CUS Ferrara Golf Club

The 18 holes wind through Ferrara's Parco Urbano, 40 hectares beside the city's historic walls. The layout is a par 68 of 5,436 metres, flat, with great biodiversity and three lakes that demand precise shots. The club considers it suitable for both experienced players and beginners, and its modest length makes it a course to be played unhurriedly rather than overpowered.

The course took shape in stages. The club was founded in 1988, when Giovanni Trasforini proposed creating a practice ground on unused land next to the university sports facilities. The first nine holes were inaugurated in 1996, with Olympic skier Manuela Di Centa as guest of honour; in 2004 the course reached its current 18-hole configuration.

The club's website publishes neither a hole-by-hole scorecard nor the name of the architect, so we do not give them. What is known is that the club was, by its own account, the first Italian course affiliated with the Italian Golf Federation, and that the Federation helped finance the 1996 extension.

According to the 2026 price list, the 18-hole green fee is 60 euros, the same on weekdays and public holidays. For players from clubs in Emilia-Romagna the agreed rate is 40 euros for 18 holes and 30 for 9. Those who plan to play often can buy five green fees for 180 euros. In competitions, outside players pay 50 euros, affiliated green fee included, while CUS members pay 20.

A golf cart can be hired: for outside players 40 euros for 18 holes and 30 for 9. The practice area costs 10 euros and a token for 32 balls 2 euros; the driving range has 18 bays, 4 of them covered, and the putting green, pitching area and practice bunker can also be used.

The club is open from 8:30 am to 7:30 pm in summer and from 8:30 am to 6 pm in winter, and is closed from 10 to 16 August. Guests can book every day on 0532 708535 or by writing to [email protected]. The website does not state a minimum handicap for playing.

CUS Ferrara Golf is the golf section of the city's University Sports Centre. It has changing rooms, a bar and a restaurant, and hires out both hand and electric trolleys.

The October 2026 competition calendar includes the 1st Challenge Emilia-Romagna Golf Amateur (4 October), the 6th Trofeo Zanussi Master Professional (11th), the 2nd Trofeo C.A.S.A. Mesola (18th) and the XXIII Coppa del Presidente (25th).

The academy has a coaching staff made up of Gaetano Macciocchi, Luca Martufi and Rebecca Bonfigli and offers group lessons at several levels, plus an introductory programme for those just starting. For juniors the 2026 price list includes a starter course at 100 euros (12-13 hours) and a beginners' course at 180-190 euros (24-26 hours), plus membership fees.

• Nine holes, twenty-four players. The first tournament, on 20 May 1989, was a nine-hole Stableford.
• An Olympian at the opening. In 1996 the guest of honour was skier Manuela Di Centa.
• The first affiliated course. The club describes itself as the first Italian course affiliated with the Italian Golf Federation.
• Three lakes in a park. The course spreads across 40 hectares of urban park, beside the walls.