Among the holes at Terme di Saturnia stands a Tuscan trattoria in a historic farmhouse, La Stellata, and after the round the resort's spring awaits, at 37.5 °C. The course, 18 holes, par 72, by Ronald Fream, is the golf of Saturnia: how it plays, what the package includes and what to ask before you travel.
In Maremma, at Manciano, golf and thermal water share the same address. The Terme di Saturnia Golf Club is the course of the resort built on the Saturnia spring: 18 holes, par 72, across about 70 hectares of hills in the Follonata district, designed by the Californian architect Ronald Fream of the firm Golf Plan.
The course: 18 holes by Ronald Fream in the Maremma hills
The layout is split into two nines of par 36 and is built around water: lakes, streams and large bunkers carved into the fairways, with undulating greens and generous landing areas. The club describes it as a course where choosing the right club with your head matters more than hitting as hard as you can.
The scorecard offers six sets of tees. From the white tees the course measures 6,289 metres, from the yellows 5,864, from the reds 4,873. The shorter green and orange tees are meant for under-12s, seniors and players without a handicap. The club gives 6,316 metres as the maximum length.
A course tended with spring water
The detail that made the course known concerns the grass. According to the resort, the greenkeepers treat the turf every week with thermal water: the sulphur, they explain, prevents fungal disease and makes insecticides and pesticides unnecessary.
The attention to the environment also has a documented side. In 2014 the course earned the GEO certification of the Golf Environment Organization and a Federgolf award for its landscape, "Impegnati nel Verde". The drainage feeds into the lakes, which collect rainwater for reuse, and the chosen grass varieties allow, according to the resort, savings of about 30% of water.
Playing Saturnia as a guest
The club has an office in the clubhouse, inside the resort, and publishes its price list and memberships in a PDF file: for prices, times and conditions it is best to call the office on +39 0564 600844.
Those staying at the resort have a written offer instead, the Golf Inclusive. The offer page does not state the year of validity, so it is wise to confirm the conditions when booking.
| What the Golf Inclusive includes | Details |
|---|---|
| Stay | at least two nights, with breakfast |
| Green fee | one 18-hole round per day for each player |
| Second guest | 50% discount on the green fee |
| Training | use of the practice range |
| Wellness | one couples' cryotherapy session and a discount on Swing&SPA treatments |
Practice range, school and restaurant
The practice range has 43 bays: 34 open-air and nine covered, with mirrors for checking your swing; three are heated in winter, the resort says. A putting green, a pitching green and a practice bunker complete the area.
The instructors are qualified by the federal PGA school and run the Golf Clinics. The Swing & Spa programme combines lessons with treatments using the thermal waters. Halfway round, in a historic farmhouse, the trattoria La Stellata serves Tuscan cooking, handy for a stop or for lunch after the last hole.
The resort on the spring: a hotel from 1919
The course is part of the Terme di Saturnia Natural Spa & Golf Resort, which occupies an estate of 120 hectares, has 124 rooms and suites and is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. The hotel was built by Gaspero Ciacci and opened in August 1919; his family had bought the Baths in 1865.
Water is at the centre of everything. According to the resort, rain falls on Monte Amiata, flows underground for about 40 years and re-emerges in the natural pool at 37.5 °C. Hotel guests have access to the spring, to the Roman Bath with sauna and steam bath, and to the Thermal Park of 20,000 square metres. The spa offers face and body treatments, a Medical SPA and naturopathy programmes. Among the rooms, the ground-floor Garden Junior Suites have a private thermal-water tub in a secluded garden.
Anyone who likes golf in the company of a dog will find the VIPets programme at the resort, which includes walks along the paths of the course: one more reason to choose the Terme di Saturnia Natural Spa & Golf Resort.
Curiosities
- A papal bull from 1188. According to the resort, a document of Pope Clement III, kept in the State Archive of Siena, already mentions a "molendinum de balneo": there was a thermal complex here in the Middle Ages.
- A legend with a thunderbolt. The god Saturn, weary of the wars of men, is said to have hurled a thunderbolt at the earth: hot sulphurous water is supposed to have gushed from the crater.
- A course that gathers the rain. The drainage feeds into the lakes, which reuse rainwater.
- Night bathing. According to the resort, the spring stays open until midnight every Friday evening.
Other courses in Maremma
Those with more days can pair Saturnia with a second course in the area. The Argentario Golf Club, opened in 2006 at Porto Ercole, hosted the 82nd Italian Open in June 2025. The Golf Club Punta Ala dates from 1964 and plays through the Maremma scrub with the sea in the background. The Golf Club Toscana at Pelagone, in Gavorrano, is a 1999 design by Keith Preston among olive groves and cypresses.
Frequently asked questions
How many holes does Terme di Saturnia Golf Club have?+
Eighteen, par 72, split into two nines of par 36. They were designed by Ronald Fream of the firm Golf Plan, across about 70 hectares.
How long is the course?+
The club gives 6,316 metres as the maximum length. From the white tees the scorecard lists 6,289 metres, from the yellows 5,864 and from the reds 4,873.
Can you play without staying at the resort?+
The club publishes a price list of fees and memberships as a PDF and has an office in the clubhouse. Prices and conditions for those not staying at the resort should be requested on +39 0564 600844.
What does the Golf Inclusive package include?+
At least two nights with breakfast, one 18-hole green fee per day for each player, 50% off the second guest's green fee and use of the practice range. The offer also includes one couples' cryotherapy session and a discount on Swing&SPA treatments. The page does not state the year of validity.
Is it true that the course is tended with thermal water?+
The resort says so: every week the greenkeepers treat the turf with thermal water, whose sulphur, they say, prevents fungal disease without insecticides or pesticides.
Is there a practice range and a school?+
Yes: 43 bays, nine of them covered, plus a putting green, a pitching green and a practice bunker. The instructors are qualified by the federal PGA school and run Golf Clinics and the Swing & Spa programme.
