Joakim Lagergren, who won the 2018 Sicilian Open at Verdura, said you can see the sea from that course “from almost every hole”. Ten Italian clubs can claim something similar: here is where to play with the water in front of you.
A golf course “by the sea” can mean very different things: a links built on sand, a hole that plunges onto the rocks, a terrace from which you catch a glimpse of the Adriatic beyond the pines. There is no official register of distances from the shore, and therefore no ranking in metres. According to the clubs and their hotels, the ten courses below face the water or stage it along at least part of the layout.
They run from north to south, then the islands. All prices are 18-hole green fees published by the clubs and refer to 2026, unless stated otherwise; price lists change, so it is wise to reconfirm them before booking.
Seaside golf courses in Italy: the selection at a glance
| Course | Sea | Holes | 18-hole green fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Circolo Golf Venezia (Alberoni) | Adriatic and lagoon | 18, par 72 | €95 weekdays, €110 weekends and holidays (2026) |
| Albarella Golf Links (Rosolina) | Adriatic, Po Delta | 18, par 72 | €80–90 (price list undated) |
| San Domenico Golf (Savelletri) | Adriatic | 18, par 72 | €95–150 (2026) |
| Punta Ala (Grosseto) | Tyrrhenian | 18, par 72 | €85–120 (2026) |
| Argentario Golf Club (Porto Ercole) | Orbetello Lagoon, Talamone Bay | 18, par 71 | €120–170 (2026) |
| Marigola (Lerici) | Gulf of Poets | 9, par 28 | €35 for 18 holes (2026) |
| Pevero Golf Club (Porto Cervo) | Costa Smeralda | 18, par 72 | €120–180 (2026) |
| Puntaldia (San Teodoro) | Cinta Beach | 9, par 30 | On request from the club |
| Tanka Golf (Villasimius) | Capo Carbonara | 18, par 70 | €60–100 (2026) |
| Verdura Golf Club (Sciacca) | Mediterranean, private coastline | 36 + 9 | With a stay, see below |
The Adriatic: Venice, Albarella and Apulia
Alberoni, the links inside an Austrian fort
The Circolo Golf Venezia stands on the southern tip of the Lido, on a strip of land between the Adriatic and the lagoon. It was founded in 1928 on the initiative of Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata, who went looking for a site and found 100 hectares around an Austrian fort: today the fort is the clubhouse. The course, designed by C.K. Cotton, hosted the Italian Open in 1955, 1960 and 1974. The 2026 green fee is €95 on weekdays and €110 at weekends and holidays; there is a winter rate of €60, which the 2026 price list makes valid until 31 March 2026 (ask whether it is renewed). The course is closed on Mondays. The Hotel Excelsior on the Lido estimates about 20 minutes by car and books tee times for its guests.
Albarella, a course built with sand from the sea
At the Albarella Golf Links the sea is present twice over. To build the course, designed by John Harris in 1972 in the Po Delta Regional Park, more than two million cubic metres of sand were dredged from the sea: that is why the fairways stay playable even after rain. The club singles out hole 4, a par 5 around a lake with a view of the sea, as “perhaps the most beautiful on the course”, and hole 14 as a par 3 that looks out over the water and depends on the wind. The published price list (€80 in low season, €90 in high season) carries no year: ask the club office for confirmation.
San Domenico, where the mistral decides the strategy
At Savelletri, in Apulia, the San Domenico Golf presents itself as a European Golf Design links whose southern boundary lies “as close to the sea as the coastal road allows”. The club writes that the mistral plays as an ally or an opponent depending on the hole; from the clubhouse you look out over the sea and the ruins of ancient Egnatia. The 2026 price list runs from €95 in low season to €150 in August. It belongs to the same owners as the Masseria San Domenico, which quotes its guests rates from €65 to €105 (2026).
The Tyrrhenian and Tuscany: Punta Ala and Argentario
Punta Ala, the Maremma scrub with the sea in the background
According to the story the club tells about itself, it was Italo Balbo who named Punta Ala, after a beach that recalls the wing of a seagull. The course opened in 1964: 18 holes, par 72, 6,168 metres in a scenic area with sea views, among pines, cork oaks and centuries-old holm oaks, with strawberry-tree bushes serving as hazards. The 2026 green fee runs from €85 to €120; since spring 2026 the club presents itself as a resort with 30 rooms with sea-view terraces.
Argentario, the Orbetello Lagoon and the PGA National
Here the sea is above all a view. The Argentario Golf Club, opened in 2006 at Porto Ercole, has wide fairways among olive groves and cork oak woods and, the club writes, views over the Orbetello Lagoon and Talamone Bay. On 29 June 2025 Adrien Saddier won the 82nd Italian Open here with 266 strokes (-14). The 2026 green fee is €120 in low season and €170 in high season. The course is part of the Argentario Golf & Wellness Resort.
Liguria: the Gulf of Poets
Marigola at Lerici is the smallest course in the selection and the most singular. In 1960 the owners of the Villa Marigola park had a private course of just three holes built; today it is a nine-hole par 28 on Ligurian terraces overlooking the Gulf of Poets and Lerici castle. Hole 2, “The terrace over the Gulf”, plays from an elevated tee with a view of the sea. The 2026 green fee is €35 for 18 holes (€20 for nine); the course is open from Tuesday to Sunday.
Sardinia: Costa Smeralda, Gallura and the South
Pevero, Trent Jones and the James Bond hole
The Pevero Golf Club has been open since 1972 on the Costa Smeralda, between Pevero Bay and Cala di Volpe, on a design by Robert Trent Jones. From hole 4, according to the club, you can see Corsica and the island of Caprera; hole 16 is dedicated to James Bond. The 2026 price list for 18 holes goes from €120 to €180, across four seasons, with a maximum handicap of 54 and a dress code. Among the bay's hotels that send their guests to Pevero is Cala di Volpe, which offers an Unlimited Golf package.
Puntaldia, hole 6 perched above the rocks
At San Teodoro, in Gallura, the Puntaldia course has nine holes laid out in the Mediterranean scrub and played, the club writes, “skimming the sea”. Hole 6 hangs above the rocks, and from the holes the view opens onto Cinta Beach. Adding up the par of each hole gives par 30, with six par 3s. The course is open from April to November. It is the home course of Due Lune, which has it within the resort.
Tanka, the Polynesia of the Mediterranean
At Villasimius the Tanka Golf has 18 holes, par 70, over 5,393 metres, but a slope of 140 from the white tees: a rating that belongs to a demanding course. The 40 hectares of Mediterranean scrub look out over the Capo Carbonara marine protected area. The club is open all year round and the 2026 price list runs from €60 in winter to €100 in August.
Sicily: Verdura, the sea from almost every hole
The last on the list is also the largest. At Sciacca, Kyle Phillips designed 36 holes for Rocco Forte, plus a nine-hole par 3 course, on 570 acres with more than a mile of private coastline. The style is that of a links close to the shore, and at the 5th on the East there is a par 4 beside the sea. The Verdura Resort declares the condition of the courses as of 3 October 2026: East Links open, West Shore open but with the changeover to Bermuda grass under way until spring 2027, Executive closed until the same period. The Golf Inclusive Offer includes two green fees per room per night on the Links or the Shore.
How to choose: three golfer profiles
- To play a true links: Alberoni and Albarella, both on sand, both on the Adriatic.
- For a weekend of sea and golf with a hotel on the course: Verdura, Argentario, Punta Ala and Puntaldia.
- To spend little and still see the water: Marigola (€35), Tanka (from €60) and, in winter, Alberoni (€60).
Frequently asked questions
Which is the golf course closest to the sea in Italy?+
No official source measures the distance from the shore course by course. Alberoni on the Venice Lido and Albarella in the Po Delta are built between sea and lagoon, while Verdura in Sicily declares more than a mile of private coastline.
Which seaside golf courses are open all year round?+
According to their websites, Argentario, Punta Ala, Albarella and Tanka are open twelve months a year. Puntaldia, by contrast, opens from April to November.
How much does it cost to play golf by the sea in Italy?+
In 2026, 18-hole green fees range from €35 at Marigola to €180 at Pevero in high season. Most of the courses in the selection sit between €60 and €150, with lower rates in winter.
Where can you play a true links in Italy?+
Alberoni (Venice) and Albarella (Rosolina) are the two courses the clubs describe as having links character, on sandy ground and with the sea wind always in play.
Is the sea wind a problem for golf?+
It depends on the course: at San Domenico in Savelletri the club says the mistral acts as an ally or an opponent depending on the hole, and at Pevero it names the wind as the real difficulty of the layout.
What time of year is best for playing by the sea?+
Price lists change with the season: at Tanka the green fee goes from €60 in winter to €100 in August, at Pevero from €120 to €180. Always check the club's price list for the exact dates.
