Verdura Resort has announced the launch of The Simon Holmes Academy, a new coaching programme led by one of the most respected figures in European golf instruction.
Simon Holmes has spent more than four decades working at the highest level of the professional game, coaching more than 80 Tour players including Nick Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Ernie Els, Darren Clarke, Lee Westwood, Thomas Bjorn and Suzann Pettersen. He worked alongside Faldo during his 1992 success at the Open Championship and Langer during the German’s 1993 Masters victory.
Based at Verdura Resort in Sicily, The Simon Holmes Academy will offer guests access to the same level of technical coaching and performance insight that Holmes developed throughout his career.
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The programme will focus on long-term improvement through personalised coaching built around each player’s individual movement patterns, swing tendencies and on-course performance. Sessions will combine technical analysis with scoring strategy and course management, with an emphasis on helping golfers better understand their own game.
Sir Rocco Forte said: “Golf has always been one of the defining parts of the experience at Verdura Resort and Simon brings a level of knowledge and experience that very few coaches in the game can match.
“What makes his approach particularly valuable is that it is built around the individual. The academy is designed to give guests a deeper understanding of their own game in an environment that combines world-class golf with the wider experience of staying at Verdura Resort.”
Holmes said: “The most enjoyable part of golf is improving. Not just having a good day, but understanding why you played well and being able to repeat it. That comes from building a swing and an approach that genuinely suit the individual.
The details
“There is a huge amount of golf instruction available now, but not every piece of advice applies to every golfer. At the academy, the work is entirely personal. We build a model around how each player moves, what they are trying to achieve and how they can improve their scoring over time and it is exciting to bring this philosophy to Sicily.”
Holmes started at the David Leadbetter’s academy at Lake Nona in Florida before establishing himself as one of the leading coaches in European golf. A promising playing career, which took him from Scotland to Wake Forest University in North Carolina, was ended by injury during the 1986 British Amateur Championship, leading him to move into coaching full time.
Since 2006, Holmes has also been a regular analyst on Sky Sports Golf, known for his technical insight and ability to explain the game to a broad audience.
The Simon Holmes Academy forms part of Verdura Resort’s continued investment in golf and player development. Set across two championship courses on Sicily’s southern coastline, the resort has become one of Europe’s leading golf destinations, combining elite-level facilities with wider hospitality, wellbeing and sporting experiences.
Guests attending the academy will have access to Verdura Resort’s practice facilities, private coastline and the 4,000m² Irene Forte Spa alongside individual coaching programmes tailored to their game.