Il vero Italian si trova nella bocca della Tuscana – The true Italian can be found in the mouth of the Tuscan.

Okay, so maybe this saying is a tad on the deep side, but come on! We’re in Tuscany now! That’s right, Golden Tee will be teeing off in Italy this year, and our Tuscan course Bella Toscana is next up on the GTB.

What better source to chat with about GT 2010’s five new gems than the actual source himself. In a five part series (aka five new courses), I sat down with course designer Jim Zielinski to discuss some of the intriguing factors you can expect to see when playing the update in a matter of weeks.

Here it is, Behind the Designs of Bella Toscana.

AK: Howdy Jim, thanks for joining us once again. Let’s start with not necessarily the course design, but how Bella looks and feels. What did you do to try and capture the Tuscany landscape in Bella Toscana?

JZ: Glad to do it, Adam. We have wanted to design an Italy course for quite a while, even though we designed a vineyard-centric course years back in Whispering Valley. Bella Toscana has a very unique feel to it, and landscape really mirrors what it would be like to play in Tuscany. In terms of the landscape, our artists did an amazing job in capturing the environment and making the course look as beautiful as it does.

AK: In terms of the golf course, what elements did you need to add or alter to go along with the Italian theme? What sort of odds and ends will players notice that separate it in terms of playability from the other four?

JZ: The course itself is fairly open and there aren’t a ton of trees. Some of the shrubbery, however, will be placed in a spot where it can definitely alter how you chose to approach a hole. There are more sand traps and more mud on Bella than any other course in 2010, so that would be something to be aware of especially your first few times through. Other than that, there are also some building structures that can definitely come into play.

AK: Last week you told us that the Great Wall was built for a beginning golfer. How would you rate the difficulty on Bella Toscana?

JZ: The difficulty on Bella will definitely vary depending on the wind and tee boxes for a given round. The par-5s can be tough to eagle, let along reach if given a tough look, and a few of the drivable par-4s will require outstanding shots in certain situations. Holes sixteen through eighteen are certainly no cakewalk either, and they will provide nice challenges even when they have a favorable setup. The true difficulty of the course will vary every single round, and I believe it sets up as a fair challenge for players of all skill levels.

AK: Alright Jim, what hole is your personal favorite and why?

JZ: While I believe holes sixteen through eighteen will lead to some nice finishing fireworks, I would have to chose hole eleven as my personal favorite. It’s not necessarily the flashiest hole in the game, but it does require the player to hit two good shots to set up a birdie. It’s a long par-4 that has both water and mud, and depending on the wind, they can both come into play. For some setups you’ll be able to go over the mud, some you’ll have to lay back to the right, and some you may even chose to go for the narrow landing area. The green is completely surrounded by bunkers, and it requires a long approach shot to the green to get it close.

AK: Thanks a lot, Jim! Can’t wait to play it!