Italy boasts a collection of Europe's most breathtaking golf courses, many of which have gained recognition for their commitment to eco-friendly practices and sustainable course management. We’ve rounded up our favourite sustainable Italian courses below, all of which are widely acknowledged for their resource conservation efforts and ingenious utilisation of the surrounding land to support their endeavours!
La Pinetina Golf Club - Milan, Italy
La Pinetina, located in Milan, has adopted a ‘less plastic’ policy since 2015. In the clubhouse, products are stored in refillable dispensers, which has helped the club to massively reduce the number of single-use plastics being used. The naturalistic aspects of the course include native mixed woods of deciduous and coniferous trees, Moorland vegetation, and shrubs alongside Mesophilous broad-leaved woods and native flowers. The beautiful lake on the course also acts as a suitable habitat for the reproduction of amphibians and for migratory birds to stop.
La Pinetina have a detailed explanation on their website offering valuable insights into when and how they’ve slowly implemented these sustainable practices over the last 25 years - a very informative read!
Additionally, they’ve committed to using eco-friendly cleaning products around the club house and course. Here at The Bigger Ball we have created a portable sustainable golf cleaner to make it easier to clean your clubs and other golf accessories while on the course or at home.
Castelfalfi Luxury Golf Resort - Siena, Italy
Castelfalfi is a historically rich and medieval estate located in the enchanting Tuscan countryside. Castelfalfi used materials with a high degree of thermal insulation whilst restoring the 5-star buildings on the property to ensure minimal heat exchange. In addition to this, the on-site biomass power plant ensure thermal energy is available for for heating and cooling the buildings. They are also committed to discouraging the use of single-use plastics and promoting tourism attentive to nature. Our Sustainable Bamboo Golf Tees are a great plastic-free tee option to stock at the clubhouse or provide players and guests with if they forget theirs.
The artificial lakes on site collect the rainwater, guaranteeing eco-friendly irrigation of the golf courses, the vineyards and the olive groves (yes, they have 100 acres of Olive Groves too). The Golf Club is officially GEO certified - golf international ecolabel of the high-quality sport worldwide. This is definitely a club to pull inspiration from!
Della Montecchia Golf Club - Padua, Italy
Della Montecchia was one of the first golf clubs in Italy to get involved and research the impacts of golf courses on the environment. In 2000, they joined the “Committed to Green” European Environmental Certification Programme and have been at the forefront of implementing sustainable practices ever since. They won an award in 2007 inclusive of their efforts to expand wild areas, increasing plant and animal species in the process. The elimination of cutting and maintenance practices in out-of-play rough areas also reduces fuel consumption for maintenance machinery.
Built in 1977, this club introduced an initiative to maximise opportunities to reduce, reuse and recycle, giving new life to materials that would otherwise go to landfill. They have produced a total of 42 putting green flags, a food service cart and office furniture. They have a wonderful in-depth timeline on their website about their conservation journey that is definitely worth a read.
Bogogno Golf Resort - Milan, Italy
Bogogno Golf Resort has successfully implemented a Sustainable Energy Policy, marked by the installation of solar panels, the establishment of multiple electric vehicle charging stations, and the gradual transition of their maintenance fleet to hybrid vehicles. This proactive approach of using three hybrid mowers alone has saved 6000 litres of diesel a year. Bogogno is also a member of the GEO Foundation - A non profit, non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting sustainability in golf. The three key sectors they focus on are sustainable golf course management, organisation of “green events”, and the development of new sustainable golf initiatives.
Des Iles Borromees Golf Course- Lake Maggiore, Italy
Des IIes Borromees golf course sits at a stunning 600 meters of altitude, with views of both the Milan skyline and 4 surrounding lakes. It is nestled in woodlands abounding with a variety of native tree and flower species. This golf club is completely run on certified green energy with all traditional lighting fixtures having been replaced by LED lighting, creating a much lower energy demand. They have also fitted solar panels to the clubhouse roof, utilising the energy created to heat the outdoor swimming pool and numerous other energy based facilities. It’s known as the ‘golf club between heaven and earth’ - a must visit if you’re near Milan.
We are feeling very inspired by the Italian approach to implementing sustainable golf course practices. They show that acquiring a thorough and extensive comprehension of the course's land, its key elements such as turf, soils and water as well as ensuring their suitability to the local climate can provide substantial reductions in resource consumption. This not only benefits the environment but also yields financial savings for the club - a win, win!