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Philip Gawith

  • Karma: +0/-0
Castiglione del Bosco
« on: August 17, 2013, 01:47:08 PM »
Has anyone played this Weiskopf course in Tuscany? Any thoughts? Someone at my club has just returned and was effusive. Would be nice to see some pictures.

Philip

Bill_McBride

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Castiglione del Bosco
« Reply #1 on: August 17, 2013, 01:51:20 PM »
Aidan Bradley is of course the man!

www.golfcoursephotography.com, click golf courses, click Italy, click Castiglione del Bosco.  Great looking course.  

Scott Warren

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Castiglione del Bosco
« Reply #2 on: August 17, 2013, 03:57:02 PM »
Philip,

When I asked last year, Adam Lawrence's take was:

Quote
Castilglion del Bosco is a magnificent place, and the golf course is goodd, but it is a helluva hike from Lucca. OTOH, take the ladywife there for a night and you'll be earning brownie points, not spending them. It'll cost you a fortune in real money, of course.

I didn't end up going, so can't speak from experience.

Steve Lapper

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Castiglione del Bosco
« Reply #3 on: August 17, 2013, 04:28:15 PM »
I spent 5 days there last fall and it is indeed a magnificent place. This estate property is owned and was developed by the Ferragamo family. It is a slice of Tuscan heaven.

The golf course is operated as a private club somewhat separate from the hotel and grounds. Weiskopf did a very nice job of fitting 18 holes into the beautiful valley landscape with a routing that falls on two sides of a saddle land form. While there are some good, if not very memorable holes on the front, the back nine presents better strategy and a higher number of quality holes. The course finishes much better and takes the land a wee bit better. The greens are mostly straightforward and a tad nondescript, but trying for much more might well have stuck out as oddly placed and contrived. It's most definitely walkable, but we never had any caddies and there are some lengthy connects between greens and tees.

Golf in Tuscany is mostly an afterthought and one should almost definitely try a round with a cart, if for no other reason than to have a place to carry a bottle of the local Brunello, some cheese and maybe a baguette.

PS..... The local head pro, staff and fellow members could not have been nicer and more friendly.



The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking."--John Kenneth Galbraith

Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +3/-1
Re: Castiglione del Bosco
« Reply #4 on: August 17, 2013, 05:02:25 PM »
I tried to get that job a few years back; it's one of the few overseas jobs where my wife was fully on board. Maybe I'll go see it for The Confidential Guide; Steve and Adam's reviews leave open the question of whether the course is very good or not.  

In the meantime, I'll read between the lines and guess that if the golf course was really good, they would be over the moon about it, hoping to land in the good graces of the owners.

Philip Gawith

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Castiglione del Bosco
« Reply #5 on: August 17, 2013, 05:14:59 PM »
Thanks Steve, sounds like worth a visit. Aidan's pictures certainly make it look wonderful. Ferragamo prices for a few days could be a bit eye-watering!

Steve Lapper

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Castiglione del Bosco
« Reply #6 on: August 17, 2013, 05:18:18 PM »
I tried to get that job a few years back; it's one of the few overseas jobs where my wife was fully on board. Maybe I'll go see it for The Confidential Guide; Steve and Adam's reviews leave open the question of whether the course is very good or not.  

In the meantime, I'll read between the lines and guess that if the golf course was really good, they would be over the moon about it, hoping to land in the good graces of the owners.

 Really??

  The resort property aside from the golf course is, and should be, the primary reason for anyone to plan a visit. Please intrerpret as you see fit. There are plenty of more reasonably-priced destinations within the Tuscany region, but few that deliver that level of service and experience. My wife and myself loved our special occasion stay and gladly paid 100% full freight!
« Last Edit: August 17, 2013, 06:49:03 PM by Steve Lapper »
The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking."--John Kenneth Galbraith

David_Tepper

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Castiglione del Bosco
« Reply #7 on: August 17, 2013, 06:52:08 PM »
A hole-by-hole description of the course by TW himself:

http://www.castigliondelbosco.com/golfclub/golf_course.aspx

Mark Hissey

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Castiglione del Bosco
« Reply #8 on: August 19, 2013, 08:54:56 PM »
I was there in the construction phase. It is an amazing place and the truth is that the drive isn't all that bad.

Tom, not an issue to get you introduced there. Massimo is a good friend of mine.

Bill_McBride

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Castiglione del Bosco
« Reply #9 on: August 19, 2013, 09:30:53 PM »
South of Siena, the Tuscan red wines there are great.