Verdura Resort

Olive groves running down to the sea.

Verdura is a Rocco Forte resort on 230 hectares of Sicily’s south coast, between Sciacca and Ribera. Its two championship courses run from orange and olive groves on the lower slopes down to the Mediterranean. The beach is part of the estate and every guest room faces the sea. Sicily has little other golf, so most visitors come for a week and combine a few rounds with Greek temples, long lunches and the island’s food. You don’t have to stay at the hotel to play.

Verdura Resort green fees and tee times.

Tee times are booked online through the resort’s Golfmanager system, which you can reach from the golf pages of the Rocco Forte website. Visitors who aren’t staying can book too, but the resort doesn’t publish its green fee on its own pages, so you will see live prices only in the booking system or by asking the concierge. Hotel guests can use the Golf Inclusive offer, which includes two green fees per room per night on the East or West course. Each green fee must be used on the day it was booked and can’t be carried over or given to someone else. The resort doesn’t publish a handicap limit. Buggies, trolleys and hire sets are all available.

The courses at Verdura Resort.

Verdura East Links

The longer, harder course, with narrow fairways, big greens and a burn that crosses several of the early holes on its way to the sea. The run from the 6th to the 8th sits right above the bay. This is the course to book first if you only have time for one round.

Verdura West Shore

This par 70 has five par threes and the resort’s best finish: the last six holes run along the shore, and the signature 14th follows the coastline. It is having Bermuda grass introduced until spring 2027. It stays open, but some areas may play below their best until then.

Executive Course

A nine-hole Phillips course of short holes for beginners, juniors and anyone working on their wedge play. It is closed for regrassing with Bermuda grass and is due to reopen in spring 2027.

The round, in perspective.

Kyle Phillips, the architect of Kingsbarns, designed all 45 holes. The East course opened in 2009 and the West in 2010, and Phillips came back in 2019 to remodel both. The resort now calls them Verdura East Links and Verdura West Shore. These are open, links-style courses with firm, fast greens, deep bunkers and a sea breeze that changes the clubbing. The East plays as a par 72 on the resort’s scorecard; its run from the 6th to the 8th is the stretch closest to the bay. The West saves its best for the end, with the last six holes along the shore and a closing hole that finishes below the clubhouse terrace. The European Tour’s Rocco Forte Sicilian Open has been played here.

Make the trip work.

Before you book, check the turf work. Until spring 2027 the West Shore is being regrassed with Bermuda grass while it stays open, and the nine-hole Executive Course is closed. A three- or four-night stay lets you play each course once, plus a day for Agrigento. The resort also has a PGA academy, a 33-bay driving range with eight covered bays, a short-game area and a European Tour-approved Performance Centre for lessons and club fitting.

Palermo Airport is about 100 kilometres north, roughly an hour and a half by road. Trapani is a similar distance to the west, and Catania is about two and three-quarter hours away across the island. A hire car is the easiest way to explore, though the resort can arrange transfers. Sciacca and Ribera are each about 20 minutes away.

Where it is.

Somewhere to settle in.

Most golfers stay on the estate. The main hotel’s rooms and suites all face the sea, and the Rocco Forte Private Villas, on the hillside above the West Shore, suit families and groups. Sciacca, a spa town known for its painted ceramics and fishing harbour, has smaller hotels and B&Bs if you would rather drive in. Agrigento, about 55 minutes east, has hotels with views over the Valley of the Temples.

Make a trip of it.

Sicily has very little other golf. The nearest alternatives are Donnafugata near Ragusa and Il Picciolo on the slopes of Etna, both several hours’ drive away, so most visitors play only the Verdura courses. Spend the spare days on the island instead. The Valley of the Temples at Agrigento is about 55 minutes away, the Greek ruins at Selinunte are around 40 minutes west, and the white marl cliffs of the Scala dei Turchi are near Realmonte. In Sciacca, try the fish restaurants along the harbour.

Find your season.

Golf is played all year, and the clubhouse stays open through the winter. Spring and autumn are the best months: March to June and September to November are warm without the heat of July and August. Winters on the south coast are mild, though some days are wet.