10 tips for your first golf trip in Italy


By: August 1, 2019


I know that every golf trip can have unintentionally pitfalls. Therefore, I would like to share with you my tips on how to have a meaningful golf trip in Italy, especially if it will be the first one in your life.

I included in my list, Italy4golf’s recommendations as they are an expert in Italian golf tourism.

1. Private transfers

Moving independently on Italian roads is not so simple, especially if you have to cross the traffic of big cities like Milan or Rome.

The possibility of using the van that Italy4golf provide in transfers helps the customer to enjoy the stay completely, from the moment of arrival at the airport until the day of departure.

2. Choice of locations

In Italy, there are so many possibilities of choice in cultural, food and wine, etc.

Orienting yourself in this vast panorama is not easy for those who have never come to our country and therefore are exposed to the possibility of:

  • visit very crowded cultural sites and not fully enjoy their beauty;
  • choose very “tourist” and low-quality food and wine facilities;
  • surprises in costs.

Italy4golf offers selected hotels, restaurants, and extra experiences related to the territory, culture, and sports that ensure tourists a high-level holiday, both for the golfer and for those who only accompany and want to discover a piece of Italy.

golf trip tips for Italy

3. Choose golf courses with care!

In Italy, there are many golf courses distributed in almost all regions. Not all, however, are easily accessible and at reasonable distances from a hotel.

Moreover, not everyone is particularly remarkable that will make you think about it after your golf holiday.

Italy4golf always chooses the ones we think are the most beautiful and best suited to receive a foreign guest for some reasons:

  1. because it is situated in a unique landscape;
  2. because designed by great golf course designers or great players;
  3. because they hosted international level tournaments;
  4. because they have facilities and reception methods perfect for a golfer who sets foot on an Italian golf course for the first time.

4. Services & Organizations

Golf tourists who travel to Italy often complain of poor quality of public service and excessive bureaucracy.

Utilizing golf tour operators can help you a lot, especially for the first golf holiday in Italy, to have greater tranquility and overall quality of the stay.

It will also help you to focus on what is the most important to you playing golf on various golf courses, and other attractive activities without the risk of inconveniences on the spot such as extra costs, misunderstandings, difficulties, and little coordination among local operators.

5. Don’t miss the regionality!

Italy is the country of a hundred cities. You will enjoy the small towns, the ancient villages, the hills planted with vineyards, the villages on the lakes, the mountain paths, the coasts in the Mediterranean, the many islands …

Visiting Italy for a golf trip and not enjoying its beauties is likely to be a golf break a little out of breath and a lost tourist opportunity.

The advice is to plan carefully the golfing holiday or to choose a package that reflects its own interests, landscape, cultural, gastronomic and experiential.

golf triop with rented golf clubs and golf holidays

6. Golf club rental

Although we see the rising popularity of golf club rental services (e.g. Clubstohire.com) in Spain and Portugal, in Italy it can be tricky to risk your golf holiday by assuming the local golf club will be able to provide golf clubs to rent.

To be on the safe side, bring your own golf clubs with you to Italy!

7. Stock up golf balls vs new ones

You will find plenty of golf courses with water hazards. At the same time, I would not ‘waste’ my bag weight limit by bringing golf balls.

I usually buy golf balls locally when I am on golf holidays.

8. Pick 1 region!

Italy is a big country (vs Ireland). It can we very exhausting to be on the road from one golf club to another one.

This is why better to choose a region for your next golf holiday. For instance, around the Lake Garda, around Milano (12 golf clubs), around Rome (11 golf clubs), etc.

Garda Golf and Country Club golf trip idea

9. Play with locals!

It always fascinates me to play with the locals. It will also enrich your golf holiday with additional experiences that you cannot obtain otherwise.

If I were you, I would ask your golf tour operator (e.g. Italy4golf) to help you to arrange such games.

10. Don’t visit in the summer!

If you would like to avoid the terrible heat and the huge crowds in key tourism destination (e.g. Rome, Milano, Florence, Venice, etc.) then I recommend picking a different season or months. Overtourism is a great challenge for Italian cities as well.

Rome attracted 15.2 million overseas tourists and 36.6 million overnight stays in 2018. It was the most popular destination in Italy.

International tourists added €41.3 billion to the Italian economy last year, equivalent to boosting the GDP by 1.5 percent.

This article is brought to you by Italy4golf.