Pevero - Sardinia - Italy

Italy as a country will never be a high profile golf destination, but the island of Sardinia is a pleasant retreat for Europeans wishing the escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

In the northeast corner of the island just north of the port of Olbia, golfers will find themselves at Pevero Golf Club – which famously provided magnificent vantage points for Mr. James Bond in the summer of 1976 for “The spy who loved me”. Although 007 did not do battle with an arch enemy on this property, that task was left for Robert Trent Jones Snr who took on the challenge of routing a course across rocky hilly terrain which was not easy.

The routing is very tough at this course. The topography doesn’t lend itself to a simple flow. Each hole sits alone as its own unique creation. On the back nine, the distance between many of the holes becomes very noticeable as RTJ Snr wrestled with how to connect each hole to the next. To his credit, the architect does introduce a number of panoramic views with thrilling backgrounds.

This course is pleasant, but tough to fall in love with. In addition to the routing, the biggest challenge I found was calculating the distances on approaching shots. There’s so much uphill and downhill that you frequently get caught out. On a side note, it’s really sad that Marco Simone GC was given the 2022 Ryder Cup as Italy is not a golf destination, the country does not have outstanding golf and there were dozens of better options across the continent. Shame ‘money’ had to get the way – but such is life.

I played the course a few days ago and although I am not particularly a fan of RTJ I have to admit I liked it a lot. The course is cleverly routed through hilly terrain and rock formations in two Loops that reach on opposite sides toward the sea. The course conditioning was immaculate. Very fast and undulating Greens. Almost all of the holes were interesting and the course Plays very tough. Par is hard to play. Combined with the breathtaking scenery and the top Level clubhouse, there is nothing to complain about. For me Pevero is one of the Top 100 golf courses in Europe. And clearly superior to Is Arenas.

The course is very expensive and it has not much to offer for that price, the landscape is nice however the staff is not very friendly and I found some greens in poor conditions.

in a beautiful part of the world and the site is lovely but for me the course came up short. The 1st and 9th are classic examples as they are just fairly open bland holes. The condition was good although the tees had just been hollow tined with the excess left on top (but I can excuse that). Does not compare to Is Arenas on the west coast of Sardinia which was by far a better course anyone who says otherwise is out of touch with reality. Clubhouse views were beautiful but for Euro's 120 it had to have something..

This course must be one of the most beautiful I have ever played: so many holes just outshine the finest any other course could manage. As you walk to the next tee, you keep thinking: this must be it...and then a new stunning panorama opens up and you feel like taking another photo! The course is not easy: it demands straight hitting, anything off the fairway is normally a write-off. It is also not that short, considering it was built so long ago. As opposed to Spérone, the finish is impeccable, the practice facilities superb, the service flawless, though perhaps on the snooty side (a few of the British regulars explained that the guy at reception was new...). The only downside is that the restaurant is only open at lunch. Others would kill for that view! ...and, it is not cheap, but if you have made it here, you perhaps belong to a group where other considerations are more important.

I played Cala di Volpe or Pevero last summer (-07). I had played it before, in -91...so, plenty of time had passed and it seemed for the better. Pevero was in a surprisingly good condition from what I recall from the last time I played here. A week earlier I had played Sperone on the south coast of Corse and it's difficult not to compare the both. Both are in the most beautiful locations you can imagine, one of them is in excellent shape and one could be improved quite a lot. Pevero is the winner this time. Where the french seem to lack interest in making the most of the course, the italians have succeeded. What a great place to spend a day! The scenery and the condition of the course makes for a very special experience.