Liguria’s courses are old club courses squeezed into valleys and hillsides between the Alps and the sea: compact, tree-lined and full of character. You can play a morning round at Rapallo and be in Portofino for lunch, or tee off among olive groves at Garlenda and spend the afternoon on the beach at Alassio. This guide covers four clubs, their visitor rules and where to stay.
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Quick answer: golf on the Italian Riviera
- Best course overall: Golf Club Garlenda, an 18-hole, par 72 layout of 6,085 metres in the Lerrone valley, the longest of the four courses in this guide.
- Best for a resort stay: Garlenda again, with La Meridiana, a Relais & Châteaux hotel, next to the course.
- Best for high handicappers or a short round: Golf Club Marigola near Lerici, a nine-hole course in the grounds of Villa Marigola.
- Best base: Rapallo or Santa Margherita Ligure for the eastern Riviera, Sanremo or the Alassio area for the west.
- Best months: April to June and September to October. Sanremo closes from 29 September to 9 October 2026 for course maintenance.
This guide extends our guide to the best golf resorts in Italy. If you want to combine the courses with a boat day and wine tastings, see our itinerary for yacht, wine and golf on the Italian Riviera.
Check prices and availability
Sanremo is known for mild winters and has a hillside course above town. Compare hotels early for spring and autumn golf breaks.
The courses: Liguria’s golf clubs one by one
Details were checked on the clubs’ own websites in November 2026 unless we say otherwise.
Golf Club Garlenda
The course: Garlenda lies in the valley of the Lerrone stream, inland from Alassio and Albenga, among old olive groves and pine woods. The club credits the design to two British architects, John Morrison and John Harris, and dates it to 1964 (a golf directory gives 1965). It is an 18-hole, par 72 course of 6,085 metres from the back tees according to the club (another course guide puts it at under 6,000 metres, so check the scorecard), with a course rating of 72.0 and a slope of 133 from the men’s tees. A directory lists 5,216 metres from the red tees.
Character: the club describes hills sloping towards the sea, framed by olive groves and pines. On its hole guides, it singles out the 10th, a short downhill par 4 where a tee shot laid up short of the fairway bunker leaves an approach of 80 to 100 metres.
Visitors: the club is open every day, with the reception staffed from 8am to 6pm. A golf directory states that a handicap certificate from your home club is required, with a limit of 36; the club does not publish its own rule, so check with the club. Carts cost 50 euros for 18 holes and electric trolleys 20 euros on the club’s price list. The club’s published green fees are still labelled 2024 (from 80 to 100 euros on weekdays and 100 to 120 euros on weekends, by season), so ask for 2026 rates. A directory lists an annual closure around late September and early October; confirm the dates.
Getting there: about an hour by car from Genoa airport and roughly 1.5 hours from Nice, via the A10 motorway. From Rapallo, allow about 1.5 hours.
Circolo Golf e Tennis Rapallo
The course: Rapallo’s course was designed in 1929 and opened in 1931. According to the club, the first nine holes were laid out by the engineer Maffei, the second nine were built by the architect Migliorini (our research turned up contradictory dates for this: Italy’s tourism site says the late 1960s, another source says 1970), and Cabell B. Robinson restyled many holes in the 1990s. It is an 18-hole, par 70 course on 45 hectares at the edge of town, with only two par 5s.
Length: our research turned up contradictory figures. The club’s hole-by-hole card adds up to about 5,540 metres from the longest tees and about 4,270 metres from the shortest, but it does not label the tee colours. One golf directory gives 5,625 metres from the men’s yellow tees, and a tour operator gives 5,260 metres. It was not clear to us which applies, so check with the club.
Character and signature holes: the club calls it a technical course rather than a long one, with narrow fairways, tall rough and small, well-bunkered greens. The 7th, a par 5, is the signature hole, with the medieval monastery of Valle Christi behind the green. The 15th is a long par 3 over water.
Visitors: the club is open every day from 7.30am except Tuesday (unless Tuesday is a holiday). The club does not publish its handicap rules for visitors, though golf directories state that a certificate from your home club is required, so carry one and check with the club. A golf cart costs 55 euros for 18 holes. The rate card, which does not state a year, lists green fees for members of foreign federations of 70 euros on weekdays and 115 euros on non-working days, August excluded. Book tee times online through the club’s Chronogolf page, and book ahead for weekends.
Getting there: about 300 metres from the Rapallo exit of the A12 and around 2 km from the station. Genoa airport is roughly 40 minutes by car.
Circolo Golf degli Ulivi, Sanremo
The course: the club takes its name from the olive trees that line its fairways on the hillside above Sanremo. It is an 18-hole, par 69 course of 5,690 yards (about 5,200 metres), with five par 3s and two par 5s. Golf directories credit the design to Peter Gannon, but the club’s own pages do not name him in their text. The opening year is also unclear: one directory gives 1928 in one place and 1932 in another, so we cannot give a single date.
Character and signature holes: the club describes it as one of Italy’s most classic courses. Slopes and sidehill lies matter more than length, and the sea views from the upper holes are the reward. On the card, the 8th, a par 4, is stroke index 1, and the 15th, a par 5, is stroke index 2.
Visitors: a golf directory states that a handicap certificate is required on weekends and holidays, with a limit of 54, and that the course is closed on Tuesdays; the club’s own pages we could load did not confirm either point, so check with the club. The club’s tariff page lists green fees of 65 euros on weekdays and 80 euros on weekends and holidays, and a cart for 18 holes at 50 euros. The course is closed from 29 September to 9 October 2026 for aeration and overseeding.
Getting there: take the Arma di Taggia (Sanremo Est) exit of the A10 and follow the signs. Nice airport is about 50 km away and Genoa airport about 140 km by motorway.
Golf Club Marigola, Lerici
The course: Marigola is a nine-hole course in the grounds of Villa Marigola, above the Venere Azzurra beach on the Gulf of La Spezia. The club was founded in 1987, after the Migliorini family commissioned the architects Franco Marmori and Bellò to extend a small private course into nine holes. It received official World Handicap System approval in February 2026. Directories give conflicting par and length figures, so check with the club.
Character: short and relaxed, with the sea close by. It suits a beginner, an occasional player or a quick nine before dinner in Lerici.
Visitors: the club does not publish handicap rules, so ask. Its 2026 promotions list a day green fee of 35 euros and nine holes for 20 euros, with trolley hire at 5 euros. A golf directory reports no carts, so check with the club if you need one.
Getting there: Lerici is about an hour from Rapallo and roughly an hour from Pisa airport.
Across the border: if you are based in Sanremo, Monte-Carlo Golf Club on Mont Agel above Monaco is an easy add-on for a day.
Comparison table: golf on the Italian Riviera
| Course | Area | Holes/par | Best for | Drive from Rapallo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golf Club Garlenda | Riviera di Ponente, near Alassio | 18, par 72 | The longest test, a golf hotel on site | About 1.5 hours |
| Circolo Golf e Tennis Rapallo | Portofino coast | 18, par 70 | Golf with Portofino and boat days | A few minutes |
| Circolo Golf degli Ulivi | Sanremo, Riviera dei Fiori | 18, par 69 | Sea views, winter golf, Monaco add-on | About 2 hours |
| Golf Club Marigola | Lerici, Gulf of La Spezia | 9 holes, check par with club | Beginners and a short round | About 1 hour |
How to plan a golf trip to Liguria
Best months and weather: April to June brings mild temperatures and long evenings. September and October are warm, but check maintenance closures: Sanremo is closed from 29 September to 9 October 2026, and Garlenda is reported to close around the same time. July and August are hot on the hillside courses and the coast is busy, so play early. Sanremo is generally milder in winter than inland courses, which makes it the natural choice for winter golf.
Transfers with clubs: Genoa airport serves Rapallo and Garlenda, Nice serves Sanremo, and Pisa suits Lerici. Book a car or transfer large enough for golf bags; coastal roads are narrow and hotel parking is often paid. Split the trip into two bases rather than crossing the region on day trips. Our Italy travel planner covers car hire and transfers.
Booking tee times: Rapallo takes bookings through Chronogolf. For the other clubs, email or phone reception, and ask your hotel to help: La Meridiana books tee times at Garlenda for guests. Weekends and holidays are busy with members’ competitions, so aim for weekday rounds.
Handicap certificates: bring a valid certificate or federation card from your home club to every course, even where a directory says it is only needed at weekends.
Dress code: collared shirts and tailored shorts or trousers on the course; no denim. Garlenda publishes its own dress code page, so read it before you go.
Days off the course: on the eastern Riviera, spend a day on the water with our guide to Portofino and the Cinque Terre by boat or explore Portofino, Genoa and San Fruttuoso. Near Garlenda, the Riviera di Ponente produces Pigato and Vermentino, and our guide to Italian wine regions puts them in context. A non-golfing partner who plays tennis will find courts at the Rapallo club itself; see tennis hotels on the Italian Riviera.
Charlotte’s tip: play Rapallo early, never on a Tuesday
Rapallo is closed on Tuesdays unless the day is a holiday, and its weekday green fee drops before 9.30am and in the afternoon. Book an early weekday slot and keep the afternoon for Portofino.
Planning golf elsewhere in Italy? Compare Liguria with the golf courses on Lake Como and golf in Tuscany.
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Grand hotels on the western Riviera often close for part of the winter. Compare Sanremo rates now and check opening dates before you fix your tee times.
Where to stay near Liguria’s golf courses
La Meridiana, Garlenda
A Relais & Châteaux member since 1979, La Meridiana stands next to Golf Club Garlenda, a short walk from the first tee. Reception books tee times, rents buggies and offers guests special green fee rates. Dining is at Il Rosmarino. The hotel did not publish its 2026 seasonal opening dates on the pages we checked, so ask the hotel.
Best for: golfers who want to walk to the course and play it several times.
Excelsior Palace Portofino Coast, Rapallo
A palace hotel on the rocks at the edge of Rapallo, with 119 rooms and suites, a spa with a heated indoor pool and gym, and a beach club with two infinity pools, open from roughly late May to late September. Circolo Golf e Tennis Rapallo is a short drive across town.
Best for: Rapallo golf with a spa and sea views.
Check rates at Excelsior Palace
Grand Hotel Miramare, Santa Margherita Ligure
A seafront grand hotel close to the marina, with a seawater pool open from April to October, a spa and its own beach. Rapallo golf is about ten minutes by car.
Best for: a non-golfing partner who wants the sea and Portofino on the doorstep.
Check rates at Grand Hotel Miramare
Royal Hotel Sanremo
On the seafront since 1872, the Royal sits in a subtropical park a short walk from the casino. Its heated seawater pool, designed by Gio Ponti in 1948, is open from April to October, and there is the Royal Wellness spa. The hotel offers golf packages. Circolo Golf degli Ulivi is on the hill above town, a short drive away. A UK tour operator lists the hotel as open from early February to early November, so check dates directly.
Best for: spring and autumn golf with a classic grand hotel and Monaco within reach.
Check rates at Royal Hotel Sanremo
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the best golf course in Liguria?
For most visitors, Golf Club Garlenda: at 6,085 metres and par 72 it is the longest of the four courses in this guide, and it has a hotel next door.
Do I need a handicap certificate to play golf on the Italian Riviera?
Expect to show one. Golf directories list a certificate as required at Garlenda (limit 36) and Rapallo, and at Sanremo on weekends and holidays (limit 54). The clubs do not publish these rules themselves, so check with each club.
Can I play golf in Liguria in winter?
Yes. The courses open year round apart from maintenance closures, and Sanremo is generally the mildest of the three 18-hole courses.
How many days do I need for golf on the Italian Riviera?
Four to five days covers Rapallo and Garlenda with time for the coast. Add two nights in Sanremo for the third course.
