Argentario - Central Italy - Italy
Argentario Resort Golf & Spa,
Via Acquedotto Leopoldino,
58018 Porto Ercole (GR),
Italy
Via Acquedotto Leopoldino,
58018 Porto Ercole (GR),
Italy
+39 0564 1828400
150 km NW of Rome
Welcome, contact in advance
Augusto Orsini
David Mezzacane and Baldovino Dassù
Emanuele Canonica
Visit Golfbreaks.com for a golf holiday at Argentario
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The exclusive five-star Argentario Golf & Spa Resort is set on the Monte Argentario promontory which was once an island but is now connected to mainland Tuscany by three causeways that in turn form two lagoons. The location is spectacular and views from the resort over the golf course to the Orbetello Lagoon are simply delightful. David Mezzacane and the professional golfer Baldovino Dassù designed the Argentario golf course in 2006 and the holes were shaped by Brian Jorgensen, who should take a bow, as the result is a varied, dramatic and technically challenging layout. A great deal of earth was moved to create the 6,218-metre par 71 Argentario course; in fact the site was once used as the promontory’s waste dump. Tens of thousands of indigenous trees and shrubs were planted and the course is managed organically with natural fertilisers and pesticides. In recognition of its green credentials, Argentario is one of only two Italian clubs to receive AgriCert status. There’s stark contrast between the cork oak wooded holes and those in open country, but many of Argentario’s fairways plunge up and down in dramatic style on their way to relatively small but well-guarded greens. Apparently, soon after the course opened, a few European Tour pros were invited to road test the course from the back tees. Their scores were apparently so high that club employees were sworn to secrecy, promising not to reveal the high scores. The small and often sloping greens make scoring here at Argentario rather hard, so select one of the four teeing areas carefully. Enjoy the sea and lagoon views on your way round and then brace yourself for the tough closing three holes. Our favourite is the wicked par three 17th that measures 210 metres from the back markers. With water left and bunkers right this short hole is intimidating, even for the best golfer. Writer Brian Noone sums up the Argentario experience beautifully: “This is both the Tuscany you know and one you’d never expect.” |
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Reviews for Argentario
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I personally enjoyed this course. It is kept quite well (first week of January 2015), and for me playing golf under the sun in January was quite a privilege. My wife and daughter enjoyed the spa at the hotel, and later joined me at the driving range where they had a golf lesson with one of the club's Pros. Food was a bit too expensive at the golf bar. But then there are many places where to eat around the local towns.
January 16, 2015
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I really enjoyed this golf course. It can be quite hard for beginners as it is technical, but I found it really fun. It has a beautiful design in the Tuscan sea landscape. I stayed at the resort on site, so I only paid half of the green fee (there is a 50% discount for guests). However, I think that the price is reasonable for the quality and considering the green fees in other Italian courses. Maintenance should be improved, but I enjoyed the experience and would return for some more golf by the sea.
October 31, 2014
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This Hotel and its Golf Course should be avoided by anyone with good sense. It might attract new Italian golfers with no taste and lots of money but for the rest I recommend you give it a very wide berth. Italy has plenty of good courses, this is not one of them. We visited in June 2014 and the course had just held the Elephant Trust convention. The course had been prepared by starving it of water and maintenance for a month so that it looked like northern Kenya in the dry season. The hotel and its services were similarly lacking in grace and quality whilst the prices were astronomic. There are some wonderful restaurants locally but the food here was that of a cheap french motorway chain, so bad we went outside for breakfast even.
August 25, 2014
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Mike
August 26, 2014
Totally agree. The golf course certainly offers a few great views (e.g. the tee-off of hole #3)but some others holes are below standard, uninteresting and with very common surroundings (not to say ugly). The hotel is a pure rip-off. Its staff lacks "style" and barely knows how to treat guests. I never experienced such a bad service level ranging from the reception to the room service and restaurant (tasteless and expensive). My "suite" room had a balcony offering a view on local weeds. The water of the outside swimming pool looked unclean. Nothing to do during the evening: a boring place.
Just less then two hours from Rome, located in the Argentario promontory in the beautiful Tuscany's Maremma, we find a true gem among Italy's golf courses, the Argentario Golf Resort & SPA. The 18 hole golf course, designed by David Mezzacane and Baldovino Dassù, opened in 2006 and is ranked among the top golf courses in Europe. I played other David Mezzacane courses in the past, and I can say with no doubt that Argentario Golf Course is his masterpiece. The 
views over the Orbetello Lagoon and the Tyrrhenian Sea are breathtaking. The course is scenic and challenging, with several elevation changes covering a natural environment on a protected natural area surrounded by the Mediterranean Vegetation. A location where a refreshing breeze mitigates the temperature and adds an extra challenge to the game which, on this course, requires a combination of accuracy and power. 6.218 meters from the back tees, Argentario golf course is a Par 71. The front-nine provides spectacular views out to sea and across two lagoons that separate Argentario from the mainland, featuring more elevation changes then the back-nine where the course goes inland and flattens with several holes passing directly through olive groves on their way to tricky, undulating greens. Argentario Golf Course has been awarded the “Agri Cert” certification for its bio eco-compatibility, and all products used for its maintenance are completely natural. It also has been awarded and named: Best Golf & Spa in Europe - 2012 - Spa Traveller Awards Favorite Spa in Italy - 2012 - SpaFinder® Wellness Readers’ Choice Country Awards TOP 10 best golf resorts in Italy - 2012 - Condé Nast Traveller 6th amongst all of Europe’s golf courses - 2012 - Albrecht Golf Guide Awards Committed to Green - 2011 - Italian Golf Federation Best Golf Course - 2006 - World of Golf magazine
views over the Orbetello Lagoon and the Tyrrhenian Sea are breathtaking. The course is scenic and challenging, with several elevation changes covering a natural environment on a protected natural area surrounded by the Mediterranean Vegetation. A location where a refreshing breeze mitigates the temperature and adds an extra challenge to the game which, on this course, requires a combination of accuracy and power. 6.218 meters from the back tees, Argentario golf course is a Par 71. The front-nine provides spectacular views out to sea and across two lagoons that separate Argentario from the mainland, featuring more elevation changes then the back-nine where the course goes inland and flattens with several holes passing directly through olive groves on their way to tricky, undulating greens. Argentario Golf Course has been awarded the “Agri Cert” certification for its bio eco-compatibility, and all products used for its maintenance are completely natural. It also has been awarded and named: Best Golf & Spa in Europe - 2012 - Spa Traveller Awards Favorite Spa in Italy - 2012 - SpaFinder® Wellness Readers’ Choice Country Awards TOP 10 best golf resorts in Italy - 2012 - Condé Nast Traveller 6th amongst all of Europe’s golf courses - 2012 - Albrecht Golf Guide Awards Committed to Green - 2011 - Italian Golf Federation Best Golf Course - 2006 - World of Golf magazine
August 22, 2014
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Mike
August 26, 2014
As the Romans said, "de gustibus et coloribus non est disputandum". But this place is far from being a top course. Bad maintenance, dull course design (except for hole 2 and 3). Club house with non-existing service and worthless snack menu. An expensive experience not to be repeated.
Tourists have been heading to Tuscany for centuries. The British, in particular, have always been fond of the region since the days of the Grand Tour when they came over the northern hills into Florence. Cultural delights, superb scenery, fine food and some of the world’s most delicious wines have now been joined by top flight golf courses to add the Tuscany’s long list of attractions.
One of the newcomers is on the western coast with stunning views out to sea and back inland to the Maremma hills. The Argentario Resort Golf & Spa is an exclusive and expensive complex, so don’t be put off by the brutal architectural exterior of the hotel, everything inside is of a serious five star quality.
The course is long, probably too long off the back tees for holiday golf, at 6,800 yards and it is also a hard walk with numerous climbs, so best take a buggy. Spring or early Autumn are the right times to visit as when we played, at the beginning of March, the course was extremely wet which meant that buggies were not available. Also, in high Summer the place can become baked, so do pick your times sensibly. Otherwise this is a spectacular, challenging layout and certainly no place for the novice. Players climb around wooded hillsides and rocky outcrops with some fine raised tee shots to enjoy. We found some of the holes are downright intimidating, and none more so than the par 4 18th where one has to fly an enormous drive over tall trees and a stream at 210 yards to have any chance of reaching the green.
However bad the round, the clubhouse offers some delicious Tuscan wines and excellent local food but this does not come cheaply. In fact nothing comes cheaply at Argentario so take plenty of money with you. This course is certainly worth playing and the hotel is terrific once one gets over the shock of the outside design but is no place for travellers on a budget.
One of the newcomers is on the western coast with stunning views out to sea and back inland to the Maremma hills. The Argentario Resort Golf & Spa is an exclusive and expensive complex, so don’t be put off by the brutal architectural exterior of the hotel, everything inside is of a serious five star quality.
The course is long, probably too long off the back tees for holiday golf, at 6,800 yards and it is also a hard walk with numerous climbs, so best take a buggy. Spring or early Autumn are the right times to visit as when we played, at the beginning of March, the course was extremely wet which meant that buggies were not available. Also, in high Summer the place can become baked, so do pick your times sensibly. Otherwise this is a spectacular, challenging layout and certainly no place for the novice. Players climb around wooded hillsides and rocky outcrops with some fine raised tee shots to enjoy. We found some of the holes are downright intimidating, and none more so than the par 4 18th where one has to fly an enormous drive over tall trees and a stream at 210 yards to have any chance of reaching the green.
However bad the round, the clubhouse offers some delicious Tuscan wines and excellent local food but this does not come cheaply. In fact nothing comes cheaply at Argentario so take plenty of money with you. This course is certainly worth playing and the hotel is terrific once one gets over the shock of the outside design but is no place for travellers on a budget.
August 15, 2013
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martin
August 15, 2013
I stayed at this resort two years ago and enjoyed it tremendously. The modern styled hotel is excellent. The golf course is challenging and features some beautiful holes. Maintenance could be a bit better though and during our stay some fairways were ruined by wild pigs.
Mike
September 17, 2013
The 18th can be played with a ball placed to the right in front of the tees (175-190 yard shot) followed by a long iron to reach the green. So, an enormous drive is not that perequisite to score ;-) Having stayed for a week at the place, I confirm it is a bit "too little value for a lot of money". Maintenance not that impressive.
chris Loynes
August 25, 2014
this must be an in house review, it cant have changed in 6 weeks