Acaya Golf Club

The course unfolds through the Mediterranean scrub and uses the natural terrain as part of the design: the Hurdzan/Fry firm aimed for a variety of shots that calls for all fourteen clubs in the bag. There are 18 holes, par 71, over 6,192 metres. The club presents it as suitable for professionals and beginners alike and states that it holds 5 BVGA stars in the international rating of golf courses.

There are many holes to remember. The 1st is a par 5 with a dogleg to the left, meant for warming up; the 2nd has a green with a transverse hollow reminiscent of the Biarritz hole; the 5th, a dogleg to the left, has a crisp-shaped green. The 8th is a par 3 with a bunker on the right and water on the left, the 10th is the “Cape Hole”, a par 4, and the 16th is a par 5 with a double dogleg of over 500 metres and a short, angled green. At the 17th the distance is 130 metres from the championship tee and 93 from the ladies’ tee; the 18th closes with water on the left and right and four bunkers. Among the features of the course the club also mentions a waterfall.

Tee times are booked on Chronogolf or by calling the club on 0832 861378; the resort office answers on 0832 861385. The official price list distinguishes low, mid and high season and includes rates for 18 and for 9 holes, discounts for hotel guests and for holders of the Apulia Card, and terms for groups of eight. The published price list does not state the year it refers to, so up-to-date figures should be requested from the club.

You can rent golf carts, sets of clubs and a hand trolley, with different rates for members and non-members. The resort also offers Stay and Play packages of a minimum of three nights.

The club house occupies the Masseria San Pietro, a centuries-old masseria surrounded by the greenery of the course and close to the Cesine WWF nature reserve, among olive and juniper trees. The restaurant serves simple local cooking: starters, first courses, meat and fish, salads, club sandwiches, savoury pastries and pasticciotti. It is open from 8 am to 8 pm from Sunday to Tuesday and from 8 am to 11:30 pm from Wednesday to Saturday, with the kitchen open until 10 pm.

The driving range has 22 bays, 6 of them covered, and includes 2 putting greens and 2 pitching greens. The golf academy is led by the teacher Vittorio Mori, with courses for young players: the competitive course for those with a handicap from 36 to 1, and the course for beginners and pre-competitive players with a handicap from 54 to 37. Lessons take place in three seasonal sessions, winter, spring and autumn, plus a summer course for competitive players. The club says it has hosted important professional and amateur events over the years.

• A Biarritz in Salento. At the 2nd hole the hollow crossing the green recalls, says the club, the historic Biarritz hole.
• The crisp green. The green of the 5th hole has, in the club’s words, the shape of a crisp.
• Over five hundred metres. The 16th is a par 5 with a double dogleg and a short, angled green.
• Two tees, two distances. The 17th is played at 130 metres from the championship tee and 93 from the ladies’ tee.
• Between masseria and reserve. The club house is a centuries-old masseria close to the WWF Cesine reserve.