Karl “Schaly” Pichler, an innkeepers’ son, opened nine holes in 1996 in the valley where he was born. Today the course has eighteen, and around Merano there are ten hotels that use it, or its neighbours, as their home course.
In South Tyrol a golf hotel can be three different things. It can stand on the course, as in Val Passiria; it can be a member or operator of a club, as in Lana; it can be a five-star mountain retreat that offers a card with discounts on the province’s courses. These are three experiences with budgets, tee times and habits that are far apart.
Ten golf hotels at a glance
From the closest tie to golf to the most distant:
| Hotel | Area | Link with golf |
|---|---|---|
| Andreus Golf & Spa Resort | San Leonardo in Passiria | On the Passeier.Meran course |
| Golf Lodge (adults only) | San Leonardo in Passiria | On the course, with an indoor simulator |
| Quellenhof Luxury Resort Passeier | San Martino in Passiria | Founding member of Passeier.Meran, four holes of its own |
| Quellenhof See Lodge (from 14 years) | San Martino in Passiria | Shares the Quellenhof’s facilities |
| Parkhotel Marlena (from 14 years) | Marlengo | Operator of Golf Club Lana |
| Hohenwart | Scena | Founding member of Golf Club Lana |
| Hotel Castel | Tirolo | Golfcard included, tee times booked for you |
| Preidlhof (from 16 years) | Naturno | Partner hotel of Golf & Country Südtirol |
| Romantik Hotel Turm | Fiè allo Sciliar | Partner of St. Vigil Seis, 5 minutes away |
| Castel Fragsburg | Merano | No dedicated service |
Val Passiria: the two Andreus and the two Quellenhof
Golf Club Passeier.Meran is an 18-hole, par 71 course of 5,791 metres, designed by Wilfried Moroder with the MPS-Golf Design team: a “target golf” layout with ponds, water hazards and bunkers over about 60 hectares, opened with nine holes in 1996 and extended to eighteen in 2004. The course has a two-storey driving range with 20 bays and a three-hole short course.
Andreus Golf & Spa Resort and the Golf Lodge both stand on the course. Play runs from March to December; the green fee is also reduced at other South Tyrol courses, and bags are kept in a video-monitored caddy room. The Golf Lodge, with 35 rooms for adults only, has the Boom Boom Room, an indoor course with putting green, bunker and simulator: “365 days of golf in South Tyrol”, as the hotel describes it. From its own location Andreus reckons about 25 minutes to Lana, 30 to Appiano and 50 to Sarnonico, Petersberg and Alta Badia.
The Quellenhof Luxury Resort Passeier is a founding member of Passeier.Meran, five minutes away by car. According to the hotel’s price list, guests pay 72 euros for 18 holes instead of about 105; every Wednesday there is a competition reserved for guests. On the hotel grounds there are four holes of its own, a 20-bay practice area and the Scottish pro Gordon Hume, on the course since 1986. The Quellenhof See Lodge, adults only from 14 years, shares its facilities: the 4,500 m² artificial lake that gives it its name is, according to the hotel, the largest swimming pool in South Tyrol.
Merano and Lana: Marlena, Hohenwart, Castel and Preidlhof
Golf Club Lana, a nine-hole par 35 designed by Michael Pinner and opened on 29 August 1998 beneath Brandis Castle, is the course that links two hotels. The Parkhotel Marlena presents itself as founder and operator of the club, and gives its guests the South Tyrol Golf Card free of charge; the Hohenwart is a founding member and states frankly that it is not “a classic golf hotel”. In 2026 the green fee at Lana is 50 euros for nine holes and 90 for eighteen.
The Hotel Castel, in Tirolo, has two Michelin stars and five tables in its gourmet restaurant. The stay includes the South Tyrol Golfcard, worth 20% off the green fee at the nine courses of the province, and the staff book your tee times. The Preidlhof, in Naturno, is a partner hotel of Golf & Country Südtirol: green fee discounts at four courses and a guaranteed tee time by registering at reception. Castel Fragsburg, in Merano, does not advertise golf services: Passiria and Lana are about 30 minutes away by car, and it is best to make arrangements with the clubs directly.
Sciliar and the Dolomites: the Romantik Hotel Turm
The Romantik Hotel Turm, in Fiè allo Sciliar, states that it is five minutes from Golf St. Vigil Seis: 18 holes, par 69, at 850 metres above sea level, with a 15th hole that the club describes as one of the par 3s with the greatest drop in Europe. Guests get 20% off the green fee and guaranteed tee times, which can be booked from home. The club’s 2026 season runs from 9 April to 25 October and the green fee is 110 euros for 18 holes.
South Tyrol’s courses compared
| Course | Holes | Altitude | Green fee 2026 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passeier.Meran | 18, par 71 | Val Passiria | 106 euros (price list undated) | March to December |
| Lana | 9, par 35 | Adige Valley | 50 (9 holes) and 90 (18) | Among the orchards |
| Blue Monster, Appiano | 9 | Orchards | 100 euros (price list undated) | Artificial lakes |
| Petersberg | 18, par 71 | About 1,250 m | 90-96 | 17 April to 1 November |
| St. Vigil Seis | 18, par 69 | 850 m | 110 | 9 April to 25 October |
| Dolomiti Sarnonico | 18, par 73 | Upper Val di Non | 85-95 | March to November |
High-altitude golf has two more stops, but they are nine-hole courses: Carezza, at 1,680 metres beneath the Catinaccio, and Alta Badia, at about 1,700. They sit higher than every course in the table and are played in summer.
When to go, and which wind to expect
The season changes with altitude: Passeier.Meran opens in March and Lana, according to the Preidlhof, as early as February, Petersberg in mid-April, Alta Badia and Carezza only in summer. The Golf Lodge publishes an assessment of the courses on its website: according to the hotel, Passiria and Lana are generally sheltered from the wind, while Appiano and Sarnonico can be more exposed when the weather turns. For a long weekend, Bolzano airport is 30 minutes from Marlengo and from Castel Fragsburg, 35 from the Turm and 45 from the Golf Lodge, according to the hotels.
Frequently asked questions
Which hotels in South Tyrol have their own golf course?+
Andreus Golf & Spa Resort and the Golf Lodge, in Val Passiria, stand directly on the Passeier.Meran course. The Quellenhof has four holes of its own and the Marlena operates Golf Club Lana.
What is the South Tyrol Golfcard?+
It is the card that gives 20% off the green fee at participating clubs: the Hotel Castel includes it in the stay, the Hohenwart hands it to guests, the Marlena offers it free of charge.
When can you play golf in South Tyrol?+
Passeier.Meran from March, Lana (according to the Preidlhof) from February, Petersberg from 17 April to 1 November in 2026, St. Vigil Seis from 9 April to 25 October, Carezza and Alta Badia only in summer.
Can you learn to play during your holiday?+
Yes: the Marlena offers “Handicap in 5 days”, with ten hours of private lessons and the Italian Golf Federation exam, and the Quellenhof a three-hour trial course and a basic course that prepares for the course permit.
Which hotel suits those who do not play?+
All of them have a spa: the Preidlhof has 5,500 m², the Quellenhof Passeier 10,500 m², Andreus 8,000 m². Castel Fragsburg has no golf services and is designed for those who prefer to relax.
Are the hotels adults only?+
No: the Golf Lodge, the See Lodge (from 14 years), the Marlena (from 14 years) and the Preidlhof (from 16) are. The others state no age limits.
