At Sestriere, in 1936, Henry Cotton won the Italian Open at 2,035 metres. That course, like others in the Alps and Dolomites today, opens only when the snow goes: in return it offers snow still on the peaks in June, and a calendar that the mountain sets by itself.
When the Po Valley tops thirty degrees in July, Italian golfers know what to do: go up. In Italy, the courses that open only in summer, because snow covers their holes in winter, form a small family with a character of its own: nine holes in many cases, altitudes between 1,000 and 2,000 metres, postcard views and seasons of three to four months.
The common thread is altitude: courses above roughly a thousand metres that are open to guests, plus a few Alpine valley-floor courses for comparison. More than one club claims the title of "highest", and in the mountains prices and dates change from one season to the next: confirm them with the club office before you travel.
The highest: Cervino and Sestriere
The Golf Club del Cervino, in Valtournenche, stands at 2,050 metres and presents itself as the highest 18-hole course in Italy: par 69, about 5,300 metres, designed in the early 1950s by Donald Harradine. From the tee you look at the Gran Becca, as the Aostans call the Matterhorn. For 2026 the club states that the course is open every day from 30 May to 13 September, with a green fee of 55 euros in June, 55 in July and September on weekdays (65 at weekends) and 75 in August. The 2026 tournament calendar lists dozens of events.
The Golf Club Sestrieres stands at 2,035 metres: the Piedmont tourist board presents it as the highest course in Europe. It was built in 1932 by Edoardo Agnelli with British architects, and in 1936 Henry Cotton won the Italian Open there with 268 strokes, six clear of Joe Ezar. It has 18 holes, par 65, and plays from June to September. For the price list and closing day, it is best to ask the club office.
Dolomites: Carezza, Alta Badia, Campo Carlo Magno
The Golf Club Carezza stands at 1,680 metres, on the pass, below the Catinaccio. It is called "The Mountain Beast" because in a single round you climb up to 400 metres of elevation change, and it is a nine-hole course where, according to the club, European nobility was already playing around 1905. The club publishes neither a price list nor dates online; it does state a 20% discount for members of the "Golf in Südtirol" clubs and a half-price Super Greenfee on Wednesdays.
The Golf Club Alta Badia, three kilometres above Corvara towards the Campolongo Pass, has a 4th hole (par 5) where the fairway climbs to 1,800 metres, for a total elevation change of just 45 metres; the tourist board counts it among the highest courses in the Alps, and the season runs from June to September or October.
The Campo Carlo Magno, at 1,650 metres above Madonna di Campiglio, was turned into a golf course in 1919 by Fritz Osterreicher on land inherited from the Austrian imperial house. The club declares itself the first in Europe for altitude. In 2026 it opens on 19 June, with rates from 13 June to 13 September: 50 euros (adults, 18 holes, daily green fee) in June and from 24 August, 75 from 13 July to 23 August.
Lombardy and Aosta Valley: Ponte di Legno, Courmayeur, Gressoney
At 1,500 metres, in the Valbione basin, the Golf Club Ponte di Legno has nine holes, par 70 over 5,277 metres; hole 7, a 333-metre par 4 in the pine wood, has a green guarded by two water hazards. In 2026 it reopened on 30 May, and the course record, 63, belongs to Alessandro Lorati (2022).
At Courmayeur, in the Val Ferret, the Golf Club Courmayeur has nine holes where the Dora crosses the course: a 1930s design by Peter Gannon, revised by Henry Cotton. The 2026 rates for 18 holes range from 59 euros (late May to June and mid-September to mid-October) to 99 euros in August.
At Gressoney-Saint-Jean, with a view of the Monte Rosa glacier, the Golf Club Gressoney went from 9 to 12 holes in 2018. The price list, undated, shows a daily entry from 20 euros on weekdays in June and September to 60 euros in August.
Plateaus and South Tyrol: Asiago, Petersberg, Passiria
Asiago is an 18-hole, par 71 course on the Asiago Plateau (Altopiano dei Sette Comuni), redesigned in 1990 by Peter Harradine and named best mountain course in 2015 by the monthly il Mondo del Golf. The 2026 green fee is 70 euros until 14 June and from 14 September, 110 in high season; the club gives the season as late April to late October.
The Golf Club Petersberg, at about 1,250 metres, is the first 18-hole course in South Tyrol, with a 2026 season from 17 April to 1 November and guest green fees from 90 to 96 euros. In the Val Passiria, Passeier.Meran has 18 holes, par 71 over 5,791 metres, and the Andreus Golf & Spa Resort stands on the course; the Quellenhof Luxury Resort Passeier is a founding member of the club, five minutes away by car, and at Fiè allo Sciliar the Romantik Hotel Turm states it is five minutes from Golf St. Vigil Seis, 18 holes at 850 metres.
The comparison in a table
| Course | Altitude | Holes | Stated season | Green fee 18 holes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cervino | 2,050 m | 18, par 69 | 30 May-13 September 2026 | 55-75 euros (2026) |
| Sestriere | 2,035 m | 18, par 65 | June-September | not published |
| Carezza | 1,680 m | 9, par 70 | not published | not published |
| Campo Carlo Magno | 1,650 m | 9, par 70 | from 19 June 2026 | 50-75 euros (2026) |
| Ponte di Legno | 1,500 m | 9, par 70 | from 30 May 2026 | not published |
| Petersberg | about 1,250 m | 18, par 71 | 17 April-1 November 2026 | 90-96 euros (2026) |
| Bormio | 1,225 m | 9 | April-early November | 45-85 euros (2026, FIG cardholders) |
| Asiago | Asiago Plateau | 18, par 71 | late April-late October | 70-110 euros (2026) |
Practical tips
- Short season, packed fixtures: at Cervino the 2026 calendar is full from June to September; book your tee time well in advance.
- Weather at altitude: at Gressoney in 2018, April avalanches and snow into May left hole 6 playable only from late July. June can hold surprises.
- Nine holes: many mountain courses have nine holes; you play twice for 18, and the 9-hole green fee is often better value.
- Check dates and hours: at Courmayeur the tourist board gives the opening until 4 October 2026, the price list until the 11th.
Curiosities
- A river on the course. At Courmayeur the Dora crosses the course and two par 3s play over it.
- A small elevation change at 1,800 metres. At Alta Badia the whole course has only 45 metres of elevation change.
- A bet in 2001. The Rendena, at 738 metres, was born from a bet among enthusiasts.
- The month of May. At Gressoney snow kept one hole closed until July in 2018.
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest golf course in Italy?+
The Golf Club del Cervino, in Valtournenche, presents itself as the highest 18-hole course in Italy, at 2,050 metres. Sestriere is at 2,035 metres and the Piedmont tourist board presents it as the highest in Europe; Campo Carlo Magno (1,650 metres) also declares itself first in Europe for altitude: these are the clubs' own claims.
When can you play golf in the mountains?+
On the highest courses from late May or June to September; lower down, like Petersberg or Asiago, from April to October or November. Dates change every year.
How much does it cost to play in the mountains?+
In 2026, 18 holes cost from 50-55 euros at Cervino and Campo Carlo Magno outside peak periods to 110 euros at Asiago in high season.
How long is a course at 2,000 metres?+
Cervino measures about 5,300 metres with par 69, shorter than average, but the club stresses that the altitude makes it distinctive.
Where to stay near a mountain course?+
In the Val Passiria the Andreus stands on the Passeier.Meran course; at Fiè allo Sciliar the Romantik Hotel Turm states it is five minutes from Golf St. Vigil Seis.
Do mountain courses require a handicap?+
Clubs generally do not state this online: it is best to ask the club office before you travel.
