Real golf and long dinners in equal measure, from the Ryder Cup turf at Marco Simone near Rome to the seaside courses at Verdura in Sicily. Italy rewards a group that wants championship courses by day and the food, wine and towns by night, and one concierge can route the whole run.
Photograph: Verdura Resort, a Rocco Forte Hotel, via Google
By the GolfForKings editorial desk · Editorial policy · Last reviewed June 2026
A buddies golf trip to Italy is for the group that wants its golf and its evenings to be equally good. The courses are genuine, headlined by Marco Simone near Rome, the host of the 2023 Ryder Cup, and Verdura in Sicily, the Rocco Forte resort with two seaside championship courses and a par-3 layout by Kyle Phillips, but the food, the wine and the towns between rounds are half the reason to come. It suits the fourball that wants a marquee round and a long lunch, the society that wants resort golf with a base it never has to leave, and the milestone group that wants Italy at its best on and off the course.
The two classic builds are Rome paired with Tuscany, a city and countryside trip with Marco Simone and Argentario as the anchors, or a Sicily week settled into Verdura, where the two courses and the par-3 layout fill a week without a single transfer. Northern groups can lean on Royal Park I Roveri near Turin and the lakes, and Sardinia adds Is Molas and the coast for those who want golf and beach in one trip. Either way the format is the same: serious golf by day, a great table by night, and a driver to make both painless.
The headline round, a short drive from Rome and the host of the 2023 Ryder Cup. Rerouted by European Golf Design in cooperation with Tom Fazio II for match play drama, it rolls across the countryside with the city and the dome of St Peter's on the horizon. The bucket list round any Rome trip is built around.
A Rocco Forte resort on the Sicilian coast with two Kyle Phillips championship courses running down to the sea and a par-3 layout of nine holes, all on one estate. Named Europe's Best Golf Hotel at the 2025 World Golf Awards, it is the natural base for a Sicily week with no transfers between rounds.
Italy's PGA-licensed facility, set on the Monte Argentario promontory in southern Tuscany among the hills and the coast. A characterful resort course that staged the 2025 Italian Open, it is the natural Tuscan partner to a Rome trip, with the wellness resort and the regional food a draw in their own right.
Near Turin in Piedmont, a Robert Trent Jones Senior design that opened in 1971 among oak woodland and the foothills of the Alps. A longstanding tour venue and a refined parkland test, it anchors a northern trip combining golf with the lakes, the food and the wine of the region.
Designers and course details verified June 2026 from the clubs and recognized course sources. Green fees move with season and year, so always confirm directly before booking.
Fly into Rome, settle into a city base and ease in with dinner in the centro storico ahead of the golf.
The headline round on the 2023 Ryder Cup course, a short drive from the city, then an evening back in Rome.
A morning to see the city, then the drive into Tuscany toward the Argentario coast and a resort base.
The PGA-licensed course on the Monte Argentario promontory, with a long Tuscan lunch and the wellness resort to follow.
A last round on the coast or a return to a favorite before transfers back to Rome to fly out.
Rome is the natural gateway, with Catania or Palermo the gateways for a Sicily week at Verdura instead. A driver or a hire car keeps the days flexible and the dinners sociable. For Sicily, base at Verdura and play the two courses and the par-3 layout without leaving the estate.
| Style | Per person, 2026 | What it usually includes |
|---|---|---|
| Long weekend | From around $1,300 to $2,300 | 3 nights, 2 to 3 rounds around Rome, comfortable hotels, a driver option |
| Rome and Tuscany week | From around $2,400 to $4,400 | 5 nights, Marco Simone, Argentario and the countryside, good hotels and transfers |
| Sicily week at Verdura | From around $3,200 upward | Resort stay, the two courses and the par-3 layout, spa, dining, no transfers |
Indicative third party operator package ranges for the 2026 season, excluding flights, shown to set expectations only. We are a guide, not an operator, and never quote our own pricing. Always confirm directly before booking.
Spring and autumn are the prime windows for most of mainland Italy, roughly April to June and September to October, with warm but comfortable golf and quieter courses around Rome, Tuscany and the north. Sicily and the southern resorts stretch the season into winter, making Verdura a strong choice when the north cools. High summer can be very hot inland around Rome and Tuscany, so a Sicily coastal base or early and late tee times suit the warmest months. Book marquee tee times such as Marco Simone and peak Verdura dates well ahead, since they fill early.
Tell us the group size, the courses you want and roughly when. One concierge costs the whole trip to the head and replies within one working day, with no obligation.
Italy pairs serious golf with the food, the wine and the scenery that make a buddies trip memorable. Rome offers Marco Simone, the host of the 2023 Ryder Cup, within reach of the city, while Sicily has Verdura, the Rocco Forte resort with two Kyle Phillips seaside courses and a par-3 layout. Tuscany, Sardinia and the Piedmont add resort courses among vineyards, coast and mountains. It suits a group that wants real golf by day and long dinners by night.
A Rome trip builds around Marco Simone, redesigned by European Golf Design with Tom Fazio II and host of the 2023 Ryder Cup. A Sicily week centers on Verdura, with two championship seaside courses and a par-3 course by Kyle Phillips. Add Argentario in Tuscany, the country's PGA-licensed facility, and Royal Park I Roveri near Turin, a Robert Trent Jones Senior course, plus Is Molas in Sardinia or Acaya in Puglia for a fuller itinerary.
Four to seven nights works well. A long weekend can focus on Rome and Marco Simone with a second course nearby, while a full week lets a group pair Rome with Tuscany, or settle into a Sicily week at Verdura with the two courses and the par-3 layout. Italy rewards a slower pace, so build in time for the food and the towns between rounds rather than racing from tee to tee.
Spring and autumn are the prime windows for most of mainland Italy, roughly April to June and September to October. Sicily and the southern resorts stretch the season into winter, making them a strong choice when the north cools. High summer can be very hot inland around Rome and Tuscany. Book marquee tee times such as Marco Simone and peak Verdura dates well ahead, since they fill early.
Tee time windows, course access changes and the buddies trips worth moving on first. Every other week.