Golfing Italy...Well, it Was an Experience

We just got back from an 8 day trip to Tuscany.  We went with another couple who had never been to Italy.  My husband and I have been all over the country.  We did it in batches and different ways.  We spent 8 days driving the lake country.  We've been to Rome and Tuscany and Florence.  And we've cruised all around the country on our favorite cruise line Windstar (http://www.windstarcruises.com/). From Venice to Malta, from Rome to Venice, from Rome to Rome.  This trip we stayed at a great little boutique hotel Villa Le Barone (http://www.villalebarone.com/) right smack dab in the middle of Chianti.
 After a few days of trudging through the streets and tourists in Siena and San Gimignano, we decided, what the hell, there's a golf course nearby.  Let's break up the sightseeing and golf.  Now I had looked this golf course up prior to traveling and the reviews weren't that good.  They were mostly based on summer golf and the burnt appearance of the course.  Circolo Golf Ugolino (http://www.golfugolino.it/it/) was founded in 1933 and has hosted many European tournaments. We said let's just go and if it looks terrible, we won't play.  We arrive at the clubhouse and rent clubs.  It cost 95EU or $125 per person US.  Then club rental was 30EU or $40 per person.  This club rental cost was not amusing.  Each bag what 8-10 clubs :).  Not. Plus, they weren't even a set.  But the course looked beautiful.  Since we were in Tuscany, meaning lots of hills, the course was very undulating.  The greens were in good shape as well as the fairways.  Surprising since we're talking August.  We were probably one foursome of a handful on the course.  Because of this, we played 9 and then stopped to eat at the clubhouse and went to play the other 9.  The food was outstanding.  Pasta, pasta, pasta...

For women the course is 5462 yards.  My home course is around 5000.  An average par four was around 325 yards and par fives 425+.  They have a par three that is 185 yards.  The negative, other than the cost of rental for lousy clubs, is that the carts paths are very "natural" meaning not really cart paths.  But we're not at Pinehurst Dorothy.

So if you're in Tuscany and tired of sightseeing, try this course.  It's not cheap but you are in Italy and paying EU prices...