Why have Italian golf clubs seen a 25% rise in green fees since 2015?

A project that promotes golf tourism to Italy has said the country’s golf clubs have seen a stunning 25 per cent rise in green fee income from foreigners in just the last two years.

‘Italy Golf & More’ is the first pan-Italian international promotional golf project, and its figures show that the number of rounds played by international golfers in the country has gone up by around a quarter since 2015.

“Green fee bookings rose by around 15 per cent in 2016 and have increased by a further 10 per cent so far this year, with a rise in numbers reported in regions across the north and south of Italy,” said spokesman Pete Simm.

“The likes of Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto and Sicily have all seen international numbers rise in the last 12 months, while the number of foreign golfers playing rounds in the regions of Trentino Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia has almost doubled during the same period.”

The rise seems to be partly due to Italy being named the host country for the 2022 Ryder Cup, which in turn has meant the country is investing in golf tourism marketing.

Italy Golf & More itself is a collaboration between 12 private sector partner regions, the Italian Golf Federation and the Ministry of Tourism (MIBACT), who have come together to embark on a seven-figure investment to increase awareness, and future golf tourism traffic, from key European markets to Italy.

It has launched the website www.italygolfandmore.com, which, in both English and Italian, features extensive details on the country’s golf courses and regions, and offers the chance to learn more about the many historic, cultural and gastronomic attractions of each featured region.

Bruno Bertero, project co-ordinator for Italy Golf & More, said: “It has been another exciting and hugely encouraging 12 months for golf in Italy which is reflected by these latest figures.

“The number of foreign golfers who are keen to visit all our regions and experience our wide and varied golf product is growing all the time, and we’re looking forward to the country’s influence as an international golf tourism destination continuing to spread as momentum builds towards the 2022 Ryder Cup.”