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Golf guide • Italy • Lazio

Golf in Rome: the Ryder Cup, the Appian Way and the Eternal City

Rome offers three 18-hole courses between twenty and forty minutes from the centre: Marco Simone at Guidonia, redesigned for the 2023 Ryder Cup; the Acquasanta, Italy's oldest golf club, beside the ancient Appian Way; and Castelgandolfo, laid out by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in an old volcanic crater. Golfers come for a round in the morning and the city in the evening, ideally in spring and autumn, when the Roman heat eases.

Plan this tripUpdated

Rome is not first and foremost a golf destination, and that is precisely the charm of the trip: you sleep in the heart of the historic city, play in the Roman countryside and return for an aperitivo on a baroque piazza. Three courses are enough to fill the stay, each with its own character: a championship venue shaped for the Ryder Cup, a century-old club among the aqueducts, and an American layout set in a crater of the Castelli Romani.

Distances stay reasonable. The Acquasanta is about twenty minutes from the centre along the Via Appia Nuova, Marco Simone 17 kilometres to the north-east, Castelgandolfo 25 kilometres to the south-east, above Lake Albano. The terrain is the same everywhere: gentle hills, umbrella pines, fast greens in summer and, often on the horizon, the dome of St Peter's rising out of the haze.

Three to five nights is the right rhythm: two or three courses, a morning at the Vatican Museums, an evening in Trastevere. The rest can be decided on the spot, between a neighbourhood trattoria and a great starred table. A car with driver makes transfers to the clubs simple and leaves the centre for walking.

The courses

Green and flag beside a pond, arches of an ancient brick aqueduct and umbrella pines behind

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club

  • Architect: Jim Fazio, David Mezzacane; European Golf Design, Tom Fazio II (2021)
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Below the castle of Marco Simone, a fortified manor restored in the 1970s by the fashion designer Laura Biagiotti, the championship course was entirely reworked by European Golf Design and Tom Fazio II for the Ryder Cup. Reopened in 2021, it plays with the natural undulations of the land, large and heavily contoured greens, and water hazards placed for match play. Europe won the 2023 Ryder Cup here by 16.5 to 11.5, and the club has hosted several Italian Opens. A demanding course, open to visitors by reservation, best kept for golfers on form.

Signature hole. The 16th, a par 4 of about 320 metres, tempts long hitters to go for the green in one, at real risk; the 18th, a long par 5 with water down the left, closes the card.

Official website

Circolo del Golf di Roma Acquasanta

  • Opened 1903
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Italy's oldest golf club settled in 1903 on the Acquasanta lands, south-east of the city, and has played over 18 holes since 1913. The setting is unique: the arches of the Claudian aqueduct, the mausoleum of Caecilia Metella and the ancient Appian Way border a course crossed by the Almone, a small stream. The layout has changed little since its beginnings; the back nine loops around the front nine, in the manner of Muirfield. It is a private club of great tradition that welcomes visitors by reservation through the club office.

Signature hole. The 7th, a par 5 dog-leg left, reveals the arches of the Roman aqueduct behind the green as you approach.

Official website

Country Club Castelgandolfo

  • Architect: Robert Trent Jones Sr.
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Some 25 kilometres south-east of Rome, near Castel Gandolfo and Lake Albano, Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed this course in the floor of an ancient volcanic crater. Three lakes, 93 bunkers, olive trees and centuries-old trees shape a technical par 72, more intimate than Marco Simone. The 17th-century villa left by Cardinal Chigi overlooks the fairways and serves as the clubhouse. Visitors book their tee times online; it pairs well with an afternoon in the Castelli Romani.

Official website

Where to stay

Villa Spalletti Trivelli

An aristocratic residence on the Quirinal, one of the seven historic hills, a few steps from Piazza del Quirinale and the Trevi Fountain. The salons and library are furnished with family antiques, the garden offers true calm in the middle of the city and the spa helps you recover after a round. A discreet address on the scale of a private house, for those who prefer intimacy to a grand hotel.

G-Rough

A 17th-century palazzo on little Piazza di Pasquino, at the corner of Piazza Navona. The suites mix old ceilings, period floors and vintage furniture, with a wine bar on the ground floor. The spirit is that of a Roman apartment rather than a hotel: ideal for living the historic centre on foot, from Piazza Navona to Campo de' Fiori.

Rome Cavalieri

On the heights of Monte Mario, in extensive parkland, the Rome Cavalieri, part of the Waldorf Astoria collection, offers what the centre cannot: pools, a large spa, space and a view over the whole city. Its art collection unfolds along the corridors. Marco Simone includes it in its golf packages, and the hotel is home to La Pergola, Rome's great table.

Ochre façade with green shutters, potted lemon trees and wrought-iron chairs along a gravel path

Where to dine

La Pergola

At the Rome Cavalieri, Heinz Beck's restaurant was the first in Rome to win three Michelin stars. Italian and Mediterranean cooking of great precision, served facing the illuminated city, with a cellar to match. An evening to book well ahead, for the last dinner of the trip.

Da Enzo al 29

A small family trattoria on Via dei Vascellari in Trastevere, for Roman cooking without frills: carbonara, cacio e pepe, amatriciana, oxtail alla vaccinara. It takes no reservations: arrive at opening time, at noon or 6.30pm, to avoid the queue.

Osteria Da Fortunata

Near Campo de' Fiori, on Via del Pellegrino, the pastaie roll and cut fresh pasta in the window in full view of passers-by. People come for the great Roman classics, carbonara and cacio e pepe first among them, in a lively atmosphere. It now has several addresses in the historic centre.

Trattoria table in a cobbled lane at dusk, two plates of pasta and a carafe of white wine

Beyond golf

The Vatican and the Sistine Chapel

The Vatican Museums lead, gallery after gallery, to the Sistine Chapel and the ceiling painted by Michelangelo. Book a slot online, ideally at opening time, and finish at St Peter's Basilica. A morning is enough, leaving the afternoon free for a tee time at the Acquasanta.

The ancient Appian Way

The Appia Antica regional park protects some 4,500 hectares south-east of the city: a long stretch of the Roman road, the catacombs of St Callixtus and St Sebastian, the tomb of Caecilia Metella and the Park of the Aqueducts with the arches of the Aqua Claudia. The Appian Way has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2024. By bike, the ride is a natural follow-on to a round at the Acquasanta, which borders it.

The Castelli Romani

South-east of Rome, the Alban Hills gather hilltop towns above volcanic lakes. Castel Gandolfo, summer residence of the popes since the 17th century, has opened its Apostolic Palace to the public as a museum. The neighbouring vineyards produce Frascati and other local whites, to taste in a fraschetta after a round at Castelgandolfo.

When to go

Spring, from March to June, and autumn, from September to November, are the best seasons: mild weather, greens in good condition and golden light late in the day. April, May and October are also the city's busiest months, and hotels book up early. July and August often exceed 30°C and are only playable from the first tee time. Winter remains playable in dry weather, cool in the mornings, with more rain.

Getting there

Rome Fiumicino airport (FCO) is about thirty kilometres from the centre, roughly 45 minutes by car; the Leonardo Express reaches Termini station in 32 minutes. Ciampino, closer to the centre, mainly handles low-cost and private flights. From the centre, allow about twenty minutes to the Acquasanta and about forty to Marco Simone and Castelgandolfo.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course in Rome?

Marco Simone at Guidonia, redesigned by European Golf Design and Tom Fazio II, hosted the 2023 Ryder Cup and several Italian Opens. The Acquasanta, the country's oldest club, is the choice for lovers of history.

Can you play the 2023 Ryder Cup course in Rome?

Yes. Marco Simone Golf & Country Club welcomes visitors by reservation, about forty minutes from the centre of Rome.

What is the oldest golf club in Italy?

The Circolo del Golf di Roma Acquasanta, founded in 1903 on the Via Appia Nuova, south-east of Rome. Its course runs alongside the Roman aqueducts and the ancient Appian Way.

When is the best time to play golf in Rome?

From March to June and from September to November. Summer often exceeds 30°C and means playing early; winter remains playable, with more rain.

Which airport is best for a golf trip to Rome?

Rome Fiumicino (FCO), about 45 minutes from the centre by car, or Ciampino, closer in, for some low-cost and private flights.

Tailor-made

Your golf trip: Rome

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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