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Golf guide • Italy • Trentino-Alto Adige

Golf in Bolzano: fairways beneath the Dolomites and South Tyrol's vineyards

Bolzano, capital of South Tyrol, is a city base for three courses between a quarter of an hour and forty minutes away by road: the 18 holes of St. Vigil Seis at the foot of the Schlern, Petersberg on a wooded plateau above 1,200 metres, and the nine-hole Eppan course among the vineyards of the Wine Road. Come to play facing the Dolomites and dine at the valley's restaurants, from May to October; the two mountain courses close in winter.

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Bolzano, Bozen to its German-speaking residents, is a valley-floor city at 262 metres above sea level, where the Isarco meets the Adige. The arcades of Via dei Portici, Piazza Walther and the fruit stalls give it the air of a Tyrolean market town, while the cafés and the language heard in the street remind you that you are in Italy. It has no golf course of its own, but three courses surround it, each in a different landscape: alpine pasture, high forest and vineyard.

The most spectacular is St. Vigil Seis, opened in 2007 between Völs and Seis, at the foot of the Schlern massif. Higher and older, Petersberg plays on a forested plateau facing the Latemar and the Rosengarten. To the south-west, on the Überetsch plain, the nine-hole Eppan course lines up its ponds between apple orchards and vines, beneath Hocheppan castle. All three combine over a stay of three to five nights.

The city itself lends itself to evenings out: a glass of Lagrein or Sauvignon on the square, dinner on the Wine Road, and the next morning half an hour of hairpin bends to find the fairways above the valley mist. The contrast is the charm of the trip: you sleep in a city with an almost Mediterranean summer climate and play in the cool, at 850 metres or above 1,200.

The courses

Fairway corridor between spruces and autumn larches, peaks turned pink by the sunset beyond

Golf Club St. Vigil Seis

  • Opened 2007
  • 18 holes
  • Par 69

Opened in spring 2007 at 850 metres above sea level, between the villages of Völs and Seis, this 18-hole par 69 covers some sixty hectares at the foot of the Schlern, in the Dolomites landscape listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009. Gorges, streams, waterfalls, ponds and forest edges set the rhythm of a demanding course, where accuracy matters more than length. The two-level driving range and the golf school make it a good base for all levels. Half an hour from Bolzano, it is open from April to November.

Signature hole. The 15th is a par 3 played from a perched tee, which the Seiser Alm tourist office presents as the hole with the greatest drop in Europe: club selection has to allow for the fall.

Official website

Golf Club Petersberg

  • Architect: Marco Croze
  • 18 holes
  • Par 71

Designed by Marco Croze in the municipality of Deutschnofen, Petersberg's 18-hole par 71 is played above 1,200 metres, on a high forested plateau, with the Latemar and the Rosengarten as a backdrop. It is full of doglegs between the firs and asks you to place the ball rather than hit it hard. The altitude keeps summer days cool. Open from mid-April to mid-November, thirty to forty minutes from Bolzano via the Eggen valley.

Official website

Golfclub Eppan "The Blue Monster"

  • Architect: Thomas C. Himmel
  • 9 holes

Nicknamed "The Blue Monster" for its many small lakes and streams, the nine-hole Eppan course is the work of the architect Thomas C. Himmel. It lies at Unterrain, on the Überetsch plain, a quarter of an hour from Bolzano via the Bozen Süd motorway exit. The greens are well kept, multiple tees make it playable at every level, and the setting of orchards, vineyards and castles makes it a relaxed round for an afternoon. Its low altitude gives it a long season, from February to December.

Official website

Where to stay

Parkhotel Laurin

Opened in 1910, the Parkhotel Laurin is Bolzano's grand Art Nouveau hotel, a short walk from the station and the historic centre. Its park, where roses climb into the cedars, is a rare haven of calm in the city. In the bar, the frieze painted by Bruno Goldschmitt in 1910 tells the legend of King Laurin with humour. Two restaurants, including the Laurin, and an art collection on the upper floors complete this address, run by the same family as the Hotel Greif.

Hotel Turm

In Völs am Schlern, a few minutes from the St. Vigil Seis course, the Hotel Turm houses contemporary rooms within 13th-century walls built on the rock. The owner has assembled a collection of works, including Picasso, Dalí and Kokoschka, which he shows guests round himself. A spa with a panoramic sauna and an outdoor pool, and a restaurant recognised by Gault&Millau: the right address for sleeping at the foot of the Schlern rather than in town.

Art Nouveau bar with dark wood panelling, leather armchairs, brass lamps and a painted frieze of mountains

Where to dine

Zur Rose

In San Michele, the heart of Appiano on the Wine Road, Zur Rose occupies a 14th-century house whose name is recorded as far back as 1585. Herbert Hintner and his son Daniel cook revisited South Tyrolean cuisine here, served notably as a seven-course seasonal menu. Michelin-starred, it is the table to book after a round at nearby Eppan.

Vögele

A Bolzano institution on Via Goethe, a stone's throw from Piazza Walther: wood-panelled rooms, Biedermeier furniture and straightforward regional cooking with a few Mediterranean touches. Awarded a Bib Gourmand by the Michelin Guide, it is the address for simple dinners and lunch in town. Closed on Sundays and Saturday evenings.

Beyond golf

Ötzi at the archaeology museum

At the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, in the centre of Bolzano, lies Ötzi, the Iceman discovered in 1991 in the Ötztal Alps, on the border with Austria. The body, around 5,300 years old, is preserved with his clothing, bow and copper axe. A visit of an hour or two, ideal for a rainy morning or a rest day.

The Wine Road and its villages

South-west of Bolzano, the South Tyrolean Wine Road links Appiano, Caldaro and its lake, then Termeno, between vine pergolas and hilltop castles. Stop at the wineries to taste Lagrein, Schiava or Gewürztraminer. An ideal afternoon after a round at Eppan, before dinner in San Michele.

Seiser Alm and the Dolomites

Above the St. Vigil Seis course, the Seiser Alm, or Alpe di Siusi, spreads its alpine meadows at the foot of the Schlern. The Dolomites have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2009, and the Schlern-Rosengarten nature park is part of it. Half a day of easy walking between mountain huts, before a late-afternoon tee time.

Rows of vines and apple trees laden with fruit on a hillside, a ruined castle tower on a wooded hill

When to go

The two mountain courses open from April (mid-April at Petersberg) to November and close in winter; only Eppan, on the plain, plays from February to December. May, June, September and October are the best months: mild days, green pastures in spring, golden larches in autumn. July and August suit the courses at altitude, but the valley is hot, around 30 °C in the afternoon, and the Dolomites very busy. In April and November, check the courses are open before booking.

Getting there

Verona airport (VRN) is the most practical, about two hours by road on the Brenner motorway; Innsbruck, on the Austrian side, is about an hour and a half away. Bolzano airport (BZO) mainly receives regional flights from Sky Alps. Bolzano station is on the Brenner line. A car remains essential to reach the courses, fifteen to forty minutes from the centre.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best golf courses around Bolzano?

The 18 holes of St. Vigil Seis, at the foot of the Schlern, half an hour away, and Marco Croze's Petersberg, thirty to forty minutes away. The nine-hole Eppan course, a quarter of an hour away, completes the trip.

Can you play golf in Bolzano in winter?

Only at Eppan, open from February to December. St. Vigil Seis (April to November) and Petersberg (mid-April to mid-November) close in winter because of the altitude and snow.

Is there a golf course in the city of Bolzano?

No. The closest is the nine-hole Eppan course, at Unterrain, about a quarter of an hour away; the two 18-hole courses are at altitude, half an hour (St. Vigil Seis) and thirty to forty minutes (Petersberg) away.

Which airport should I fly into for a golf trip to Bolzano?

Verona (VRN), about two hours by road on the Brenner motorway, or Innsbruck, about an hour and a half away. Bolzano airport (BZO) is served by only a few regional flights.

How many days do you need for a golf trip to Bolzano?

Three to five nights: enough to play St. Vigil Seis, Petersberg and Eppan, and keep half a day for the Seiser Alm or the Wine Road.

Tailor-made

Your golf trip: Bolzano

Tee times, suites, transfers and tables: your concierge replies within 24 hours with a proposal shaped around you.

Fairway lined with ancient olive trees and a dry-stone wall, sloping down towards the sea at sunset
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Upper town girdled by pale stone ramparts, a bell tower and dome at sunset, mountains behind
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Fairway lined with umbrella pines and olive trees at sunset, a granite hill on the right and turquoise sea beyond
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