Best Golf Courses in Italy

Is Italy good for golf?

Italy is famed for its historic, cultural, and environmental richness, attracting millions of tourists to its ancient ruins and rivieras each year. More recently, golf tourism in Italy is on the rise, with the Italian Francesco Molinari’s major victory at the 2018 Open Championship and Italy’s hosting of the 2023 Ryder Cup sparking a rise in international interest. Professional and amateur golfers alike chose to flock to the vineyards, forests, and vast expanses boasted by Italian golf courses. Italy is home to over 300 unique and varied golf courses, the majority of which are placed in the desirable Northern regions of Veneto, Lombardy, and Piedmont, but with courses settled even in southern Sicily.

Is golf expensive in Italy?

For Italian golf courses, players should expect to pay a green fee ranging between 60 Euro and 160 Euro. This fee varies due to a miscellany of factors, including the desirability of the course, the day of the week, and the time of year. The spring months of April to June and the autumn months of September to October prove to be the most popular and therefore expensive times of year to enjoy a round on the thriving Italian planes.

What are the top golf courses in Italy?

Circolo Golf Villa d’Este in Montorfano, Lombardy, is perhaps the most prestigious golf course in Italy. The club resides in the hills near the fashionable Lake Como and is enclosed by a forest exceeding thirty thousand pine, chestnut, and birch trees. The club’s prestige arises from the fact that a sparkling array of royalty and nobility are included in its clientele.

Verdura Golf and Spa Resort, located in Agrigento, Sicily, hosts the largest golf course in Italy. The two 18-hole golf courses are fringed by the Sicilian coast, meaning that players tee off on the seashore with the lapping Mediterranean to their right and the sublime Sicani Mountains to their left. Verdura’s vastness of atmosphere paired with Kyle Phillips’ design has caused it to be considered one of the five best golf resorts in the entirety of Europe.

Circolo del Golf di Roma Acquasanta, nicknamed Holy Water Club, is considered to be the oldest golf course in Italy, having been founded in 1903. The historic course comprises 18 natural holes and is just a stone's throw from Rome; its terrain is even crossed by a Roman aqueduct.