Details – Hospitality, Sports, Leisure, Portugal’s largest golf course operator, has assumed management of the former Donnafugata Golf Resort & Spa in Sicily, the company’s first project outside Portugal. The deal takes the total number of golf venues managed by Details to 13.
The 36-hole resort in the municipality of Ragusa first opened in 2009, hosted the 2011 Sicilian Open, and closed in 2020. Details said both 18-hole championship courses, the Parkland and the Links, will undergo a comprehensive renovation and redesign ahead of a targeted relaunch in 2027.
Details will be responsible for the day-to-day management and development of the venue, covering strategy, repositioning, marketing, sales and communications.
Donnafugata’s Golf History
Donnafugata earned its reputation as Sicily’s most prominent golf resort during its initial decade of operation. Situated in the island’s historic south-east region, the venue combined two championship layouts with luxury hotel and lifestyle facilities before its closure six years ago.
The planned redevelopment positions Donnafugata to return as a premium golf resort. Details described the investment as one of the most significant golf resort developments in Italy in recent years, with the potential to turn Sicily into a credible, multi-course destination for international golf travel.
Nuno Sepulveda, co-CEO at Details, said: “Expanding beyond Portugal for the first time is not only a landmark moment for our company but also a reflection of the strength and ambition of our platform. By adding such a significant destination to our portfolio, we are reinforcing our position as a leading force in European golf and hospitality.”
Details’ Growing Portfolio
Donnafugata joins a Portuguese portfolio that includes Vilamoura Golf (Old Course, Pinhal, Millennium, Laguna, and The Els Club Vilamoura), PGA Aroeira Lisboa, Troia Golf, Monte Rei, Palmares Ocean Living & Golf, San Lorenzo and Vale Pisão. The company also manages 28 hotel projects across Portugal, backed by Arrow Global Group.
Wider Ragusa Development
Donnafugata sits alongside Costa Ragusa, a new hospitality destination in the area operated by Mangia’s, one of Italy’s leading hospitality management groups. Two ultra-premium properties are expected to debut at the site in 2026: Costa Ragusa Borgo, a five-star retreat set within a historic borgata, and Costa Ragusa Resort, a five-star luxury beachfront property.
The combined plan is to establish an integrated luxury destination by the time Donnafugata’s golf courses reopen in 2027, pairing five-star accommodation with two redesigned championship layouts. Sicily’s UNESCO-listed towns, acclaimed gastronomy, volcanic scenery and celebrated wine region add off-course appeal that could strengthen the resort’s draw for international golf travellers.
The venue’s new name and full details of the course redesign have not yet been announced.
Details – Hospitality, Sports, Leisure
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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.
Simon is also the founder of Media Drive, a leading digital golf marketing agency which he successfully directed from 2008 to 2024.
As a lifelong student of the game, Simon takes an analytical approach to both equipment technology and swing mechanics—insights sharpened by two years working in a pro shop under the guidance of experienced professional Rae Sargent, alongside 15 years in equipment marketing. His deep understanding of the elite and professional game is further reinforced by his role as the father of elite-level Surrey county player Henry Bale, and by the strategic partnerships he forged with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour (DPWT) throughout his career at Media Drive.
He has now turned his full attention to covering all aspects of the sport for Golf Today, regularly attending tour events and visiting global golf destinations to deliver authentic, first-hand reviews and original imagery.