Italy was never the obvious golf destination. Then the 2023 Ryder Cup came to Marco Simone outside Rome, the first time the matches had ever been played in Italy, and a lot of golfers suddenly noticed what was already there: Robert Trent Jones fairways above the Costa Smeralda, a Tom Weiskopf layout among Brunello vines, a 1920s parkland course in the chestnut woods behind Lake Como. Here are ten luxury hotels, one per region, where the golf is real. For each I checked the course, the designer, on site or partner status, and how guests get a tee time.
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Quick answer: the best golf resorts in Italy
- Best overall golf resort: Verdura Resort, Sicily (45 holes by Kyle Phillips, on site)
- Most exclusive round: Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco, Tuscany (private Tom Weiskopf course for members and hotel guests)
- Best for a big golf week: QC Termegarda (former Palazzo Arzaga), Lake Garda, with 27 holes
- Most glamorous: Villa d’Este, Lake Como, with its own historic golf club
- Best for Ryder Cup pilgrims: Rome Cavalieri, with stay and play packages at Marco Simone
Check prices and availability
Spring and autumn are peak golf seasons in Italy. Compare rates before you fix your dates.
The 10 best golf resorts in Italy
1. Verdura Resort, Sciacca (Sicily)
Verdura is Italy’s most complete golf resort. It sits on the southwest coast of Sicily, about 20 minutes from Sciacca and roughly 80 to 100 minutes by car from Palermo airport, and it has 45 holes designed by Kyle Phillips: the East and West 18-hole courses plus a nine-hole par 3. Everything is on site: no transfers and no begging for tee times at a members’ club.
Read our full review: Verdura Resort review
Off the course you have around two kilometres of private coastline and the Irene Forte Spa with its thalassotherapy pools. Verdura is seasonal and closes in winter, usually reopening in March.
Best for: golfers who want to play every day without ever getting into a car.
More options on the island: Golf hotels in Sicily, and the course detail in our guide to golf in Sicily at Verdura and Il Picciolo.
2. Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco, Montalcino (Tuscany)
This is the round most golfers in Italy cannot get. The Club at Castiglion del Bosco is a private 18-hole, par 72 course by Tom Weiskopf, laid out across the Brunello estate in the Val d’Orcia, and it is open only to members and to guests of the Rosewood. The hotel’s golf package includes one round per night, a buggy and rental clubs. Tee times must be booked ahead and a handicap certificate is required.
Read our full review: Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco review
The estate has suites in the medieval borgo and private villas with heated pools, a spa, the casual Osteria La Canonica and the fine dining restaurant Campo del Drago. The hotel is seasonal, reopening in spring and closing in early January.
Best for: serious golfers who also care about wine.
Check rates at Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco
More in the region: Golf hotels in Tuscany and our course guide to golf in Tuscany.
3. QC Termegarda, former Palazzo Arzaga, Calvagese della Riviera (Lake Garda)
The fifteenth century Palazzo Arzaga in the hills behind the southwest shore of Lake Garda now operates under the QC Terme brand, with 78 rooms and suites and direct access to Arzaga Golf Club. The club has 27 holes: an 18-hole championship course by Jack Nicklaus II and a nine-hole course by Gary Player.
Read our full review: QC Termegarda review
The wellness side is what QC is known for: thermal pools, hydrotherapy circuits, saunas and steam rooms. Verona airport is around 45 minutes away. Ask whether green fees are included in your rate.
Best for: a long golf week with spa days in between.
More on the lake: Golf hotels on Lake Garda and the best golf courses on Lake Garda.
4. Villa d’Este, Cernobbio (Lake Como)
Villa d’Este has its own golf club. Circolo Golf Villa d’Este lies about 12 kilometres from the hotel near Montorfano, an 18-hole, par 69 course designed by Peter Gannon in 1926 and set in woodland at around 400 metres. It is short but tight, and rewards accuracy over length. The hotel sells a stay and play package; ask the concierge to arrange tee times and transport.
Back at the villa there is the floating pool on the lake, an indoor pool, the spa and eight tennis courts. The 2026 season runs from spring until 7 January 2027.
Best for: a classic, elegant lake holiday where golf is one pleasure among several.
Read our full Villa d’Este review, then compare golf hotels on Lake Como and the golf courses around the lake.
5. Hotel Cala di Volpe, Porto Cervo (Sardinia)
Pevero Golf Club, opened in 1972, is Robert Trent Jones Sr. at his most scenic: 18 holes, par 72, routed through granite and scrub between the bays of Pevero and Cala di Volpe. The Costa Smeralda presents Pevero as part of the Cala di Volpe experience, but it is an independent club with its own green fees. Ask the hotel whether guests get preferential tee times or rates.
Read our full review: Hotel Cala di Volpe review
The hotel, styled like a fishing village on the water, has tennis and padel courts. It is seasonal: in 2026 it reopened on 16 April, and it closes in winter.
Best for: a summer of beach, boats and one spectacular round.
Check rates at Hotel Cala di Volpe
6. Borgo Egnazia, Savelletri di Fasano (Puglia)
Borgo Egnazia, the resort that hosted the G7 summit in 2024, sits next to San Domenico Golf, an 18-hole, par 72 course of more than 6,300 metres designed by Andy Haggar. It is an open, links-style layout among olive trees with sea views from most holes, and it hosted the Challenge Tour Grand Final eight years running. San Domenico’s website carries the Borgo Egnazia name, and the resort lists it as its golf course, but ask about guest rates and buggy hire when booking.
Read our full review: Borgo Egnazia review
The resort has the Vair Spa, a beach club and several restaurants, and makes a good base for Ostuni and the Valle d’Itria.
Best for: families or couples where only one partner plays.
Planning the wider region? Our Puglia guide covers the towns worth a day off the course.
7. Rome Cavalieri, Rome (Lazio)
Rome Cavalieri was the official team hotel of the 2023 Ryder Cup and has a partnership with Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, the 2023 Ryder Cup venue, in Guidonia about 17 kilometres from central Rome. European Golf Design rebuilt the course between 2018 and 2020; it plays to par 72. Marco Simone sells a stay and play package with three nights at the Cavalieri, two rounds and golf transfers, priced from around 1,390 euros per golfer sharing a double room; check current inclusions directly.
Read our full review: Rome Cavalieri review
The hotel stands in its own park on Monte Mario with outdoor pools, a spa and La Pergola, its celebrated rooftop restaurant.
Best for: golfers who want the Ryder Cup course and the Colosseum in the same trip.
8. Hotel Excelsior Venice Lido Resort, Lido di Venezia (Veneto)
Circolo Golf Venezia was founded in 1928 at Alberoni on the southern tip of the Lido, extended from nine to 18 holes in 1951, and plays as a par 72 among pines and dunes. The Excelsior lists it as its golf course, about 20 minutes away by car, taxi or water taxi, and guest relations will arrange tee times, transfers and rental clubs.
Read our full review: Hotel Excelsior Venice Lido review
The hotel is the 1908 Moorish-style beach palace, with a long private beach, an outdoor pool and tennis courts. It is seasonal and closes in winter.
Best for: combining Venice sightseeing with a quiet morning round.
Check rates at Hotel Excelsior Venice Lido Resort
9. Grand Hotel des Iles Borromées, Stresa (Lake Maggiore, Piedmont)
Piedmont’s best golf stay is on Lake Maggiore. Golf des Iles Borromées is an 18-hole, par 72 course at Brovello-Carpugnino in the hills above Stresa, with views over the lake towards the Alps. The Grand Hotel des Iles Borromées, the Belle Époque palace on the Stresa waterfront, is the classic base. The course is a separate club, so ask the concierge to book tee times and a car, and check visitor handicap limits.
Read our full review: Grand Hotel des Iles Borromées review
The hotel has a spa and gardens facing the Borromean Islands, a short boat ride away. Ask the hotel about winter opening.
Best for: a slower lake holiday with a mountain view round.
Check rates at Grand Hotel des Iles Borromées
10. Castello di Spessa, Capriva del Friuli (Friuli Venezia Giulia)
At Castello di Spessa the 18-hole course was designed by Giacomo Cabrini in 2005 and sits among vines and olive groves in the Collio hills, a few kilometres from Gorizia, with a 20-bay driving range.
Read our full review: Castello di Spessa review
This is a smaller castle resort, with historic residences and a separate three-star inn, with the Vinum Spa in the former stables, a restaurant and cellar tours of the estate’s Collio wines.
Best for: wine lovers and golfers who prefer intimacy to grandeur.
Check rates at Castello di Spessa
Check prices and availability
Lake Como and Lake Garda fill up first in May, June and September. Compare rates early.
Italy’s golf resorts compared
| Resort | Region | Holes | On site or partner | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verdura Resort | Sicily | 45 (2 x 18 + 9 par 3) | On site | Daily golf, no transfers |
| Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco | Tuscany | 18 | On site, private | Exclusivity and wine |
| QC Termegarda (Arzaga) | Lake Garda | 27 | Adjoining club | Golf and spa weeks |
| Villa d’Este | Lake Como | 18 | Hotel’s own club, 12 km | Classic lake glamour |
| Hotel Cala di Volpe | Sardinia | 18 | Partner club nearby | Summer and the sea |
| Borgo Egnazia | Puglia | 18 | Adjoining course | Mixed groups, families |
| Rome Cavalieri | Rome | 18 | Partner (Marco Simone) | Ryder Cup course plus city |
| Hotel Excelsior Venice Lido | Veneto | 18 | Partner club, 20 min | Venice plus golf |
| Grand Hotel des Iles Borromées | Lake Maggiore | 18 | Nearby club | Slow lake holiday |
| Castello di Spessa | Friuli | 18 | On site | Golf among vineyards |
When to plan a golf trip to Italy
The best months are April to early June and mid September to the end of October. Courses are green and temperatures are mild. In July and August, play the north, or tee off by 8am in the south. Winter golf is realistic in Rome and in the far south, yet many of the resorts on this list close between November and March, so the season effectively decides itself.
Practical tips: handicaps, buggies, tee times and clubs
- Handicap certificate: Italian clubs routinely ask for proof of an official handicap, and private courses such as Castiglion del Bosco state it as a requirement. Bring your certificate; some clubs set a maximum handicap.
- Buggies: Courses can be hilly and buggy numbers are limited in high season, so request one with your tee time.
- Booking tee times: Book through the concierge as soon as your room is confirmed; members get priority at weekends.
- Club transport: Airlines charge for golf bags as sports equipment, and many resorts rent good sets. If you drive, our Italy travel planner covers car hire and transfers.
- Dress code: collared shirts, tailored shorts or trousers and soft spikes are standard. Denim is not welcome on Italian courses.
Charlotte’s tip: pair one golf hub with one partner course
If you only have a week, base yourself at a resort with golf on site, Verdura or QC Termegarda, and plan one round elsewhere as the highlight. If your partner prefers rackets to clubs, many of these hotels also feature in our guide to luxury hotels with tennis courts in Italy.
A word on the Ryder Cup: the 2023 matches at Marco Simone, held at the end of September, were the first ever played in Italy, and Europe won 16.5 to 11.5. The course is open to visiting golfers.
Want to add a boat day and winery visits to your golf trip? See our guide to Yacht, Wine and Golf in Italy: six regions where you can do all three.
More regional golf guides
Beyond the resorts above, our course guides cover golf in Sardinia, Puglia, the Italian Riviera, Piedmont, Rome, Milan, Venice and the Veneto and South Tyrol and the Dolomites, with visitor rules, handicap limits and hotels near the tees.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Italian golf resort has the most holes?
Verdura Resort in Sicily, with 45 holes by Kyle Phillips: two 18-hole championship courses and a nine-hole par 3, all on site.
Can I play the Ryder Cup course at Marco Simone?
Yes. Marco Simone accepts visiting golfers, and it sells stay and play packages with Rome Cavalieri.
Do I need a handicap certificate to play golf in Italy?
Usually yes. Most clubs ask for proof of an official handicap, and private courses like Castiglion del Bosco require it.
Are Italian golf resorts open in winter?
Several are not. Verdura, Cala di Volpe and the Excelsior on the Lido close for the winter, and Villa d’Este and Castiglion del Bosco close from early January. Rome Cavalieri is open all year. Always check dates with the hotel.
