MASSERIA TORRE MAIZZA (COCCARO GOLF CLUB)
WHERE IS IT? Halfway between Bari and Brindisi, approximately 50km from each.
WHAT'S IT LIKE? Coccaro is a narrow and extremely testing nine-hole, par three course. There are all manner of hazards, including cliffs, rampant rough, lakes and gnarled olive trees, often all on the same hole. Short though it is, pinpoint accuracy is needed to negotiate the course successfully, and that's before you test your putting on the impeccable two-tiered greens. There is an attractive shaded driving range, perhaps an incentive to take lessons and work on your swing before testing your shots against the course. Once confidence soars, it's time to board the free shuttle to San Domenico for the real deal. The best places to stay are the Masserias, Coccaro and Torre Maizza. In the characteristic Puglia manner, both are 16th-century watchtowers converted into immaculate, stylish boutique hotels.
ADDRESS Contrada Coccaro, Savelletri di Fasano, Brindisi.
CONTACT Tel +39 080 482 9310; email [email protected]; masseriatorremaizza.com
PRICE Nine holes €25
CLUB HIRE €10 (nine holes)
CLUB HOURS 8am-7.30pm
MINIMUM HANDICAP None.
FACILITIES Nine-hole executive par three course (1,057m), with driving range and extensive practice ground.
AFTER THE GOLF Pay a visit to one of two restaurants in Torre Maizza, one under a pergola, the other in the old stables, offering Apulian dishes prepared with produce from the on-site organic farm. There's a large swimming pool with teak decking, old stone columns, landscaped gardens and a buffet lunch in the Cabana Restaurant. Neighbouring Torre Coccaro has a working farm with animals, a private beach club, and an Aveda Spa complete with Turkish bath.
BARIALTO
WHERE IS IT? On the outskirts of Bari.
WHAT'S IT LIKE? A saucepan-shaped layout, with holes 11 to 14 forming the handle. The others are arranged in a square around a large central reservoir, with the clubhouse at the base. The setting is exotic, with palms, pines and centuries-old olives lining the fairways, and several lakes with reed beds and water lilies. Players of all standards are well catered for, with risk-reward options for the daring and easier routes for those who need to think their way round and take that extra shot. The Hotelclub il Baricentro near the 11th green is the most convenient place to stay.
ADDRESS SS 100, Km 16, 70010 Casamassima, Bari.
CONTACT Tel +39 080 697 7105; barialtogolfclub.it
PRICE 18 holes €50; nine holes €35; juniors (under 16) €20; buggy €35 (18 holes), €25 (9 holes); 10 green fees for 18 holes €350.
CLUB HIRE €15
CLUB HOURS 8am-6.30pm
MINIMUM HANDICAP REQUIRED 36
FACILITIES 18-hole course (par 70, 5,726m)
AFTER THE GOLF The Moorish-style clubhouse stands by the ninth green, with breakfast and lunch available in the restaurant or on the shady terrace.
SAN DOMENICO
WHERE IS IT? Halfway between Bari and Brindisi, approximately 50km from each.
WHAT'S IT LIKE? Opened in 2003, with the Adriatic lapping its southern boundary, the San Domenico course is now the unchallenged star in a region that is relatively new to golf. Laid out on flat terrain, Andy Haggar's design is mostly links-led, though you wouldn't necessarily predict it when you tee up on the first between intimidating artificial lakes. They are banked with hostile rocks, and the right hand one runs all the way to the green – a potential card wrecker for slow starters. What Haggar likes, he likes a lot, and that definitely includes sand. Holes 15 and 16 stretch along the shore, but the course itself has at least as much sand as the perimeter beach.
It comes in two forms: traditional large traps defending the greens and extensive waste bunkers planted with local bushes and shrubs. The ancient olive trees are decorative, although too widely scattered to provide shelter from the sun or break the wind that sometimes blows off the sea. There is on-site accommodation in the Masseria San Domenico and the cheaper Masseria Cimino (tel +39 080 482 7886), both of which are watchtowers converted with impeccable taste.
ADDRESS Contrada Masciola, Savelletri di Fasano, Brindisi.
CONTACT Tel +39 080 482 7769; masseriasandomenico.com
PRICE 18 holes high season €100, low season €80; 9 holes €60/50; buggy €40 (18 holes), €30 (9 holes). Hotel guests: 18 holes high season €70, low season €50; nine holes €40/30; buggy €30 (18 holes) €20 (9 holes).
CLUB HIRE €30 (18 holes), €20 (9 holes).
CLUB HOURS 8.30am-7.30pm
MINIMUM HANDICAP 36
FACILITIES 18-hole course (par 72, 6,388m), driving range, practice area, three executive practice holes and a golf academy.
AFTER THE GOLF The clubhouse, which is dominated by a handsome atrium, has luxurious locker rooms with Turkish bath and sauna. Breakfast is served from 8am on the terrace overlooking the Adriatic, and lunch from 1-4pm. Local attractions include the picturesque fishing village of Savelletri and the Roman city Egnazia.
ACAYA GOLF CLUB
WHERE IS IT? 40km south of Brindisi, 15km from Lecce.
WHAT'S IT LIKE? The most southerly golf club on the heel of Italy offers two nine-hole layouts that combine uneasily into an 18-hole course. Although they opened within two years of each other, in the mid to late-1990s, the front nine are well established while the back nine retain a certain rawness. Acaya stretches over 250 hectares of rolling countryside, interrupted by reservoir lakes, but there is no evidence of watering and very little of dedicated green-keeping. As a test of golf, the worst comes early with blind tee shots over uncharted vegetation at the second and third holes. Top of the indigenous wildlife list are handsome black snakes (non-poisonous) which bask in the sun on the intrusive rocks. The Acaya Golf Hotel provides on-site accommodation and a private beach.
ADDRESS Otranto S Cataldo, 73029 Frazione, Acaya.
CONTACT Tel +39 0832 861 378; acayagolfclub.it
PRICE 18 holes €60; 9 holes €38.
CLUB HIRE €15
CLUB HOURS 8am-7pm (winter), 8am-9pm (summer).
MINIMUM HANDICAP 36
FACILITIES 18-hole course (par 72, 6,206m), driving range and practice area.
AFTER THE GOLF A lovely, friendly clubhouse in a converted 17th-century farmhouse. Breakfast (8am-12pm) and lunch (1-4pm) are served on a spacious terrace overlooking the countryside and the course.
