Forte Village for golfers: how to play at Is Molas

Forte Village is a small town of hospitality: in Pula, on Sardinia's southern coast, it covers 123 acres of gardens, about fifty hectares, with eight hotels, 13 villas and 40 suites. Everything is here, from thalassotherapy to a water park, everything except a golf course. For golfers the answer is called Is Molas, and it is worth understanding how to get there.

A resort without a course, a golf club next door

The resort describes the Circolo di Is Molas as a course that borders the property and is reached by a short drive: it gives no precise distances, and none are added here. What it states clearly is the service. It is the resort's reception that handles everything: booking tee times, transfers, the practice range, the hire of clubs and golf buggies. Those wishing to improve their game will find lessons with qualified instructors, for beginners and experienced players alike, and periodic clinics on technique and strategy.

One detail worth knowing before you book: according to the resort, access to the golf is reserved for guests of the five- and four-star hotels and of the 13 villas. The financial terms for guests of Forte Village are not published; the club's price list, by contrast, is online.

Is Molas: the course of the Italian Opens

The championship course, formed by the White and Red loops, is a par 72 of 6,383 metres opened in 1975. It was laid out by Cotton, Pennink & Partners to a design by Piero Mancinelli. A year later it was already hosting the first Italian Open, won by Baldovino Dassù, and in all it has seen four. Forte Village adds one edition of the European Volvo Masters, a mention that appears on its website but not on the club's.

The course is remembered for four holes, according to Dassù's guide published by the club. The 13th is the "road hole", with the fairway narrowed to little more than 25 metres between the Sahara bunker and the lake. At the 14th the green, almost surrounded by water, is shaped like Africa. The 15th is the "wall hole", the longest par 5, with out of bounds beyond a Sardinian dry-stone wall. The 5th, for Dassù, is probably the most punishing: it is the number one stroke index.

The third course is the nine-hole Yellow, reseeded with Bermuda grass and playable again since 31 December 2025. Across the complex the irrigation system is being replaced, already completed on 18 holes, to cut water consumption by at least 30%.

2026 rates and how to book

Even when staying at Forte Village, it is worth knowing the club's price list, because it is the only public data. For 18 holes on weekdays the green fee runs from 80 euros in low season (7 January to 31 March and in November) to 135 euros in August; at weekends from 95 to 135 euros. Nine holes cost from 50 to 70 euros. A rental bag costs 50 euros for 18 holes, a golf buggy 50 to 60, an electric trolley 20 to 25 euros a day. The practice range costs 15 euros, 25 with equipment.

The Is Molas academy works with TrackMan and video analysis and runs a summer camp for young players. At the club, after the round, you eat at 19 Bistrot, which looks over both the course and the sea.

Villa del Parco: the hotel with a spa by the sea

Among the eight hotels, Villa del Parco & Spa is one of the five-star properties, set in an ancient park, and is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. The Luxury Rooms, from 30 to 42 m², have a balcony or patio on the garden and sleep up to two adults and two children; the Bungalows measure 35 m² with a private veranda of another 25 m².

From here you step directly into the Acquaforte Thalasso & Spa: six pools of Sardinian seawater at different temperatures and salinities, a method that, according to the resort, was developed by a team led by Dr Angelo Cerina. Dinner is at the Belvedere, on the terrace at the top of the hotel, with the pine wood and the sea in front. The Pineta, the Cavalieri and the Forte Grill also carry no supplement; Bellavista, Le Dune and the Brazilian and Sardinian restaurants do. In all, Forte Village has 21 restaurants.

With children

The resort puts a great deal into families: the Mario's Village club, a nursery, the U-Club for teenagers, a water park and more than thirty sports academies, from tennis to sailing, from padel to fencing. At the World Travel Awards Forte Village was voted World's Leading Resort in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024.

The alternative: staying at Is Molas

Those who want the course within a few steps can choose Is Molas Resort, the four-star superior hotel with 72 fully renovated rooms. Here the golf is inside the property and the Unlimited Golf packages of 3, 5 or 7 nights include free play on all 27 holes, from April to October excluding July and August. It has no spa: the resort offers a pool, beach club, padel, tennis and e-bikes. The choice comes down to a compromise: at Forte Village you find everything else, at Is Molas you save every transfer.