点评:I write reviews on Trip Advisor for one reason only - to help others. So I'm quite honest in my assessment of establishments. I have very mixed feelings about this place. I'll preface this with... We are American. We live someplace else and our expectations may have been too high for this place based on its marketing, imagery, and reviews.
We're staying close at an Agriturismo in Tuscany. We're golfers and we have a country club membership in Minneapolis where we live so on our month-long trip through Italy, golf was on the agenda for us. Castelfifa is a luxury hotel property with a private course. They have multiple restaurants and other operations. Our focus is the golf course.
I'll preface the next paragraph with this... we booked months ago from the United States. I'm emailing in English and giving them my information. They know we are traveling and need to rent clubs. No one ever told us in the multiple communications I had with them that it was a private course and that it's members or hotel guests only. There also were no email instructions about what to do upon arriving.
Upon arriving, we went to check in with excitement at the Pro shop. The two gentlemen working ignored the fact that we were standing there for a good few minutes and then asked if they could help. I let them know we were checking in for our tee time. At this point, he told me with disdain that it was a private course and that we also needed to have a tracked European handicap to play. Again, they had a few months to let me know this. He told me he'd let it pass this time and let us play anyway. They were curt and a bit snobby as if we didn't belong there. The first impression left us quite disappointed.
We got our cart and rented clubs as we're traveling a month - we didn't bring clubs with us. The guy working carts was lazy at best. The rental clubs were also torn-up bags with beat-up clubs. We got 3 balls each for 18 holes on a very challenging course that gobbles up a dozen balls in woods and ponds. He also didn't strap clubs to the cart and when he said we could go a bag flew right off the cart. Needless to say, I had to buy more balls after the first 9 holes.
Now, this is really where my expectations may have been skewed from an American perspective. This place for 18 holes, a cart, and golf clubs was nearly $400. A luxury golf game and is a place that markets itself to be elite. Remember, the gentleman at check-in told me it's a private course and carried himself as it may not be a fit for us. The views on this course I can not argue with this. They are incredible and breathtaking. You simply won't find expansive views like this Tuscany course offers - anywhere. That would be my 5-star portion of the review. But that's it. The course itself was unkept and worn. The fairways were tired and beaten up and the greens were quite honestly terrible. full of holes, divots, shoe imprints, and dead grass. Most of the course was worn out and had dead patches everywhere.
I also realize we are in fall/winter season, however, we belong to a country club and our course is perfectly curated all year with beautiful landscaping and flowers. Visitors don't pay half as much to visit our course as this place and the grounds are superb vs dead and beat up. The staff also would be kind and treat you like a family where we didn't have that experience at Catelfalfi. I've actually played many public golf courses in the U.S. that get traffic all day long and are in better shape than this place.
Upon returning the cart, the new gentleman working in the Pro shop was a ray of light. So nice and full of excitement. Welcomed us again as if the first time. He was kind and pointed out the restaurant by leaving his chair to walk out the door to ensure we know where we were going. What I would expect from a place of this stature and expense.
We stayed for lunch at their lounge establishments. This was excellent. The staff was wonderful, helpful, and efficient. The food was excellent and they encouraged us to stay and enjoy the view. Though this is not the golf club/course, our lunch experience and post-golf experience with the other employee in the Pro shop is what gets this a 3-star rating. I can't penalize everyone and the entire operation for a few disappointing items. But the snobby attitude upon arriving and the condition of the course make me wish I had paid about $200 less than I did.
Note to foreign travelers. It's a private course though you can just book online any old time.. And apparently, you need a European GHIN handicap record to play though no one will ask you for your score upon leaving or even care that you've left the course. Definitely not a repeat for us. Again, my expectations coming from a different country may have just been too high. The views are unbeatable however and the hotel and restaurants are wonderful.
翻译:我在 Trip Advisor 上写评论只是出于一个原因——帮助他人。所以我对机构的评估非常诚实。我对这个地方有很复杂的感觉。我将以...作为序言。我们是美国人。我们住在其他地方,根据其营销、图像和评论,我们对这个地方的期望可能过高。
我们住在托斯卡纳的 Agriturismo 附近。我们是高尔夫球手,在我们居住的明尼阿波利斯拥有乡村俱乐部会员资格,因此在我们为期一个月的意大利之旅中,高尔夫已列入我们的议程。 Castelfifa 是一家拥有私人课程的豪华酒店。他们有多家餐厅和其他业务。我们的重点是高尔夫球场。
我将用这个作为下一段的序言……我们几个月前从美国预订的。我正在用英语发送电子邮件并向他们提供我的信息。他们知道我们正在旅行,需要租用球杆。在我与他们的多次沟通中,没有人告诉我们这是一门私人课程,而且仅限会员或酒店客人。也没有关于到达后做什么的电子邮件说明。
抵达后,我们兴奋地前往专卖店办理入住手续。工作的两位先生忽略了我们在那里站了好几分钟的事实,然后问他们是否可以提供帮助。我让他们知道我们正在检查我们的开球时间。说到这里,他不屑的告诉我,那是私人球场,我们也需要有履带的欧式差点球才能打。同样,他们有几个月的时间让我知道这一点。他告诉我这次他会让它过去,无论如何让我们玩。他们很粗鲁,有点势利,好像我们不属于那里。第一印象让我们很失望。
当我们一个月旅行时,我们得到了我们的手推车和租用的球杆 - 我们没有带球杆。推车的人充其量是懒惰的。租来的球杆也是用破烂的袋子装着破旧的球杆。在一个非常具有挑战性的球场上,我们在 18 个洞中各获得了 3 个球,在树林和池塘中吞噬了十几个球。他也没有将球杆绑在手推车上,当他说我们可以走了时,一个袋子直接从手推车上飞了下来。不用说,在前 9 个洞之后,我不得不购买更多的球。
现在,从美国人的角度来看,这确实是我的期望可能被扭曲的地方。这个 18 洞、一辆手推车和高尔夫球杆的地方要将近 400 美元。一场豪华的高尔夫比赛,是一个将自己推销为精英的地方。请记住,办理登机手续的绅士告诉我这是一门私人课程,并且因为它可能不适合我们而自以为是。关于这门课程的观点我无法反驳。他们令人难以置信,令人叹为观止。您在任何地方都找不到像托斯卡纳课程那样开阔的视野。那将是我的 5 星评论部分。但仅此而已。课程本身没有维护和磨损。球道很破旧,果岭真的很糟糕。到处都是洞、草皮、鞋印和枯草。大部分课程都破旧不堪,到处都是死角。
我也意识到我们正处于秋冬季节,但是,我们属于一个乡村俱乐部,我们的课程全年都经过精心策划,拥有美丽的景观和鲜花。参观我们的课程的游客支付的费用没有这个地方的一半,而且场地非常好,与死气沉沉和殴打相比。工作人员也会很友善,像对待家人一样对待您,而我们在 Catelfalfi 没有这样的经历。我实际上在美国打过很多公共高尔夫球场,这些高尔夫球场整天都很拥挤,而且比这个地方的状况更好。
归还购物车后,在专卖店工作的新绅士眼前一亮。太好了,充满了兴奋。像第一次一样再次欢迎我们。他很友善,并通过离开椅子走出门来指出餐厅,以确保我们知道我们要去哪里。我对这种地位和费用的地方有什么期望。
我们在他们的休息室吃午饭。这太棒了。工作人员很棒,乐于助人且高效。食物很棒,他们鼓励我们留下来欣赏美景。虽然这不是高尔夫俱乐部/球场,但我们的午餐体验以及与专卖店其他员工的打完高尔夫球后的体验使它获得了 3 星评级。我不能因为一些令人失望的项目而惩罚每个人和整个行动。但是到达时的势利态度和课程的条件让我希望我比我少付了大约 200 美元。
外国游客注意事项。这是一门私人课程,但您可以随时在线预订。显然,您需要欧洲 GHIN 差点记录才能参加比赛,但没有人会在离开时询问您的分数,甚至不会关心您是否离开了课程。对我们来说绝对不是重复。同样,来自不同国家的我的期望可能太高了。然而,景色无与伦比,酒店和餐厅都很棒。