Marina Velka Golf Club

The course has nine holes, with a par of 35 when the pars of the individual holes are added up: two par 5s, four par 4s and three par 3s. The first course was created in the late 1960s to a design by Rodolfo Russo and was a nine-hole layout made up entirely of par 3s with double tees. In the 1980s the Italian champion Ugo Grappasonni modified the layout and designed the present configuration.

The club's website describes the holes one by one. The 1st is a dogleg par 4 with a raised green protected by three large bunkers; the 3rd, a “delicate and technical” par 5, is lined on the right by a long ditch that then crosses the hole to the green, with a big tree interfering with the third shot about a hundred metres from the flag. On the 5th a lake reaches right up to the green, while out of bounds runs down the left. The 7th, a long par 3 with a small green, has to contend with a wind that is often against.

The 8th is a dogleg par 5 with out of bounds on both sides and two big bunkers about 30 metres from the green; the 9th, a short par 4, calls for a very precise shot towards a gap between the tall eucalyptus trees.

The course lies on a hill in the Pian di Spille residential area, close to the sea, the valley of the Marta river and the border with Tuscany. From the course you can see the towers and medieval walls of Tarquinia, and one of the holes was built close to ancient Etruscan tombs. Among holm oaks, pines and eucalyptus trees, thanks to the proximity of the Tarquinia Salt Pans and the Orbetello lagoon, you can spot the northern bald ibis, the hoopoe, the black-winged stilt and swans.

In the summer of 2020 management passed to a new company and the club changed its name to Marina Velka Golf Club: Velka recalls the Etruscan maiden. The new management has strengthened teaching with the Marina Velka Golf Academy, which offers courses for the youngest players and for teenagers, either traditional or with Discovergolf equipment. In 2020 the new management also announced an expansion of the pro shop and bar.

The club's website publishes no green fees, opening hours, closing day or handicap requirements, so to play as a guest it is best to contact the club directly through the form on its website and ask for up-to-date rates and availability. The course is linked by motorway to Rome and Fiumicino airport and is close to the port of Civitavecchia and the city of Viterbo.