Terme di Saturnia Golf Club

The design is signed by Ronald Fream, a Californian architect of the Golf Plan studio. The course extends over 70 hectares of naturally undulating land, in the Follonata area of Manciano. There are 18 holes, par 72, divided into two nines of par 36.

The club describes the layout with a few elements: lakes, streams, large bunkers sculpted into the fairways, undulating greens and wide landing areas where what counts is choosing the right club with head and precision. Water is also a resource here: the drainage system is linked to the lakes, which collect rainwater for reuse, and the grass varieties chosen allow, according to the resort, a saving of about 30% of water.

The scorecard has six tees. From the white tees the course measures 6,289 metres, from the yellow 5,864, from the red 4,873; the shorter green and orange tees are reserved for under-12s, seniors and unrated players. The club gives a maximum length of 6,316 metres.

The club has a secretary's office and a welcome desk in the clubhouse, inside the resort, and publishes a list of rates and memberships in PDF format: prices, hours and conditions should therefore be requested from the secretary's office (+39 0564 600844) before booking a tee time.

Guests staying at the resort have a dedicated offer, the Golf Inclusive: at least two nights with breakfast, one 18-hole green fee per day for each player, a 50% discount on the second guest's green fee and use of the practice ground. Club members, in turn, enter the thermal park free of charge.

The practice ground has 43 bays: besides the outdoor positions there are nine covered bays with mirrors for checking the swing, and in winter some are heated. The area is completed by a putting green, a pitching green and a practice bunker.

The school is run by teachers qualified by the PGA federation school, which also organises Golf Clinics. The resort also offers a Swing & Spa programme that combines lessons with treatments using the thermal waters.

In the middle of the course stands La Stellata, a Tuscan trattoria housed in a historic farmhouse with a panoramic view: convenient for a stop halfway round or for lunch after the last hole.

• Grass tended with thermal water. Every week the greenkeepers treat the turf with pure thermal water: the sulphur prevents fungal diseases, with no insecticides or pesticides.
• Recycled rain. The course drainage is linked to the lakes, which collect rainwater for reuse.
• Environmentally certified. The course obtained GEO certification in 2014 and, in the same year, a Federgolf “Impegnati nel Verde” (Committed to Green) recognition for its landscape.
• A trattoria on the course. La Stellata occupies a historic farmhouse overlooking the holes.