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Golf guide • Italy • Sardinia

Golf in Cagliari: Is Molas, the Nora lagoon and Sardinia's old capital

Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia, makes a fine base for a golf trip in the south of the island: Is Molas, at Pula, about 40 minutes' drive away, is a 1975 championship course that has hosted the Italian Open four times; Tanka, at Villasimius, is about an hour away; and Is Arenas, on the west coast, makes a day trip of about an hour and a half. Golfers come to play almost all year round, ideally in spring and autumn, and to spend their evenings in the Castello quarter.

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Cagliari lends itself to a trip that blends golf and city life: you sleep in the Sardinian capital, dine in its narrow streets and take the coast road south-west to play Is Molas, the island's historic course, opened in 1975 near Pula. It is the only major course within three quarters of an hour of the centre; the others call for a proper drive, and that is what gives the trip its rhythm: one course, a day of sightseeing, then another course.

Southern Sardinia is not a dense golf region like the Algarve. Three 18-hole courses shape a stay from Cagliari: Is Molas to the south-west, Tanka to the east towards Capo Carbonara, and Is Arenas, further afield, in a pine forest on the west coast near Oristano. In return, you play among maquis, wild olive trees and granite hills, with the sea as a backdrop and the scent of myrtle and rockrose after rain.

The city itself is worth the journey: the Castello on its hill, the 14th-century Pisan towers, the terrace of the Bastione di Saint Remy at sunset, then the flamingos of the Molentargius ponds a few minutes from Poetto beach. Four to six nights are enough to play two or three courses without rushing and still keep time for Nora, the ancient Punic and Roman city next to Is Molas.

The courses

White sand bunker beside a green, sun-browned maquis and oaks in front of granite hills

Is Molas Golf Club

  • Architect: Piero Mancinelli (Cotton, Pennink & Partners)
  • Opened 1975
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Opened in 1975 at Pula, some thirty kilometres south-west of Cagliari, the main course at Is Molas was designed by Piero Mancinelli for the firm of Cotton, Pennink & Partners: 18 holes, par 72, 6,383 metres from the back tees. It hosted the Italian Open in 1976, 1982, 2000 and 2001, then the European Ladies' Team Championship in 2019. The layout rolls between maquis and hills, with glimpses of the sea, and the microclimate of the south coast makes it playable all year. An additional par-36 nine-hole course by Franco Piras completes the set.

Official website

Tanka Golf Villasimius

  • Architect: Luigi Rota Caremoli
  • Opened 2007
  • 18 holes
  • Par 70

At Villasimius, on the edge of the Capo Carbonara marine reserve, Tanka opened in 2007 to plans by Luigi Rota Caremoli. It is a short course, par 70 over 5,418 metres, but it demands precision: the more rugged front nine calls for a real variety of shots, while the flatter back nine lets you breathe. Views over the hills and the Villasimius coastline account for much of its charm. It suits players of every level and pairs well with a day at the beach, about an hour from Cagliari.

Official website

Is Arenas Golf

  • Architect: Robert von Hagge (von Hagge, Smelek & Baril)
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Allow about an hour and a half's drive north-west to reach Narbolia, near Oristano, but Is Arenas justifies the journey. Designed by Robert von Hagge and his firm von Hagge, Smelek & Baril, this 6,960-yard par 72 winds through a forest of pines and junipers, on sandy, gently rolling ground near the shore. It is the most natural course of the trip, to be played as a day trip or with a night on site, as the estate offers accommodation.

Signature hole. The 17th, a downhill par 4, turns left towards a green heavily guarded by bunkers.

Official website

Where to stay

Villa Fanny

A historic nineteen-room villa in the heart of Cagliari, set in a garden of more than 1,000 m², a rarity in the city centre. Rooms range from doubles to duplexes, breakfast and light lunches are served in the garden, and a heated jacuzzi awaits after golf. The old town and the port are within walking distance, and the railway station, linked to the airport, is close by. Selected by the Michelin Guide.

Palazzo Tirso Cagliari MGallery

Built between 1924 and 1927 by the engineer Flavio Scano and long home to Sardinia's electricity company, this Art Nouveau palazzo on Piazza Deffenu, facing the port, has been reimagined by the Milanese designer Marco Piva: 85 rooms, a spa, two restaurants. Go up to Cielo on the roof as the sun sets over the port and the façades of Via Roma, and book ahead: the people of Cagliari come too.

Is Molas Resort

To sleep at the course rather than in town: the four-star superior hotel on the Is Molas estate, at Pula, has 72 renovated rooms, and villas can be rented on the estate. Ask for a Deluxe Sea View: its private balcony looks over the Gulf of Nora. The first tee is a few steps away; from June to September a shuttle runs to the Beach Club on the Porto d'Agumu cove, for dinner by the sea.

Garden of an old villa with an ochre facade and wooden shutters, orange trees, a palm and wrought-iron chairs on gravel

Where to dine

Luigi Pomata

A Cagliari classic on Viale Regina Margherita, between the port and the Castello. The fish and seafood cooking revisits Sardinian recipes, and tuna, the house speciality, appears in every form down to jars to take home. Modern dining rooms and a terrace; book for a polished dinner.

Sa Domu Sarda

A straightforward Sardinian address on Via Sassari, selected by the Michelin Guide. Simple dining rooms, traditional décor and hearty inland cooking: malloreddus, culurgiones, meatballs of Sardinian red beef, and to finish, sebadas, cheese-filled pastries drizzled with honey.

Fradis Minoris

The Michelin star of southern Sardinia, at Pula. Chef Francesco Stara serves a single tasting menu on the edge of the Nora lagoon, reached on foot along a spit of land between sea and lagoon: lagoon fish, wild herbs and vegetables from the Campidano. The ideal table after a day at Is Molas.

Beyond golf

The Castello and the Bastione di Saint Remy

The Castello quarter occupies the hill above the city, ringed by ramparts and two Pisan towers from the early 14th century. You climb up by way of the Bastione di Saint Remy, built between 1896 and 1903 in white and yellow limestone, whose terrace offers the finest view over the port and the gulf. Come in the late afternoon, when the stone turns golden.

Flamingos and Poetto beach

On the edge of the city, the Molentargius-Saline park brings together ponds and old salt pans where you can watch flamingos. It runs alongside Poetto, the city's beach, which stretches for about eight kilometres from the Sella del Diavolo towards Quartu Sant'Elena. A morning's cycle between the two makes a good break between rounds.

Nora and Su Nuraxi di Barumini

At Pula, close to Is Molas, Nora preserves the remains of a Punic, then Roman, city by the sea. Further north, in the island's interior, Su Nuraxi di Barumini, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997, is the most impressive site of the Nuragic civilisation: a tower from the 17th century BC, its bastion and its stone village.

Colourful old town perched on limestone ramparts, a church dome and a small harbour in the foreground

When to go

Cagliari has hot, dry summers and mild winters, with little rain over the year. Spring, from March to June, and autumn, from September to November, are the best periods: pleasant temperatures and courses in good condition. July and August sometimes top 40°C and call for dawn tee times; the coast is very busy then. Winter remains playable at Is Molas, whose microclimate allows golf all year round.

Getting there

Cagliari-Elmas airport (CAG) is a few kilometres from the centre, about a quarter of an hour by taxi; a rail line also links it to the city. A hire car is essential for the courses: about 40 minutes to Is Molas, about an hour to Tanka and about an hour and a half to Is Arenas.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course near Cagliari?

Is Molas, at Pula, about 40 minutes' drive away. Opened in 1975 and designed by Cotton, Pennink & Partners, this par 72 has hosted the Italian Open four times, in 1976, 1982, 2000 and 2001.

How many golf courses are there around Cagliari?

Only one major course is within three quarters of an hour: Is Molas, which has 27 holes. Tanka, at Villasimius, is about an hour away, and Is Arenas, near Oristano, about an hour and a half.

When is the best time to play golf in southern Sardinia?

From March to June and from September to November. Summer sometimes tops 40°C; winter is mild and Is Molas stays open all year.

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

Four to six nights: two rounds at Is Molas, a day at Tanka, perhaps a trip to Is Arenas, and time for the Castello, Nora and Poetto beach.

Do you need a car for a golf trip to Cagliari?

Yes. The airport is about a quarter of an hour from the centre, but the courses are 40 minutes or more away by road: a hire car is the simplest solution.

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