Il Pelagone Hotel & Golf Resort Toscana

The resort has its own course: Golf Club Toscana, an 18-hole, par 71 championship course designed by Keith Preston and opened in 1999. In 2003 it was voted among the ten best new golf courses, and it has hosted the Nick Faldo Series Italy Championship. From the apartments you walk to the first tee.

It is not a long course: 5,542 metres from the yellow tees and 4,804 from the red. But there is water in play on many holes, greens with several slopes that are hard to read, rough and out-of-bounds areas. There are four par 5s, the longest being the 9th at 496 metres; the 18th, with its view of Elba, measures 449. There are six tees, three for men and three for women, with two beginner tees recommended up to handicap 36; the Course Rating from the white tees is 71.4 with a Slope of 131. The course is playable all year.

For practice there is the driving range with Toptracer: 7 covered bays with eight screens (one for left-handers) and 24 grass tees over about 300 metres, two putting greens, a chipping and pitching green and a practice bunker. It is open daily and to outside players too. The Golf Academy is led by Chris Galbraith, PGA Professional, with lessons in German and English, the Carta Verde course and summer camps for children. Tee times are booked online.

Here you sleep not in hotel rooms but in 123 apartments, all with air conditioning, a safe, satellite TV, a shower bathroom and a balcony or garden. They are split between two areas: the Villaggio, with paths among oleanders, pines and cypresses, and the Borgo, of modern construction. Studios, two-room and three-room apartments come as Standard, Standard Plus and Deluxe; the three new Deluxe units, freshly renovated, measure 38, 50 and 60 m² and sleep up to 2, 4 and 6.

The resort stands in a park of about 100 hectares of pines, cypresses and olive trees. Dogs are allowed. Children have the Pinocchio Park with slides and swings, a dedicated pool, table tennis and table football; adults have two synthetic-grass tennis courts with a ball machine, a gym and e-bike hire.

The two pools in the park, 25 × 12.5 metres and 20 × 9.5 metres, cover 1,850 m² in all and were renovated in 2022; loungers, parasols and towels are included in the stay.

The private beach is 18 kilometres away on the Gulf of Follonica, with loungers, parasols and a pine wood reaching almost to the water; depending on the season the shuttle is free for guests. For wellbeing there is the Toscanella Ayurveda Wellness Centre, with classic massages and Ayurvedic treatments, open daily on request.

The Le Cerretelle restaurant serves Tuscan and Italian cooking, with starters, pasta, pizzas, meat and fish and a selection of Tuscan wines, and is open every day. By the pool, in the shade of the pines, the Pool Bar serves light Mediterranean dishes by day and an à la carte menu in the evening.

The address is Località Il Pelagone 28, in Gavorrano, on the SS1 Aurelia between Grosseto and Follonica, at the Bagno di Gavorrano exit. According to the resort, Pisa airport is 120 km (about 1 hour 30) away, Florence 175 km (about 2 hours) and Rome 210 km (about 2 hours 20); Follonica station is 13 km (about 15 minutes) and Grosseto 35 km (about 30 minutes). The resort arranges private transfers on request; parking is free and there is an 11 kW Porsche charging point.

• A 94-metre hole. The 11th is a par 3 of 94 metres from the yellow tee and 68 from the red, the shortest on the course, while the par-5 9th, at 496 metres, has stroke index 1.
• The only Toptracer range in Tuscany. So says the resort: each covered bay has a screen that follows the ball and shows speed, launch angle, apex and carry.
• Courses from around the world on screen. With Toptracer you can play virtual courses and challenge other golfers.
• One week, three courses. The package with Chris Galbraith includes unlimited golf at Golf Club Toscana and one round each at Argentario Golf Club and Golf Club Punta Ala.
• Tennis, golf and cycling in one package. The autumn family package gives four experiences: tennis, golf, a bike tour and a dinner.