Golf holidays in Sardinia start from £495 (≈ €575) (≈ $655) (≈ CA$925) (≈ AU$935) (≈ NZ$1,135) (≈ CHF 535) (≈ kr 6,365) (≈ kr 6,385) (≈ kr 4,305) per person, across 2 courses we can book, 1 hotel and resort we sell. Sold ground-only, hand-priced around your dates, and arranged by us since 1981.
A hand-priced quote, no obligation, and no call centre.
Sardinia is 24,100 square kilometres of granite, cork oak and coastline, the second largest island in the Mediterranean and, at 200 kilometres off the Italian mainland, a place that reads as its own country. Two of its courses matter to us. They sit at opposite ends of it. Pevero is up on the Costa Smeralda in Gallura, where the coast breaks into small fiords and islands and granite pushes up through the ground. Is Molas is down at Pula, twenty-five kilometres south west of Cagliari. Both have held the Italian Open.
Since 1981 we have sold golf and nothing else. Breaks here are ground-only and hand-priced around your dates, so three nights with two rounds is costed as that and no more. Tell us which end of the island appeals and we will build from there.
Why play golf in Sardinia
Two courses with genuine pedigree. Is Molas hosted four Italian Opens between 1976 and 2001; Pevero took the 1978 edition, won by Dale Hayes.
Pevero is a Robert Trent Jones and Ron Kirby design from 1972, commissioned by the Aga Khan, laid out on a peninsula between Cala di Volpe bay and Volpero bay with Corsica out on the horizon.
The south has a proper winter shoulder. Cagliari's average daily high only falls to 14.7C in January, and annual rainfall of 413 millimetres is heavily concentrated in November and December.
Summer flying is easy. British Airways, easyJet, Jet2 and TUI all serve Olbia in season, from London, Manchester and Birmingham among others.
Wine that stands up on its own account: Vermentino di Gallura in the north, Carignano del Sulcis from the vineyards nearest Pula, Cannonau across the whole island.
Bronze Age archaeology and very good sand within reach of either base, which keeps the non-golfers content.
The courses you’ll play
[Pevero Golf Club](/product/pevero-golf-course/) is the one people fly for. Robert Trent Jones and Ron Kirby built it in 1972 for the Aga Khan on a peninsula between Cala di Volpe bay and Volpero bay, 6,717 yards over granite and scrub, the back nine looping clockwise beside the beach at Cala di Volpe with Corsica sitting out to the north. Daring work, and unforgiving of a loose tee shot. When the mistral gets up it becomes a different course entirely, which is part of the appeal and part of the warning. [Is Molas Resort Golf Club](/product/is-molas-resort-golf-course/) at Pula is the tournament veteran: four Italian Opens between 1976 and 2001, Baldovino Dassu winning the first and Mark James the 1982. It lies twenty-five kilometres south west of Cagliari on the same grounds as the hotel, which makes it the practical half of the pair. Two very different tests, and 250 kilometres of island between them.
Where you’ll stay
One hotel, and it is in the south. Is Molas Resort Hotel stands in its own grounds outside Pula, a four star superior property with villas alongside and a beach club of its own, the golf course a walk from the door. Three nights with two rounds on bed and breakfast start from £495pp (≈ €575) (≈ $655) (≈ CA$925) (≈ AU$935) (≈ NZ$1,135) (≈ CHF 535) (≈ kr 6,365) (≈ kr 6,385) (≈ kr 4,305), four nights with three rounds from £725pp (≈ €845) (≈ $955) (≈ CA$1,355) (≈ AU$1,375) (≈ NZ$1,665) (≈ CHF 785) (≈ kr 9,325) (≈ kr 9,345) (≈ kr 6,315). Pula puts you twenty-five kilometres from Cagliari and within easy reach of the beaches the city decamps to at weekends, Chia and Costa Rei among them. Now the honest part. Pevero is 250 kilometres north of here, close to four hours on the road each way. It is not a day trip from Is Molas and we will not pretend otherwise. If Pevero is your reason for going, say so at the outset and we will plan the whole trip around the north instead.
Best time to play golf in Sardinia
Spring and autumn, without much argument. Cagliari's average daily high climbs from 14.7C in January to 32.1C in August, and eighteen holes at that temperature is an act of optimism. April, May, June, then late September into October are the useful months: warm, dry and quiet on the tee. Annual rainfall is only 413 millimetres and it is heavily back-loaded, 74 millimetres in November and 55 in December, which leaves the summer effectively rain free. The catch is wind. The mistral comes cold off the north and north west at around 50 kilometres an hour, gusting to 100, and it is commonest in winter and spring and strongest in the changeover between the two. Pevero is exposed to it. Check the forecast, then choose your tee time accordingly.
A sense of Sardinia
History & heritage
Sardinia's deep history is Nuragic, and it predates almost everything a British visitor is used to calling old. Su Nuraxi at Barumini went onto the UNESCO list in 1997: a central stone tower from around the seventeenth century BC, outer towers added by the thirteenth, and a village lived in until the sixth. Giovanni Lilliu excavated it between 1950 and 1957. Near Pula, the Phoenician and Roman city of Nora came to light when a storm stripped the sand off a funerary tophet, and you can walk its theatre, forum, temple and baths. In the north, Arzachena has the Li Muri necropolis and Nuraghe La Prisgiona. Porto Cervo is heritage of a very different vintage, built from 1961 by a consortium under Prince Karim Aga Khan, with Michele Busiri Vici and Jacques Couelle shaping the look of it.
Food & wine
Whites account for 55 per cent of what Sardinia grows, which surprises people who arrive expecting nothing but big reds. Vermentino di Gallura is the DOCG and it comes off the granite in the north, near enough to Pevero to be the house pour. Cannonau, which is Grenache, is made the length of the island. At Pula the bottle to look for is Carignano del Sulcis, from the vineyards south west of Cagliari, and Vernaccia di Oristano rewards anyone who likes an oxidised wine. Eat porceddu, suckling pig turned over a fire for hours. Culurgiones, the pleated parcels of potato, pecorino and mint. Bottarga, cured mullet roe, grated over pasta like a salty snowfall. Pane carasau, flatbread thin enough to read through. Seadas to finish, fried cheese pastry under warm honey. Then mirto, and then bed.
Beyond the fairways
In the north the water does the work. The Costa Smeralda runs some twenty kilometres of fiords, rock cliffs and small islands, with Porto Cervo, Liscia di Vacca, Capriccioli and Romazzino strung along it and Spiaggia del Principe named after the Aga Khan. Boats run out to the Maddalena archipelago. Pevero's back nine plays beside the beach at Cala di Volpe, so a lazy beach lunch is a five minute problem to solve. In the south the coast around Pula is quieter and the sand at Chia is the equal of anything up north. Cagliari deserves a day for the Castello quarter and the archaeological museum. Inland, Monte Limbara rises to 1,362 metres above the cork oak woods of Gallura, and Barumini makes a sensible stop if you are driving between the two ends.
Getting around & exploring
You need a car, and you need to be honest with yourself about how far you will actually drive it. Olbia to Cagliari is 253.6 kilometres by road and takes about three hours forty, with Pula adding another twenty-five kilometres at the far end. A train covers the same corridor in roughly three and a half hours, four services a day, which is a real alternative if you are settling in one place. Within either end the driving is a pleasure: the Gallura coast roads are twisty and slow, the routes around Pula quick and open. Cagliari airport is seven kilometres from the city. Our advice is plain. Pick one end, take a car for the week, and do not try to see the whole island in four nights. It will not compress.
Good to know before you book
Getting there
Two airports, and which one you use decides the shape of the trip. Olbia Costa Smeralda (OLB) is the gateway to Pevero and the Costa Smeralda, heavily seasonal, with British Airways, easyJet, Jet2 and TUI flying in from London, Manchester and Birmingham through the summer. Cagliari Elmas (CAG) is the one for Is Molas, seven kilometres from the city, with Ryanair from London Stansted all year and British Airways from Gatwick in season. Outside July and August, Cagliari is the more dependable of the two. Everything we sell is ground-only: hotel, golf, transfers. Flights are a separate add-on and, where we book them, they are ATOL protected. Money paid to us is protected through PTS 5087, and we are IATA accredited. Send your dates, group size and which end of the island appeals. Someone replies promptly.
Good to know
Two courses, opposite ends of the island, 250 kilometres and close to four hours apart by road. Plan around one end.
Olbia is largely a summer airport. Cagliari has Ryanair from Stansted year round.
Wind matters. The mistral is strongest between winter and spring, and Pevero is exposed to it.
August averages 32.1C in Cagliari. Play early, or come in May or October.
A hire car is not optional if you want to see anything.
Breaks are ground-only. Flights are a separate ATOL protected add-on.
★ 4.9 from real golfers · ATOL & PTS protected · Arranging golf since 1981
Frequently asked questions
Golf holidays in Sardinia. The questions our golfers ask most.
How do I get to Italy?
There are several regional airports, easily accessible from the UK, or you can enjoy a leisurely drive through France before settling in Northern Italy around Venice, Milan or The Lakes, to play great golf and enjoy Italian hospitality.
How much does a golf holiday in Italy cost?
Golf holidays in Italy start from £350 (≈ €405) (≈ $465) (≈ CA$655) (≈ AU$665) (≈ NZ$795) (≈ CHF 375) (≈ kr 4,495) (≈ kr 4,515) (≈ kr 3,045) pp with Golf Planet Holidays. That is a hand-built ground package, and the final price depends on your hotel, the courses you play and the season.
Is it easy to get around in Italy?
Hire a car or ask us to arrange private transfers. If you are staying at one of the excellent play and stay resorts, taxis may suit you best.
When is the best time to play golf in Italy?
Late spring and early autumn (May, June, September, October) avoid the summer heat, and the northern lakes are glorious in these shoulder seasons.
How do we know which area of Italy will suit us?
Give us a call and we'll discuss what holiday works for you.
How many golf courses are there in Italy?
We feature 23 courses and 19 resorts across Italy including Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees and Le Robinie Golf Resort. Your specialist matches the courses to your group's standard and budget.
Still have a question? Ask our golf travel team A free quote, no obligation, and no call centre.
