Hi everyone,
Back from my 2 day trip in Verdura.
I promised you a report, there you go.
I think it’s a great course and I would return anytime (except for the €€€€ price).
In my opinion the East course is really worth the trip and easily deserves a spot in Continental Europe’s Top 50.
I liked the West course a little less probably because it shows less variety, notably with the par 3’s.
Note that I played the West on a quiet day whereas the next morning was very windy on the East and made it a whole different challenge.
I don’t think it means a lot to compare Verdura and Kingsbarn’s. My impression is that Verdura was meant as a resort course playable by really any kind of player including those who want to stretch out their legs before having Prosecco & pasta for diner. Kingsbarn’s has more of a championship feel with sharper shaping and more extreme features. Verdura is kinder, softer, probably a bit more forgiving. The greens are not as fast as in Kingsbarn’s which really contributes to making the course friendlier to the poor hit shots.
But don’t get me wrong, Verdura is not half a golf course, it shows brilliant architecture with a bunch of really good holes, tons of imaginative details, beautiful undulating fairways, good greens and of course a great view on the Mediterranean sea. Kyle Phillips did a great job and showed once again how talented he is.
I agree with Adam Lawrence praising that long par 4 heading to the see but I am sure he meant the 5th on the East course and not the 8th on the West which both run parallel.
I think the East only has good and great holes though I understand Nicolas Colsaert’s criticism on the long par 3 12th. Best holes on the East would be 5, 9, 10, 13, 16 and 18. But I also love the medium range par 4’s (n°1, 3, 7 and 15). They’re just so fun to play.
The West course also has very good holes (8, 9, 16 mostly) but probably fewer great holes than the East plus 1 or 2 weaker holes (namely 12 and 14).
Verdura’s architecture was obviously inspired by links game though it doesn’t show on every hole. It doesn’t have the firmness and fastness of true links (there is no way you’re gonna use your putter 40 yards from the green) but it’s very well maintained and superior to many courses we usually play here in Europe. It’s a seaside course with a linksy look but no linksy feel which works fine in my opinion.
What I liked less in Verdura was bunkers: it feels they didn’t receive as much care as the rest of the course with very basic shapes and dull edges. Plus they were all surrounded by high grass where the ball would die instead of rolling into the sand.
Off-course areas still need to grow and I am sure the general impression will be even more pleasant in 5 or 10 years from now.
I understand they plan to sell properties on the North part of the site. I guess this is how they would make money out of it. It seems they received significant contributions from European Union hoping to develop this remote region.
The climate can be compared to Morocco where golf is booming at the moment. Should further terrorist attacks make it less attractive for tourists, Sicily would sound like a much safer option…