Golf Club Grado

The course, designed in the 1990s by the architect Marco Croze, is an 18-hole, par 72 layout of more than 6,000 metres that the club describes as a route “between land and lagoon”. The landscape is that of the Grado lagoon, and the operator regards it as one of the most beautiful courses in Italy, suited to professionals and beginners alike.

Its holes have hosted important tournaments, including the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Open and the Doubles Championships of the PGA Senior Italia, and players from all over the world have taken turns on its fairways, rough and greens. A general map of the course, with one for each individual hole, can be downloaded from the website.

The club belongs to Alpe Adria Golf, the association that brings together twenty courses across Austria, Italy and Slovenia, and is run by Club del Sole, the same company that operates the Tenuta Primero Grado Family Resort.

The club's published price list, which does not state the year, sets 80 euros for 18 holes and 50 for nine. There are reduced rates for guests of Tenuta Primero (55 and 40 euros), for under-18s (35 and 25), a senior Monday (50 euros), a ladies' Tuesday (45) and for partner hotels (70). A package of ten 18-hole green fees costs 720 euros.

A golf cart can be hired for 45 euros for 18 holes and 30 for nine; an electric trolley costs 20 euros and a manual one 7. Play is by reservation only: the club is open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 4 pm and on Saturday and Sunday from 9 am to 5 pm. The rules require suitable golf attire and forbid practising on the course or using driving range balls out on it. Anyone who has never played must first complete the lessons the instructor considers necessary: the course is reserved for those who can play independently.

For practice there are a driving range with 12 bays, a chipping green and a putting green; a basket of 25 balls costs 2 euros and entry to the practice area for non-members 10. The golf school guides beginners, and the shop sells clothing, shoes and accessories. The facilities include changing rooms with showers and, for resort guests, a bag storage room.

The club also has a restaurant serving traditional dishes reworked in a modern key and a clubhouse where you can stop after a round or for an aperitif. Guests staying at Tenuta Primero, the resort by the sea at Grado, can choose rates that include use of the course when booking.