Rental clubs or your own? What makes sense in Italy

Bringing your own clubs means playing with equipment you know by heart, but it also means paying an airline surcharge, respecting a weight limit and risking damage in the hold. Renting on site removes every logistical worry, at a cost that in Italy, according to the clubs' price lists, runs from a few euros to more than sixty for 18 holes. Here are the figures, the cases in which renting is not enough and one rule of the game to remember either way.

How much it costs to rent clubs at Italian clubs

There is no single Italian price: every club sets its own list. These are the prices published by the clubs: they change from one season to the next, so check them before you leave.

Other examples: at the Circolo del Golf Roma Acquasanta renting 14 clubs costs 20 euros, or 40 for the premium set; at the Golf Club Alpino di Stresa club rental is listed at 10 euros; at the Golf Club Castelconturbia a set costs 55 euros; at the Argentario Golf Club a Callaway bag costs 60 euros. At the Verdura Golf Club rental and rates are arranged through the resort, and at Golf Club Passeier.Meran clubs are agreed with the secretariat.

Among the clubs in the table, the 35-50 euro bracket is the most common; Pevero, with its premium clubs, is the most expensive. The gap is partly explained by what is being rented: where the club names the model, these are sets from well-known brands (Callaway, TaylorMade).

Bringing your own clubs: weight, surcharge and risks

When flying, the bag counts as sports equipment with its own rules. For easyJet, according to the airline's official page, golf clubs fall into the "small" category with a maximum of 20 kg; adding them online or in the app costs less than doing so at the airport, the weight is not added to that of the checked bag, and once paid the surcharge is non-refundable. For other airlines, read the conditions on their own pages.

If you travel by car, the problem does not arise: the bag fits in the boot and your own clubs cost nothing extra.

The 14-club rule, which applies in both cases

The Rules of Golf (Rule 4.1b, R&A) state that a player may not start a round with more than 14 clubs nor have more than 14 during the round. In stroke play the penalty is two strokes for each hole on which the breach occurred, up to a maximum of four strokes. It applies to renters too: at Acquasanta, for example, the rental is exactly 14 clubs, and if you add a putter of your own it is up to you to do the counting.

When renting is not enough: your own bag and access rules

Read the regulations before booking. At Golf Club Passeier.Meran, according to the club, every player must use their own bag, and the green fee card must be hung visibly on the bag; the same own-bag rule is stated for Golf Club Quellenhof Passeier and for the Pevero Golf Club. What happens to those who arrive with rental clubs is a question for the secretariat: at Passeier.Meran they are available by arrangement.

Then there is the type of player. Those who play a few times a year and have no custom set lose little by renting; those who have had their clubs adjusted to their swing would feel the difference on the first round. Some Italian clubs also offer fitting, that is, tuning the clubs to your own swing.

Hotel club rental

Some hotels include club rental among their golf services. Villa d'Este offers for 2026 a golf package valid from 21 March to 21 November, with a minimum of two nights, that includes an 18-hole green fee, a golf cart and club rental. The Verdura Resort and the Is Molas Resort also list rental among their services: ask Guest Relations about availability and price before you arrive.