Golf in Tuscany

Tuscany, home of Florence and a beautiful countryside, is on virtually everyone’s Italy vacation bucket list.

Every first trip to Italy should include Florence and a minimum of three days exploring the city.

Then, time should be taken to explore the countryside, check out a few wineries, and if you have time, head over to Pisa and then the Cinque Terre in nearby Liguria.

However, if golf is a priority, then you can explore the countryside by playing a couple of the excellent golf courses in Tuscany.

Few golfers in North America will ever make the trek to Tuscany with their golf clubs, but they absolutely should.

Tuscany is actually home to Italy’s highest ranked golf course, and which is also considered one of the best in all of Europe… Castiglion del Bosco Golf Club.

Unfortunately, you can only play there as a guest of a member.

However, Tuscany offers plenty of other opportunities to build a fabulous vacation with golf as one of your primary activities.

Starting at the southwest corner of Tuscany in Porto Ercole is the Argentario Golf and Wellness Resort.  While it is a bit off the beaten path, you can’t go wrong with playing golf at a resort along the Mediterranean.

Moving further north, just to the south of Siena, and about 35 miles south of Florence is Royal Golf La Bagnaia.  This is a Robert Trent Jones, Jr. designed course that offers magnificent views of the Tuscan countryside.

Another property not to be missed is the Toscana Resort Castelfalfi, located about 25 miles southwest of Florence.   This resort offers 27 holes and more splendid views of the Tuscan countryside.

Rounding out our list is a favorite among Tuscans known as Golf & Country Club Le Pavoniere.  This facility is located about ten miles northwest of Florence near Prato and was designed by Arnold Palmer.

Final Thoughts

If you are heading to Italy for the first time, and plan on spending ten days or more, then a great trip to include golf would be to start in either Rome or Florence.  You can include three or four rounds of golf at any of the courses I’ve mentioned here, and on the Lazio/Umbria page.

Along the way, you should take the time to explore a few of the main sites in Rome and in Florence, and perhaps enjoy a visit to one of the many beautiful small towns in between.

It is a virtual certainty that you will leave Italy with fond memories of a fabulous golf trip.