Ahead of next week’s Apulia San Domenico Grand Final, europeantour.com checks out what players can expect from the host venue, the San Domenico Golf in Puglia, Italy.
Overview
- A Mediterranean links rated amongst the best in Italy, San Domenico Golf is a championship course bordering the crystal azures of the Adriatic Sea.
- The course is spread over 7,000 yards of lush land featuring undulating Bermuda grass with sea views from every vantage point.
- The San Domenico Links Course opened in 2003 and was designed by European Golf Design, who have created many famous courses such as Celtic Manor, Portmarnock in Ireland, and PGA Catalunya.
- It occupies flat land adjacent to the sea on the south east coast of Italy. Whilst it is not hard on the coast, the eastern boundary of the site lies less than 100 metres from the Adriatic Sea with only the coast road and flat rocky coastline to separate them.
- Wind varies in strength and direction from morning to afternoon so managing the conditions will be a big factor next week.
- There is a good variety of holes and the difference between the various par threes illustrates this.
- It is a par 71 course which spans 7,031 yards with three par fives, four par threes and 11 par fours.
Fairways
“The undulating fairways are fairly generous but good positioning from the tee shot is definitely rewarded,” said European Golf Design’s Jeremy Slessor. “The contouring provides a great deal of strategic challenges with deception and definition often bringing plenty of drama.
Olive trees occupy one corner of the course and there are waste areas planted with local Mediterranean flora throughout, which help to anchor the course firmly to its locality giving it a strong regional identity. Only two holes have water adjacent, the first and fifth holes.
Greens
“Also undulating, the greens feature fairly definitive areas set for pins, placing emphasis on hitting the right part of the green,” said Slessor. “The greens offer a range of hard, easy and moderate pin positions and no doubt that will be used to great effect at the Grand Final. “Sometimes you will find corners of greens dropping away taking a poor putt or approach shot with it, so it will by no means be easy next week.”
Key Holes
The fifth: A very strategic hole with wide fairway split by bunkers around the landing area, a tee shot down the left brings most bunkers into play but is rewarded with a clear view of the green and a shorter shot in.
A tee shot down the right has fewer bunkers to contend with but results in a blind second shot to the green over a large bunkered mound, making the shot from the tee on this hole a real quandary for any player. It is a steep approach to the front left pin position and the back portion of the green falls away from front to back.
The ninth: The ninth hole (originally the closing 18th) is a long par four, with the right hand side of fairway guarded by 3 bunkers in succession – while a difficult tee shot, this is the best side of the fairway from which to approach with one’s second shot.
The angle into the green from left side of fairway is less favourable as there are green-side bunkers on the left to carry.
Planted waste area splits the fairway from the green approach and continues alongside along the left hand side.
The tenth: This is a short par four but is by no means straight forward, as a water hazard occupies the entire right side of the hole from tee to green.
The fairway narrows with bunkers, water and undulations all coming into play where professionals would expect to be with driver.
Extra care is most certainly required at the start of round to avoid unnecessary dropped shots.
How the course played in 2010
The first hole is most certainly the toughest on the course and means the Challenge Tour’s finest will have to be on their game right from the start next week.
Amazingly, there were only five birdies on the monstrous 499 yard par four opening hole last year and 65 bogeys, more than any other hole.
While the ultimate strategist’s hole, the 14th, experienced less half that amount in the way of bogeys, however, the stats from that back-nine bruiser are reflective of a clear risk-reward factor. There were 20 birdies, a good number in relative terms, but an amazing 16 double-bogeys, over twice the amount that were carded on the first.
If the title is coming down to the wire next Saturday, the final stretch certainly provides ample opportunity to gain shots, with six of the 10 eagles last year made on either the 15th (four) or the 17th (two).
All-in-all, the winner next week will definitely have worked for their victory. After all, only the top two last year, winner Matt Haines (-8) and runner-up Daniel Gaunt (-7), averaged better than a one-under-par round per day as the next in line were Lorenzo Gagli and Lee Slattery, who finished tied third on four under for the tournament.
In 2010 there were a total of:
- 537 birdies
- Only 10 eagles
- 558 bogeys
