Gästemagazin 2012 - Kulm Hotel St. Moritz

SportThe golfing arenaYou’re about to begin. Take up your club and aim at the little white ball. Perhaps this is the first time in yourlife, but you can rest assured you are in safe hands under the expert guidance of a golfing professional whowill teach guests the basics and get to grips with their individual strengths and weaknesses. “Hopefullypeople will enjoy themselves with me,” smiles Costantino Rocca. He has been lucky enough to have beenable to make the game his profession. If asked what he does when he puts away his clubs, he says enthusiastically:“I get out there and play golf again. If I go on a week’s skiing holiday I find I’m already missing thegolf course.” This is how Rocca came to be founding a golf club in Apulia two years ago and why he spendshis free time designing new courses – a man who likes his busman’s holidays! “Golf helps me to keep myhead clear of problems.”The Costantino Rocca Golf Clinic was held for the first time in July 2011 on the oldest golf course in theAlps – probably even the first on the continent –, the Kulm Hotel course, which dates back to 1891. Even ifit is “only” a 9-hole par 27 course, it has no need to fear comparison. “A small course is excellent for practisingthe short game.” This is where precision counts – you are playing on the mountainside, which requiresgood technique. When he is not undergoing tough training for tournament play, Rocca values the small, familiarthings in life. “I find these courses, where the emphasis is on enjoying the experience, to be even nicerplaces to play,” says the north Italian golfer. But when it has to be an 18-hole course, there are several nearby,in St. Moritz, Samedan and Zuoz-Madulain. “Also, you are playing in a majestic amphitheatre here!” Roccagestures in delight towards the mountains. The Engadine calms him, gives him freedom, he adds.Establishing golf in the EngadineDuring the first Golf Clinic at the Kulm Hotel, the Kulm Golf St. Moritz club also celebrated an anniversary– it was ten years ago, in 2001, that St. Moritz golf architect Mario Verdieri, together with the Kulm Hotel,redesigned the historic greens, adapting them to suit modern-day requirements. This was soon followedon 18 July by the first St. Moritz Open in Samedan. This VIP tournament is set to become a tradition, andRocca is delighted: “It gives the place even more international connections. The reputation of this wonderfulvalley has to be spread throughout the world.” But he admits with a hint of embarrassment that his mainattention is already back on the British Open, where he will be participating the following day.Which tournament was the best for him? He smiles. “Every tournament is unique. I’ve had many happy andsad moments.” His victory at the PGA European Tour in Wentworth in 1996 was certainly a great experience.But: “You never forget the very first tournament that you win.” It opened up doors to him, and in thesame way Costantino Rocca hopes that the Golf Clinic here at the Kulm Hotel will enable him to help gueststo open up a new chapter in the golfing history.Further information on future tournaments and events can be found at www.kulmhotel-stmoritz.chIt was the late 19th century when the British first took up their golf clubs in St. Moritz,and since then the sport has become well-established in the Upper Engadine.Last summer the first Costantino Rocca Golf Clinic took place at the Kulm Hotel.40 Kronenhof Kulm Magazin