Golf in Italy

[Willie_Dow]

Mr & Mrs, who love golf, are going to Italy this summer.  What are the chances of a game in that beautiful natural terrain ?

[Brian Phillips]

Willie,

Drop me an e-mail and I will put you in contact with two of the most wonderful characters from the EIGCA.  I am sure they will look aftr you and point you in the right direction of superb courses and restaurants.

Brian

[Ulrich Mayring]

I wouldn't mind a few tips either, as I'm going in three weeks

I'll try to get onto Villa d'Este on the way down to Rome, then of course I absolutely have to play Acquasanta, which is the oldest course in Italy. Those two are the highlights.

We'll stay at Le Querce, which is about 30 miles north of Rome and has a Fazio course. I hope to make it to Nettuno, which is to the south of Rome, and the rest is probably going to be churches, paintings and food

Maybe I'll take a look at Olgiata, but since nobody here could tell me anything about architect Charles K. Cotton and seeing that Fazio restyled it anyway, I'm not so sure.

Ulrich

[Bill_McBride]

I'm as crazy about golf as the next GCA whacko, but Italy to me is leisurely lunches, followed by reposo (siesta elsewhere) and passagieto admiring the beautiful Italian women.  Maybe a browse through a museum, definitely a lot of fine meals and copious vino.  

Where does golf fit into that agenda?  

[David_Tepper]

Bill McBride -

Having been fortunate enough to visit Italy 6 times, I would be inclined to agree with you.  If one were to make a list of the  "most rewarding" things to do while visiting Italy, playing golf there would not make to the Top 10 on my list.

DT  

[Ulrich Mayring]

In Italy all the cultural attractions are crowded, you have to wait for hours to get anything done. If you want to relax and enjoy a quiet and peaceful time in some great natural surroundings, your best bet is to get onto a golf course.

In the rest of the world it's vice versa - crowded golf courses, quiet museums.

In the evening you *will* feel the difference between a day in Florence, visiting the Uffici galleries, and a day spent on the Ugolino golf course, 10 miles away.

Ulrich

[Willie_Dow]

Many thanks for this info !  I have not been back to Italy since the navy days, but I remember the beauty of the landscapes and think there is a natural fitness for golf courses in that country.

The US Amateur champion must think so too !

[RJ_Daley]

Willie, my people come from the south around Naples and
Amalfi coast.  I brought up the subject of golf and who plays golf around there, and they just shrug as if I was asking if anyone had been to the moon.  

There is very interesting land there along the coast south of Salerno, but not a golf culture at all.

[Craig_Rokke]

Superb restaurants are a lot easier to find than courses. I spent 12 days there on the honeymoon and didn't see a single course, despite quite a bit of driving. Enjoy your trip, W Dow!

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Willie, If you are there in mid-summer you may well find it simply too hot for golf.  I was there last July and the temperature in Umbria was 40-42 degrees C by day.  There are other things to do by night!

[Gary Slatter]

Golf is a great experience in Italy.  Ville d'Este GC (I think it's got a different name) above Lake Como is really fun with some terriffic par threes.  It's the only course my wife ever said she was comfortable wearing her pearls as we played. Punta Alla is good, Olgiata also, in fact you can't go wrong, and get there in time for lunch.

[Andrew Mitchell]

Golf is a great experience in Italy.  Ville d'Este GC (I think it's got a different name) above Lake Como is really fun with some terriffic par threes.  It's the only course my wife ever said she was comfortable wearing her pearls as we played. Punta Alla is good, Olgiata also, in fact you can't go wrong, and get there in time for lunch.

Going to Venice & Lake Como late April.  My wife might be taking her pearls but I don't think she envisages me taking my clubs

[Bill_McBride]

Golf is a great experience in Italy.  Ville d'Este GC (I think it's got a different name) above Lake Como is really fun with some terriffic par threes.  It's the only course my wife ever said she was comfortable wearing her pearls as we played. Punta Alla is good, Olgiata also, in fact you can't go wrong, and get there in time for lunch.

Going to Venice & Lake Como late April.  My wife might be taking her pearls but I don't think she envisages me taking my clubs

Andrew, I'll talk to you about this in Scotland, but briefly, one of the most romantic things my wife and I have done in years was riding the vaporetto from the Grand Canal out to the Lido and back late at night.  The lagoon is pitch black dark, and then the Santa Maria della Salute and other buildings appear to be floating on the water.  Very nice hour excursion.  Venice is truly unique.

[Ulrich Mayring]

There's also a quite traditional Golf course on the Lido.

*duck and run*

Ulrich

[John Chilver-Stainer]

Italy has  241 golf courses, of which 175 were built in the last 20 years.
Quite a few by “big name” designers like Trent Jones, Niklaus and Player.

The golf course culture can be a “patrician” affair in Italy, with some pretty luxurious club houses - so dress well and expect your shoes to be grabbed as you finish and be instantly cleaned by a waiting “pleb”.

There are a lot of golf courses around the Lakes in Northern Italy. These cater for the rich Milanese and Torinese. I haven’t played many but Costaconcurbia (RTJ Senior) and Stresa are good ones.

Of the more traditional courses I've played, San Remo and Courmayeur (Henry Cotton) are worth a visit.

[cary lichtenstein]

I'm as crazy about golf as the next GCA whacko

Bill:

Finally, a confession

Cary

[Bill_McBride]

I'm as crazy about golf as the next GCA whacko

Bill:

Finally, a confession

Cary

Unfair, out of context!