- Costa Ragusa Golf has commissioned four short social media films previewing the Sicilian venue.
- Miguel Ángel Jiménez’s Queens Course is scheduled to open in spring 2027.
- José María Olazábal’s Castle Course is due in autumn 2027, with his par-th3 course opening in June.
Costa Ragusa Golf, the resort on Sicily’s south-east coast formerly known as Donnafugata Golf Resort & Spa, is releasing a series of four short films this month ahead of its relaunch in 2027.
The videos cover the venue and the surrounding region. They also include interviews with José María Olazábal and Miguel Ángel Jiménez, the two Spaniards redesigning the resort’s 36 holes. The first film is already available on YouTube.
A faster timetable
The opening schedule has moved since the pair were announced as designers in June. At that time Olazábal’s Castle Course was set for 2028. It is now due in autumn 2027.
Jiménez’s Queens Course is scheduled to open next spring. A nine-hole par-3 course designed by Olazábal will follow in June.
Both 18-hole layouts play to a par of 72. The Castle is the longer at 6,592 metres and is billed as capable of hosting international tournaments. The Queens measures 6,105 metres from the back tees.
Greens, tees and bunkers are being modernised on both courses. The resort says the work will also cut the area of maintained grass and preserve native vegetation. On the Queens, Jiménez is keeping Franco Piras’s original routing. As he explained in October, the aim is to give players a clear view of the shots in front of them and to reward placement over length.
Olazábal’s first look at Sicily
The two-time Masters champion first visited Costa Ragusa this summer. In the films he points to the region’s history, culture and food, and to how proud Sicilians are of where they live.
“Here at Costa Ragusa, we have the opportunity to be part of this project and we’re really thrilled to be involved because it’s going to bring golf closer to the local people,” Olazábal said.
Jiménez, a 55-time winner worldwide, praises the weather and the food of southern Italy.
From Donnafugata to Costa Ragusa
The resort first opened in 2009 and hosted the 2011 Sicilian Open before closing in 2020. Its two courses were then known as the Parkland and the Links.
Details – Hospitality, Sports, Leisure, Portugal’s largest golf course operator, took over management of the resort earlier this year. Costa Ragusa is the company’s first project outside Portugal. Its Portuguese portfolio includes Vilamoura, Monte Rei and Palmares, which has just completed upgrades across all three of its nines.
Beyond the golf, the area offers UNESCO-listed Baroque towns, volcanic scenery and one of Italy’s best-known wine regions.
Related: Dalaman Golf Club Officially Inaugurated as Turkish Golf Federation Brings Republic Cup to Town
Simon Bale
Simon Bale is the publisher of Golf Today. A low single-figure handicap golfer, he was previously a major shareholder and course reviewer for Top100GolfCourses.com for over a decade, starting in 2010. Through this role, he developed extensive knowledge of golf course design and architecture while playing more than 300 courses worldwide.