A green shaped like Africa, a tee in the middle of a lake, a par 4 that drops sheer onto the rocks: ten Italian courses with a hole worth the journey, and where to sleep to play it.
Every club has its postcard hole, the one that ends up on the website and on social media. Nobody has ever measured the beauty of a par 3, but some holes have an element you recognise at first glance: sea, lake, lava, a monument in the background or an extraordinary change in elevation. Here are ten, often named by the clubs themselves as their emblem.
Italy's most beautiful holes at a glance
| Hole | Course | What makes it special |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Is Molas (Sardinia) | green shaped like Africa |
| 5 and 7 | Il Picciolo (Sicily) | tee in the lava, green beside a lava flow |
| 6 | Puntaldia (Sardinia) | par 4 dropping sheer onto the rocks |
| 4 and 16 | Pevero (Sardinia) | Corsica and Caprera; a tribute to James Bond |
| 10 | Golf des Iles Borromées | Milan and four lakes |
| 7 | Rapallo (Liguria) | Romanesque monastery behind the green |
| 6 | Arzaga (Garda) | green on a peninsula in the lake |
| 4 and 9 | Terme di Galzignano | tee in the middle of the lake, floating green |
| 5 and 18 | Verdura (Sicily) | par 4 beside the sea |
| 7 | Ponte di Legno | pine wood and two water hazards at 1,500 m |
By the sea and on the rocks
Is Molas, hole 14: the green shaped like Africa
At the 14th of the Circolo Golf Is Molas, in southern Sardinia, the green is almost surrounded by water and traces the outline of the African continent. Baldovino Dassù, who won the first Italian Open here (1976) and wrote the hole-by-hole guide on the club's website, advises playing over Cape Town: west of Nigeria you need "the precision of a watchmaker". The Is Molas Resort has 72 rooms, a beach club at Porto Agumu and unlimited golf packages of 3, 5 or 7 nights with free play on the 27 holes (April to October, excluding July and August).
Puntaldia, hole 6: sheer above the sea
The 6th at Golf Club Puntaldia, in San Teodoro, is a par 4 dropping sheer onto the rocks, where, according to the club, wind, elevation change and panorama turn every attempt into a challenge. The course has nine holes with six par 3s. You stay at the Due Lune Puntaldia Resort & Golf: from your room you step straight onto the tee.
Pevero, holes 4 and 16
From the 4th tee at Pevero you can see the snow-capped peaks of Corsica and the island of Caprera. The 16th is a tribute to James Bond: the club links it to 1962, the year the saga debuted and, in its view, the year the Costa Smeralda began.
Verdura, the holes by the sea
On the East Links at Verdura, in Sciacca, the ones people remember are the seaside par 4 at the 5th, the par 3 at the 6th, the par 5 at the 14th, where the course turns back towards the sea, and the 18th, a par 4 running parallel to the coast and very close to it. The Verdura Resort has 203 rooms. As of 3 October 2026, according to the resort, the West Shore is being renovated with Bermuda grass: ask about the state of the courses before booking.
Among lava, monasteries and castles
Il Picciolo, holes 5 and 7: Etna's lava
At the 5th at Picciolo you tee off from tees set into the lava. At the 7th, an uphill par 5 with a double dog-leg to the right, the raised green borders an old Etna lava flow on its left. The course, by Luigi Rota Caremoli, dates from 1989: 18 holes, par 72, 5,870 metres. The resort Il Picciolo Etna Golf Resort & Spa offers its guests, according to the hotel, a green fee of 90 euros instead of 110.
Rapallo, hole 7: the Valle Christi monastery
On the 7th at the Golf di Rapallo, a 416-metre par 5 from the back tees that the club considers its signature hole, the Romanesque monastery of Valle Christi, dating from the thirteenth century, rises behind the green. A water hazard waits about 260 metres from the tee. In town, the Excelsior Palace Hotel points its guests to the club, although it does not currently publish a golf package.
Arzaga, hole 6: the peninsula on the lake
On the nine-hole course by Gary Player at Arzaga, the 6th is a par 3 with the green on a peninsula stretching into the lake; three holes later the 9th, an uphill par 3, leads towards the Palazzo Arzaga. You can stay at the QC Grand Hotel Villa Arzaga.
Golf des Iles Borromées, hole 10: four lakes and Milan
From the tee of the 10th, a par 3, on the clearest days you can see the skyscrapers of Milan and four lakes with the naked eye: Maggiore, Varese, Monate and Comabbio. The Golf des Iles Borromées, by Marco Croze, sits at about 600 metres on the AltoVergante.
On the water and at altitude
Terme di Galzignano, holes 4 and 9
The nine-hole course by Marco Croze in the Euganean Hills has the tee of the 4th hole in the middle of a lake and a green at the 9th that, the club says, seems to float on the water. The Golf Terme di Galzignano is a short course, 2,048 metres, par 31.
Ponte di Legno, hole 7: the most photographed
At 1,500 metres, in the Valbione basin, the 7th at the Golf Club Ponte di Legno is a 333-metre par 4 through the pine wood, with the green protected by two water hazards. The club considers it the most spectacular on the course.
Royal Park, hole 17: the most beautiful in Italy?
On the Allianz Course at Royal Park I Roveri, the 17th was described in 2011 by La Gazzetta dello Sport as "the most beautiful hole in Italy". It is a journalistic judgement, but it explains why visitors to Turin ask to play it.
A view that is not a hole
From the 17th and 18th holes at Rimini Verucchio Golf Club you can see, in the distance, the three towers of San Marino on Monte Titano: the visual signature of the course designed by Brian M. Silva, opened in 1995.
Curiosities
- A hole from Augusta. At the 11th at Garlenda, members talk of "Amen Corner", like the most feared stretch at Augusta: it is a straight, difficult par 4.
- The tee in the lake. At the 4th at Galzignano you tee off from a platform in the middle of the water.
- Snow in August. At Ponte di Legno, at 1,500 metres, the snow lasts even through the summer.
- A monastery as a backdrop. At Rapallo, the Valle Christi monastery dates from the thirteenth century.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most beautiful golf hole in Italy?+
There is no official ranking. In 2011 La Gazzetta dello Sport called the 17th at Royal Park I Roveri "the most beautiful hole in Italy"; other clubs name as their emblem the 14th at Is Molas, the 6th at Puntaldia or the 7th at Rapallo.
Which Italian course has the green shaped like Africa?+
Circolo Golf Is Molas, in Pula, Sardinia: it is the green of the 14th hole, almost surrounded by water.
Where can you play on Etna's lava?+
At Picciolo, in Castiglione di Sicilia: at the 5th you tee off from tees set into the lava, and the green of the 7th borders an old lava flow.
Which courses have the sea right beside the holes?+
Verdura in Sciacca, Puntaldia in San Teodoro, Is Molas in Pula and Pevero in Porto Cervo.
Where can you play at altitude?+
At Ponte di Legno, at 1,500 metres above sea level, and at Sestriere, at 2,035 metres.
Are spectacular holes harder?+
Not necessarily: beauty depends on the setting. At Is Molas, for example, the most punishing hole, according to Dassù's guide, is the 5th, not the 14th with the green shaped like Africa.
