Sicily is a small golf island with a big flagship. The Kyle Phillips courses at Verdura set the standard, Donnafugata adds two contrasting eighteens near Ragusa, and Il Picciolo plays on the volcanic slopes of Mount Etna. Five championship courses in all, enough for a focused trip wrapped in the island's coast, culture and table. Here is how we rank them.
Photograph: Verdura Resort, a Rocco Forte Hotel, via Google
Sicily does not compete on quantity. The island has three golf resorts, not thirty, so this is less a ranking of dozens than a clear order of the five championship courses worth crossing the water for. We weighed design quality, conditioning and setting, and we leaned on the courses that give a traveling golfer a reason to build a trip around them rather than simply tick a round off in passing.
Every designer and opening detail here was checked at the time of writing, and the verdicts and the order are ours. The headline is clear: Verdura is the destination, its two Kyle Phillips courses comfortably the best on the island. Behind them, Donnafugata and Il Picciolo are the rounds that turn a Verdura visit into a proper Sicilian golf week. Tell us your dates and our concierge builds and costs the trip.
The best course in Sicily and the heart of its finest resort. Kyle Phillips, the man behind Kingsbarns, routed the East along a kilometer and a half of Mediterranean coast, with firm turf, bold contours and several holes running straight at the sea. It has hosted European Tour golf and sits beside one of the island's great hotels, the Rocco Forte Verdura. For most visitors, this is the round the trip is built around.
The East's near equal and on some days its better. The West shares the same Kyle Phillips design language and the same stretch of coast, with its own pair of memorable seaside holes and a slightly more open, rolling character. Playing both over consecutive days at Verdura is the core of any serious Sicilian golf trip, and the resort makes the second round effortless.
The pick of the two courses at Donnafugata, a Gary Player parkland set in the rolling country of the Baroque southeast near Ragusa. Mature, well conditioned and framed by dry stone walls and carob trees, it is a calmer, more traditional test than Verdura, and the natural base for golfers exploring the UNESCO towns of the Val di Noto.
The most distinctive round on the island and a piece of its golf history, the first eighteen hole course ever built in Sicily. Luigi Rota Caremoli's layout climbs and falls across old lava terraces on the northern slopes of Mount Etna, with the volcano above and vineyards all around. It is shorter and quirkier than the resort courses, but for sheer setting nothing in Sicily matches it.
The second course at Donnafugata, a links inspired layout by Franco Piras that contrasts with its parkland sibling, more open and exposed, with undulating fairways and a different rhythm. It completes a two round stay in the southeast and gives a group variety without moving hotels, a useful complement to the better known parkland alongside it.
Designers, opening years and host history verified June 2026 from resort and recognized ranking sources. The order is our editorial view; Verdura's two courses are interchangeable at the top. Always confirm access and fees directly before booking.
Two rounds at Verdura, a swing through Donnafugata or Etna, and the coast, the Baroque towns and the food in between: tell us roughly when and who is traveling, and one concierge builds the trip and costs it to the head, with no obligation.
The two Kyle Phillips courses at the Verdura Resort near Sciacca are the best in Sicily, led by the coastal East Course. They anchor the island's flagship golf resort, a Rocco Forte property that has hosted European Tour events. Behind them sit Donnafugata's Gary Player parkland near Ragusa and Il Picciolo, the volcanic course on the slopes of Mount Etna and the first eighteen built on the island.
Sicily is a small golf destination by Italian standards, built around three resorts: Verdura, with two championship courses and a short course on the southwest coast, Donnafugata, with two contrasting eighteens near Ragusa, and Il Picciolo on Mount Etna. That gives five full championship courses, enough for a focused three or four round trip combined with the island's culture, coast and food.
Verdura is the premium address, with indicative 2026 visitor green fees from around 150 to 220 euro and strong value for resort guests on stay and play. Donnafugata and Il Picciolo are more modest, indicatively from about 80 to 130 euro. All figures move with season and are dearest in spring and autumn, so always confirm directly before booking.
Spring and autumn, from roughly March to May and September to November, are ideal, with warm, settled days and the courses in peak condition. Sicily's mild Mediterranean climate means winter golf is very playable too, which is why it draws northern Europeans escaping the cold. High summer is hot, best handled with early tee times.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.