Golf & Country Club Le Pavoniere

The course lies on flat ground, on the outskirts of Prato, and water decides most of the holes. From the championship tees it measures 6,464 metres for a par 72, with a course rating of 74.7 and a slope of 140; from the standard men's tees it drops to 6,030 metres.

The club points to the canals running alongside the fairways as a typical feature of Palmer's design. At the 4th, the hardest hole by stroke index, the canal follows the play from tee to green. The 6th, which the club considers the most scenic, has a fairway on an island and a green defended by water and a large bunker; the 13th repeats the pattern with a narrow strip between two canals. The 5th is the longest par 3, at 200 metres, with a lake lapping at the green.

It closes with the 18th, a right-hand dogleg built around a large lake, which comes back into play right in front of the green's entrance. At the start, meanwhile, the 1st runs along a row of white poplars that punishes a slice.

Tee times are bought directly in the club's online shop or requested from the secretary's office. The 2026 price list distinguishes two seasons: in high season, from April to October, 18 holes cost 110 euros on weekdays and 130 on weekends and holidays; from November to March the price drops to 85 euros on weekdays and 96 on weekends and holidays. Nine holes cost from 45 to 60 euros, juniors under 18 pay from 30 to 48 euros for the full course, and guests of partner hotels get a reduced rate.

The golf cart costs 50 euros for 18 holes for non-members, a pull trolley 6 euros; the driving range 16 euros. The online calendar offers no tee times on Mondays. Soft spikes are compulsory on the course and in the clubhouse.

The clubhouse is a restored 19th-century villa, on one of the estates that belonged to Leopoldo de' Medici. The club grew out of the initiative of a group of players who wanted a course of their own; the 18 holes opened in 1995 and have since hosted national and international events, including the European Challenge Tour Open.

The restaurant, open to members and guests, looks out over the course and serves Tuscan and international cuisine. The driving range has 12 covered bays, with a putting green, a pitching green and a bunker. Unlike many clubs, Le Pavoniere also has an outdoor swimming pool of 20 by 20 metres with a solarium and swimming lessons, a gym, saunas, a massage room, and tennis and five-a-side football pitches. Lessons are given by the pros Andrea Romano and Hu Tianyi.

• Eighteen hundred new trees. The club has planted 1,800 trees of native species and has surrounded water hazards, greens and tees with flowerbeds.
• Twice honoured for the environment. The Italian Golf Federation awarded it the "Impegnati nel Verde" prize in 2021 and again in 2023.
• A pro who came through St Andrews. Andrea Romano was in the national amateur team from 1998 to 2008 and from 2004 to 2008 held a Royal & Ancient scholarship.
• The easiest hole has water on the left. It is the 14th, a par 3 of 178 metres, ranked last by stroke index.