Italy doesn't have a golf season so much as several, each tuned to its own latitude and light. The country stretches from Alpine lakes to the edge of North Africa, which means that while frost lingers on a fairway near Lake Garda, a wedge is being lofted into
Italy doesn’t have a golf season so much as several, each tuned to its own latitude and light. The country stretches from Alpine lakes to the edge of North Africa, which means that while frost lingers on a fairway near Lake Garda, a wedge is being lofted into a soft Sicilian green under a January sun. Knowing where to be, and when, is the difference between a good trip and an unforgettable one.
This is a guide to timing it well — when the courses are at their most beautiful, the air at its kindest, and the crowds at their thinnest. Whether you dream of cypress-lined fairways in Tuscany or sea-spray greens in the south, the art lies in matching the month to the place.
Spring (March to June): Italy at its greenest
Spring is, for much of the country, the finest time to play. By mid-April the fairways have woken fully from winter, the rough is green rather than scorched, and the wildflowers along the cypress avenues of Tuscany are in full voice. This is the season to head to La Bagnaia Golf & Spa Resort near Siena, where the Tuscan light is at its most flattering and the surrounding vineyards are coming into leaf.
Further north, the lakeland courses reawaken a touch later. Chervo Golf Spa & Resort near Lake Garda and Le Robinie Golf Resort at Solbiate Olona come into their own from May, while the grand belle-époque hotels of Stresa — the Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees and the Grand Hotel Bristol — make Lake Maggiore an exquisite spring base. May, in particular, is the month the cognoscenti choose: warm, settled and uncrowded.
Summer (July and August): go north, go high
High summer rewards the well-advised and punishes the unprepared. In the deep south and on the islands the heat can be uncompromising — magnificent for the beach, less so for eighteen holes at midday. The clever move is to follow the cooler air northward.
The lakes and the Lombardy plain are summer’s natural home. Around Lake Garda, Chervo Golf Spa & Resort offers wide, generous golf with the mountains as a backdrop, while Le Robinie near Milan provides a refined parkland test within easy reach of the city. On Lake Maggiore, an early tee time followed by a long lunch on the terrace of the Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees is summer in Italy at its most civilised. Play early, lunch late, and let the afternoon belong to the water.
Where our specialists would stay in Italy
Autumn (September to November): the connoisseur's season
If pressed to name the single best window across the whole country, many specialists would say late September into October. The fierce edge has left the heat, the courses are still in immaculate summer condition, and the visitor numbers have thinned. It is a gift of a season almost everywhere.
This is the moment the south truly shines. Borgo Egnazia in Puglia and Acaya Golf Resort in Salento are at their most seductive in autumn, the olive groves heavy and the sea still warm. On the islands, Verdura Golf & Spa Resort in Sicily, Picciolo Etna Golf Resort & Spa beneath the volcano, and Is Molas Resort Hotel in Sardinia begin their long, golden run that carries clean through winter.
Winter (December to February): south of the cold
Italy’s best-kept golfing secret is its winter. While the northern courses rest, the south and the islands stay mild, green and gloriously quiet — the ideal antidote to a grey British January. Daytime temperatures are comfortable for play, the light is soft and low, and you have the fairways largely to yourself.
Verdura Golf & Spa Resort on Sicily’s south-west coast is the standout, its sea-edge holes playing beautifully when the rest of Europe shivers. Is Molas Resort Hotel in southern Sardinia offers a similarly mild winter escape, and the deep heel of Italy — Borgo Egnazia and Acaya Golf Resort — rewards those willing to travel for warmth and space. From
Our specialists’ favourite stays in Italy
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Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest time to play golf in Italy?
The best value falls in the shoulder months — roughly late autumn and winter in the south and islands, and the edges of spring in the north — when the weather is still excellent but demand is lower. We’d always steer you toward value windows where the experience itself doesn’t soften: a hand-built trip from
Is the south of Italy good for winter golf?
Very much so. Sicily and Sardinia — Verdura Golf & Spa Resort, Picciolo Etna Golf Resort & Spa and Is Molas Resort Hotel — together with Puglia’s Borgo Egnazia and Acaya Golf Resort, stay mild and playable through the winter months. They are among the most reliable cold-season golf destinations in Europe, which is exactly why we send so many clients there in January and February.
When should I book a golf trip to Italy?
For the prime spring and autumn windows, the best resorts and tee times are spoken for well in advance, so we’d encourage booking several months ahead. Every Golf Planet Holidays trip is ATOL Protected, and your money is held securely in trust with PTS until the day you travel — so booking early carries no risk, only the reward of securing the dates and courses you want.
Is summer too hot for golf in Italy?
In the far south and on the islands, midday play in July and August can be intense. The answer is geography and timing: head to the cooler north — the lakes around Stresa and Garda, or Le Robinie near Milan — and tee off early. Played that way, summer in northern Italy is a genuine delight, with long evenings made for terrace dining.
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