Circolo del Golf Ugolino Firenze

The layout was designed by an Englishman and an Irishman, Cecil Blandford and Peter Gannon, who made use of the natural slopes of Chianti among vines, olive trees, maritime pines and broom. The club describes it as a course that is not long but technical: the greens are small and well defended by bunkers, and the sloping fairways are unforgiving. The 18 holes, par 72, loop around the club house.

The balance of pars is unusual: four par 5s, four par 3s and ten par 4s. Among the holes to remember is the 9th, the par 5 of about 450 metres that closed the round at the time of the 1983 Open, when it was the 18th. The 5th is a long par 4 with a blind shot towards the green and a fairway that falls from left to right; the 11th has its green protected by four bunkers; the 15th, a short par 3, has a steeply sloping green. In Fifty Places to Play Golf Before You Die, Chris Santella included it among the fifty places to play.

The 2026 price list shows 130 euros for 18 holes (60 for juniors) and 80 euros for 9 holes (40 for juniors). Golf carts cost 50 euros for 18 holes and 30 for nine, the electric trolley 20 euros, the manual one 10, and a rental set of clubs 30 euros. The practice ground costs 15 euros.

The club's website gives no minimum handicap, closing day or access rules for guests: it is best to contact the office (055 230 1009, [email protected]) before booking. The club also has agreements with nearby accommodation, between Greve in Chianti, Bagno a Ripoli and Impruneta.

Golf arrived in Italy in 1889 with Florence's British community, which built 18 holes on land belonging to Princess Demidoff, north of the city. In 1934 the new course was born on the edge of Chianti: Ugolino took up the legacy of the Florence Golf Club.

The club house is an example of Futurist and art deco architecture from the 1930s, the work of Ghirardo Bosio, and is a listed building protected by the Soprintendenza. On the hill, surrounded by cypresses and pines, it has a large panoramic terrace; from the second floor you can see the 18th green. The swimming pool, 25 x 12.5 metres, with a diving board and platform designed by the engineer Pier Luigi Nervi, is also listed.

The club has hosted numerous international events, above all the 40th Italian Open in 1983, with Greg Norman, Sam Torrance and Costantino Rocca in the field. In 2009 CONI awarded it the Gold Medal for sporting merit, and three of the eleven members of the Italian Golf Hall of Fame are members: Baldovino and Federica Dassù and Franco Rosi. There are also a practice ground (15 open bays and 7 covered), a gym, tennis, a restaurant and a pro shop.

• The 1983 chip-in. Ballesteros, two weeks after winning the Masters, holed his second shot from the edge of the green to force a play-off, later won by Langer.
• A pool by a master. The diving board and platform bear the signature of Pier Luigi Nervi.
• A ring of holes. All 18 holes loop around the club house.
• Among the fifty. Chris Santella cites it in Fifty Places to Play Golf Before You Die.