tour to take place on European soil sees the inaugural playing of the Sicilian Open, with the recently opened Donnafugata Golf Resort and Spa playing host. Continuing the policy of expanding the geographic base of the tour, this championship adds a second Italian event to the calendar alongside the BMW Italian Open. This event showcases the growing Italian golf industry and also the new breed of high-flying Italian golfers like the Molinari brothers and teenage phenomenon Matteo Manassero, who have stepped forward to carry the nation’s hopes on the big stage now that veteran Constantino Rocca has moved on to ply his trade on the Senior Tour.

The Donnafugata Resort is located within a nature reserve and stands close to a UNESCO World Heritage site that preserves many remnants of the unique Sicilian Baroque style. The facility boasts a golf academy with 70 practice bays and two very different layouts, the Parkland Signature Course designed by golfing legend Gary Player, and the host course to the Sicilian Open, the Championship Links designed by Franco Piras. Playing to a par of 71 and stretching out over 6560 metres, The Links has some pleasing panoramic views towards the sea, interrupted by a few trees sparsely sprinkled across the landscape. The layout meanders through two large valleys, each with a lake, and the fairways are carved into the terrain skirting them.

The front nine has one par 5 and finishes with a 350m par 4 that is driveable for the longer hitters, depending on wind direction. The back nine begins with another short par 4 that will tempt some of the braver players, and both par 5s are reachable in two lusty blows. The beautifully framed 440m par 4 finishing hole is a worthy end to a memorable round on this course, not yet a year old, that looks destined to secure a place at the top table in Europe.

The Championship Links extends out over gently undulating terrain in the shadow of the historic Donnafugata Castle, and Franco Piras has managed to create a little gem in the Mediterranean that is both tempting and punishing, but which ultimately amply rewards the patient shot-maker who can rise to the demands of this spectacular layout.