Italy - Now's The Time

Puglia sits at the heel of Italy and has been a hidden secret for many years. James Mason takes full advantage of Puglia’s fine courses and finds that the beautifully sculptured fairways remain one of Italy’s best kept secrets

Golf in Puglia, Italy

A wind-buffeted autumnal outing to an unconventional golfing destination, but the sport is booming in Italy thanks to Ryder cup hero Costantino Rocca, the Molinari brothers and Matteo Manassero - and the courses are coming of age. The new Acaya Club in Lecce, part of the Doubletree Hilton resort, has a beautifully-designed track surrounded by a nature reserve a mile from the Adriatic. Perhaps more testing is San Domenico, crafted by European Golf Design and set up for the final tournament on the European challenge tour. Get there before the crowds, and take in some great cuisine and seductive sightseeing. Read more...

James Mason is a senior contributor for Golf Monthly magazine and editor of planetgolfreview.com and has producing destination and equipment reviews for Golf Monthly, Greenside, and Middle East Golfer magazines. He has also produced destination features for Golf World and Going for Golf magazines and interviews for Middle East Golfer and Qatar Airlines. James was captain of Coventry university golf team and now plays off a 5 handicap.