Have you ever traveled to, or dreamt of traveling to Italy? I just returned from a trip to Florence and Rome, and I have to tell you, both cities lived up to the billing.
Most people who travel to Italy probably don’t think of Italy as much of a golf destination.
This should come as no surprise. If you watch golf on TV, how many Italian golfers can you name? Personally, I can only think of two off the top of my head, and one is long since retired.
The fact is though, there are some pretty spectacular golf courses throughout Italy. According to Leading Courses, there are 260 golf courses in Italy.
This should come as no wonder as there is spectacular scenery throughout the country, from north to south and on the two biggest islands of Sicily and Sardinia.
Here is a quick overview of golf in Italy by region.
Northern Italy Golf
Circolo Golf Villa D’Este
The primary regions in Northern Italy are Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna and Veneto. The primary cities include Turin, Milan, Venice, Bologna and Genoa in the Liguria region (Italian Riviera).
The highest concentration of golf clubs may be found in Northern Italy, with over 170 of the 260 courses in Italy.
This comes as no surprise, given the proximity of the region to the rest of Europe.
Based on golf course reviews on Leading Courses, five of the top ten courses in Italy are located in this region.
The best reviewed of these courses is Circolo Golf Villa D’Este located just to the southeast of Lake Como.
Founded in 1926, this is a par 69 with a typical greens fee of about 120 Euros.
Other top golf clubs in the region include…
- Golf Club Biella Le Betulle – Piedmont Region
- Golf Club Castelconturbia – Piedmont Region
- Le Fronde Golf Club – Piedmont Region
- Golf Club Ca’Amata – Veneto Region
Central Italy Golf
Castiglion del Bosco
Central Italy is made up primarily of the regions of Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio and Abruzzo. A total of 60 golf courses may be found in Central Italy, most of which are located in Tuscany.
Tuscany is home to Florence, and given the landscape and wealth in the region, it is not surprising to find many golf courses here.
Tuscany is also home to the highest rated golf course in Italy… Castiglion del Bosco Golf Club.
Castiglion del Bosco is a private club located near Montalcino, almost a two hour drive south of Florence. It was designed by Tom Weiskopf and it does appear that there is opportunity for non-members to play.
Tuscany is home to all of the top 10 rated courses in Central Italy. Here are the rest of the top 5…
- Golf and Country Club Le Pavoniere
- Royal Golf La Bagnaia
- Toscana Resort Castelfalfi
- Golf Club Bellosguarda Vinci
Southern Italy
San Domenico
Southern Italy consists primarily of Campania (Naples), Calabria, Apulia and Basilicata. There are only 13 golf courses in this region, with five in Campania and another five in Apulia.
Three of the golf courses in Campania only have nine holes.
Your best options for golf in Southern Italy appear to be in Apulia. There are five facilities, and one has 36 holes.
The top rated course in Southern Italy is San Domenico, located about halfway between Bari and Brindisi.
San Domenico is an 18 hole championship golf course along the Adriatic Sea designed as a links course. It has been home to the European PGA Challenge Tour Grand Finale.
Sicily
Verdura Resort
Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, but only offers four golf clubs.
The highest rated facility is the Verdura Resort, with 45 holes. This property is located on the southwest coast of Sicily, about 100 km south of Palermo.
The 45 holes consist of two 18 hole championship courses and a nine-hole par 3 course. The facility was a host to the Sicilian Open, a former European Tour event.
Sardinia
Pevero Golf Club
Last, but not least is Sardinia. Another large island in the Mediterranean Sea, Sardinia gets a lot of visitors during the summer months due to its spectacular beaches.
There are ten golf courses on Sardinia and probably the most well known is the Pevero Golf Club located at the northeast corner of the island.
Designed by Robert Trent Jones, the course held the Italian Open in 1978.
Another top course on Sardinia is Is Arenas, located on the west coast to the north of Oristano.
Founded in 1999, Is Arenas is set within a spectacular pine forest near the sand dunes of the west coast, and it is described as being a pretty tight tract, so bring your A game!
There are two clubs located at the southwest corner of the island (Chia Club and Is Molas), a nine hole track near Cagliari, the capital (Cagliari Golf Club) and another resort in Villasimius. Thus, the south end of the island has the most golf courses.
Final Thoughts on Golf in Italy
Most people, even golfers, don’t think of Italy as a golf destination. This is not surprising given the small number of golf courses in Italy (By comparison, there are about 1,900 golf courses in England, serving a slightly smaller population).
However, what could be better than combining a couple rounds of golf with some of the other awesome activities you may want to do in Italy?
To avoid the summer crowds and intense heat from Central Italy and further south, Spring and Fall are probably the best times to consider heading to Italy for a vacation and to play golf.
I’ll be taking a closer look at some of the best golf options in Italy going forward.
If you enjoyed this article and want to stay up to date on the content I produce, be sure to fill out the form below to get the latest golf tips and news sent to your email address.
Thanks for reading!
