Golf in Italy, driving down from Germany

Crossing the Brenner into South Tyrol

The Brenner Pass is the natural gateway for golfers driving down from Germany, and the first stop worth making is South Tyrol around Merano. Golf Club Eppan sits among vineyards rather than the apple orchards the region is better known for, and two of its wine names, St. Michael-Eppan and Cantina Tramin, are close enough to fold into the same afternoon. For the drive itself, Terme Merano, the thermal complex designed by architect Matteo Thun, is a sensible way to shake off the motorway before the clubs come out of the boot.

The short hop to Trentino & the Dolomites, 14 km

From Eppan, Trentino & the Dolomites is only 14 km away, the shortest link between any two itineraries on this site. Campo Carlo Magno, up in Madonna di Campiglio, has been played since 1923 and is one of the oldest courses in Italy. Down in the valley, Trento is Ferrari Trentodoc country, and Tenuta San Leonardo makes the case that Trentino’s reds deserve as much attention as its sparkling wine.

The long haul to Lake Garda, 114 to 127 km

This is where the route stops being a quick hop. Lake Garda & Valpolicella sits 114 km from Trentino & the Dolomites, or 127 km on the more direct road straight down from South Tyrol. Either way, it is worth the distance: Gardagolf and Chervò San Vigilio are two of the lake’s established clubs, Lugana and Valpolicella cover the white and red sides of the wine list between them, and Aquaria in Sirmione or the more secluded Lefay resort handle the spa half of the trip.

Two ways to finish: Prosecco Hills or the Euganean Hills

From Lake Garda the route splits. One road runs 107 km east to the Prosecco Hills around Asolo, through the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene hills that UNESCO listed for their vineyards. The other runs 84 km southeast to the Euganean Hills around Abano, where Golf Club Montecchia carries a GEO sustainability certification and the thermal baths of Abano rank among the oldest spa towns in Europe. Neither leg is long enough to need a second overnight stop, so the choice comes down to whether the last day of the trip should be about wine or water.

For the weather along this whole route, golf in Italy in September has Lake Garda cooling to a comfortable 24.4 degrees with under nine rain days, close to the best trade-off the itinerary gets all year.

This route already exists in the heads of German-speaking golfers driving to Tuscany or further south. A German-language version of this itinerary is on its way.