Your Guide to Golf Breaks in Italy

Golf in Italy is on the rise, and the country is a great prospect for a golfing holiday, offering over 270 golf courses throughout the country. Italy has an incredibly diverse landscape and there are many different types of Italian golfing holiday that you can enjoy. If you want to appreciate plenty of culture and history during your holiday, you can choose to base yourself around the bustling capital, the ‘eternal city’ of Rome, or perhaps Milan or Florence.

If you’re after more of a tranquil, scenic break then you can’t beat the breath-taking beauty of Lake Garda and Lake Como, where you can tee off in some of the most spectacular scenery you have ever seen. Alternatively, you can mix a golfing holiday with a relaxing beach break and choose to head to the picturesque islands of Sicily and Sardinia.

Wherever you choose to go in Italy, you are assured of welcoming locals, mouth-watering food and drink and remarkable scenery, all coming together to make the perfect golf break! Have a look at a few of the top golf courses throughout Italy:

Verdura Golf Resort, Sicily

Set against the deep blue Mediterranean Sea and amongst the olive and orange groves, Verdura golf resort is undoubtedly one of the most glamorous golf courses around. Home to two 18-hole championship courses designed by the celebrated golf architect Kyle Phillips, Verdura played host to the Sicilian Open in 2012 and features a double-ended driving range with 80-yard tees.

The course is challenging, with many deep bunkers and winding fairways, and it will serve to inspire beginners and test those players with more experience. There are chipping and putting greens, practice bunkers, and you can even book golfing lessons with PGA Professionals here. Guests can play at Verdura for a green fee of between € 75 and € 130.

Sicily’s warm climate makes this course an excellent year-round choice, and it’s also a wonderful opportunity to explore this enchanting island as you improve your handicap. With plenty of absorbing culture to discover, not to mention gastronomic options that are truly out of this world, a golfing holiday at Verdura is guaranteed to be one you remember for the rest of your life.

Royal Park I Roveri, Piedmont

The 36-hole, 72 par Royal Park I Roveri golf course was built in 1971 by architect Robert Trent Jones and is famous for its widespread and inspired use of water obstacles, landscape art, and plenty of pretty foliage. The Club also offers a driving range with an extensive natural grass area, and 30 separate stations on synthetic turf, six of which are under cover.

Royal Park hosted the Italian Open for the past four years and has been voted as the best course in the country by a leading Italian golfing magazine.

Only 15 km from the historic city of Turin and situated right between the Alps and La Mandria Regional Park, the course is ideal for nature lovers, as there is plenty of beautiful woodland to explore … and mountains to climb, if you are feeling particularly adventurous!

Guests can play at Royal Park for a green fee of between € 90 and € 130.

Golf Club Biella, Magnano Biella

Located in one of the most stunning and peaceful areas of northern Italy, Golf Club Biella features an 18-hole, 73 par course stretching over area than spans 6,427 metres in length. Designed by English architect john Morrison, the course is thought by many to be Italy’s finest, and for ten years in a row it was voted the best golf course in Italy by a national golfing magazine.

If you like to golf against a magnificent and verdant backdrop then this is the course for you; nicknamed ‘Le Betulle’ (Italian for ‘The Birches’), the course is decorated with trees, flowers, steep slopes and water obstacles, making it an especially challenging course.

This course is perfect for anyone who fancies themselves as a golfing expert, and is the ideal location to test out your skills! Guests can play at Biella for a green fee of between € 75 and € 155, and Biella also has an onsite hotel where you can stay, which is open from March to November.

Climate

Italy generally enjoys a warm and pleasant climate with an average temperature of 20 degrees Celsius, although temperatures can often soar to rather uncomfortable heights during the summer months. If you can handle the heat it’s still a good time to go, as you will be assured of bright blue skies almost every day and will be able to take advantage of the fantastic outdoor activities Italy offers its visitors, especially if you are based at a coastal location.

Autumn is usually the best time to golf here; as it begins to get colder and rainier in the UK, temperatures in Italy drop to a milder temperature more suited to an 18-hole game of golf. You are advised to avoid going in spring if possible, as storms are more frequent during this period.

Getting There

Flying to Italy from the UK is relatively easy; plenty of airports fly to Italy and with a mere distance of about 570 miles and an average flight time of two hours, it’s also fairly stress-free. Flight prices range from about £100 – £150 on average, although this depends on when/where you are flying.

London – Rome: The average flight time from London to Rome is about two hours and twenty minutes. Prices average about £100 for a return ticket, but this is considerably less in December and January and often considerably more in the summer months.

London – Milan: Flying to Milan from London takes about one hour 50 minutes. Flights start from about £25 although the average price is over £100. The cost of flights remain relatively consistent over the summer without the usual escalation in price; however, prices soar in October.

London – Palermo: It takes two hours 50 minutes to fly to Palermo in Sicily from London. Prices are usually about £250, although start from £50 in the winter and £100 in the summer. October is the most expensive month. The Verdura Golf Resort is easily located from Palermo airport.

London – Turin: It generally takes about one hour 40 minutes to fly to Turin from London. Prices are on average about £100, although returns start from £34. In August average prices for flights rocket. Both Royal Park I Roveri and Biella Golf Resort are easily located from Turin airport.

Maria Bain is a freelance writer and blogger with a passion for travel. After graduating from university with a degree in English Literature, Maria worked as an editor and copywriter for a number of years before becoming a freelance journalist.