The redesign by American golf architect Kyle Phillips included changes to the routing of both the East Course and the neighbouring West Course at Verdura Resort. (Image: Verdura Resort)
Acclaimed architect Kyle Phillips returned to southern Sicily to redesign the East Course at Verdura Resort, one of Europe’s most luxurious golf properties.
A three-time host of the European Tour’s old Sicilian Open, Verdura Resort has unveiled a massive redesign of its East Course by Kyle Phillips, the original architect.
Phillips’ three-year redo at the five-star resort on Sicily’s south coast included changes to the routing of the East Course and the neighbouring West Course, the introduction of 14 new or rebuilt holes, as well as the planting of fescue grasses throughout the East for added definition.
“One of the big differences is with the routing,” says Phillips, perhaps best known as the architect of Kingbarns Golf Links and Dundonald Links in Scotland. “With the previous layout, you would cross the other course and they would weave through each other at times. Now they are more clearly defined.”
The East Course offers sweeping views of the Mediterranean Sea. (Image: Verdura Resort)
The East Course now starts near the practice range on one of the original holes. Next comes a string of new or rebuilt holes before the layout concludes on three original holes. The East Course is a par-73, 7,396-yard design, while the West, also built by Phillips, is a par-70, 7,160-yard course.
“We have certainly made the most of the terrain available to us,” says Phillips of a renovation that launched to fanfare in October 2021. “The drama of the coastline has been improved, and we’re proud of what has been achieved.”
Both the East and West courses at the 230-hectare luxury property offer sweeping views of the Mediterranean Sea. Verdura Resort, part of the Rocco Forte hotel chain, also features a nine-hole par-three course designed by Phillips, 203 rooms and suites, a spa, a two-tiered infinity pool, five restaurants, and a 1.8-kilometre stretch of private beach.
Verdura Resort was the host of the European Tour’s now defunct Rocco Forte Sicilian Open in 2012, 2017 and 2018.
