The Mafiaso Golfing Club

Surely the most wonderful Italian destination is the island of Sicily

- Benny Teo

When you say the words, “Golf Legends”, three names will undoubtedly show up - Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player. These guys revolutionised the way in which golf was played and became the first superheroes of the game to appear on a global televised network.

They put golf on the world sporting map. With 34 major titles between them, as the Italians, or more pointedly, Sicilians would put it, the three godfathers of golf dominated the 50s, 60s and 70s, and I was about to meet one of them at his own turf in the heart of Mafia-dom, Sicily.

Situated on the southern tip of the island near the town of Rugusa, Donnafugata is approximately 90 minutes’ drive from Sicily's main airport, Catania, which sits adjacent to the beautiful Mount Etna.

On our arrival at the five-star Donnafugata Golf Resort & Spa sited within the rugged Sicilian countryside and basking in Mediterranean sunshine, we were presented with a feast of local produce and told that, unfortunately, we wouldn't be playing the course as planned until the next day, but that we would be meeting Gary Player in a couple of hours at an evening reception.

The dictionary defines ‘humble’ as ‘showing deferential and massive respect to a fellow human being.’ In his presence, I realised that the word ‘humble’ and its very definition was made for Gary Player.

I shook the great man by the hand like he was my long lost grandfather and introduced myself, and for some reason, I bowed my head as if I was meeting royalty.