I have been lucky enough to travel to Italy a couple of different times for golf trips, to the excellent Verdura Resort in Sicily, as well as the secluded and luxurious Argentario Golf and Wellness Resort in Tuscany. Both of which were very enjoyable and did a significant job in changing how I viewed the country of Italy as a viable golf trip destination. You can imagine my excitement then when I received an invite to go to Italy once again, but my heart rate grew faster still when I learned I would be playing Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, host course for the 2023 Ryder Cup, roughly two months before the event took place. I couldn’t get to the plane fast enough…
GOLF
Let’s not beat around the bush and get right to the golf. The club was named host of the Italian Open in 1994, 2021 and 2022, but it was in 2015 that it really came to prominence after it won the right to host the 2023 Ryder Cup. The main course, designed by Jim Fazio, is a par-72 which has several tees for differing levels of player. I played off the whites which measured 6,234 meters but I did sneak back to play a few of the Ryder Cup tees which measure considerably longer! The course benefits greatly from the natural beauty of its surroundings - namely, the rolling Italian countryside. As such the elevation changes, undulations and roll offs are truly severe throughout the course, whilst accuracy was paramount thanks to the presence of water on a number of holes, and a generous number of bunkers guarding greens and errant tee shots.
All of this was apparent on my first hole of the day, the 10th. One of the hardest holes on the course, it is a reasonably long par-4 that is entirely uphill. The fairway is narrow and there is a ditch that runs up the entire right-hand side, but the real challenge is the approach. Club choice is hugely important because if you come up short, you succumb to the run off at the front of the green and roll back down the hill. Not to mention there are three greenside bunkers guarding the pin as well so I was extremely happy to take a par and move on. It really was a taste of what this course was going to challenge me with and once atop the hill, after playing the 11th hole, you take a breath and see the stunning countryside. I of course also saw a lot of Ryder Cup stands being built and a lot of construction going on!
Some other highlights from the back-nine include the short par-3 13th and then the closing stretch. 15 is a very tough par-4 which has the same kind of layout to the 10th but has more bunkering, whereas the 16th is a driveable par-4 with water and bunkers looming by the green. I think it's a fantastic hole that will really work well during the Ryder Cup. 17 is a very tricky par-3 with a narrow and 37-meter long green, and finally the 18th is a par-5 down the hill with a greenside pond.
The front nine starts with three pretty tricky holes so I think it might be easy to get 3 down very quickly. All three are par-4’s that move up and down the terrain but if honest there was little strategy to them. Regardless, you still have to be accurate and control distances so they will test the best. From there to the end of the front-nine you have two par-3’s, par-4’s and two back-to-back par-5’s which show off all the features I have mentioned already above.
Speaking more generally, I think the par-3’s here are pretty strong. I hit different clubs into every one of them and they all face different ways so have changing winds to deal with. Pars are good scores, and birdies mean you have hit a sublime shot at some point, the way it should be. Overall the greens were fast and true, the rough was incredibly penal when not that far off line, and I would be surprised if anyone plays five sessions at the Ryder Cup, the course is that exhausting to walk. Whilst I enjoyed the experience and played the course so close to the event, I would say that despite it not being my cup of tea, the course could make for a brilliant Ryder Cup because the terrain lends itself to lots of people looking over the holes. It has a stadium course feel which can work at an event as big as the Ryder Cup.
HOTEL
After the golf I actually got to do the 30 minute journey back to the hotel the players will do as well because they will be staying at the Rome Cavalieri, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel - one side will be for Europe, the other USA. I had two nights there and if I am honest it was a luxury I hadn’t experienced before. The hotel overlooks the entire city with views over the Vatican to the right and Colosseum in the distance, best enjoyed from one of the hotel’s spectacular suites, some of which have private roof terraces with hot tubs.
There are 345 deluxe rooms along with 25 suites at the hotel and whilst I may not have had a hot tub, I did stay in a suite with a spectacular view of Rome. I also got to enjoy the Imperial Club which was a nice place to sit and have a drink, or some light food too.
Speaking of food, the two main choices at the hotel are Uliveto, the restaurant underneath the lobby and next to the outdoor swimming pool which serves a full menu of Mediterranean and international dishes. The food was utterly delicious and there is also the option to go to La Pergola, on top of the eighth floor which is a three Michelin star restaurant by Heinz Beck. (Unfortunately, I did not get to eat here).
The other star of the show here is the art. The private collection of paintings, tapestries, period furniture, statues and artefacts are exhibited throughout the hotel’s public areas and suites, and as such I found it very easy to spend a long time just looking at all the pieces and reading the displays. The painting of Ulysses discovering Achilles by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, which is in the hotel lobby and the only one behind glass, is ginormous in every sense of the word.
If golf isn’t for you, then the health, fitness and relaxation facilities may well be, because the hotel really delivers here. There are 10 treatment rooms, two saunas, whirlpool and an amethyst Turkish bath, a state-of-the-art fitness centre and there are three outdoor swimming pools, including a children's pool, as well as a glass-domed indoor pool. There is quite literally something for everyone here, and I should also say there are two red clay tennis courts, a fitness trail on site, and the Stadio Olimpico is not that far away either. The hotel also does a shuttle service into the centre of the city which is a nice touch whilst you can also go on a private tour of the Vatican Gardens or Galleria Colonna.
Put simply, the hotel catered for every need I could want, as did the staff who were super-friendly and helpful throughout my stay. Getting back to the airport took around 30 mins making it ideally situated to get just about anywhere during my stay. Finally, I should admit that all of this does come at a cost and staying here, as well as playing golf at Marco Simone, will require some financial planning for many. But both places offer a number of deals throughout the year so plan ahead to get the best one. You won't be disappointed.
