Corporate golf: team building on Italy’s best courses
Forget Spain and Turkey… Italy is the hot golf destination! It may come as a surprise to some, but golf travel in Italy has been on the rise. And for a good reason too: Italian golf courses offer spectacular sceneries, quality services and facilities, and friendly golf professionals. Add that to the vast array of sightseeing, cultural activities, traditional local events and exquisite cuisine… it’s an irresistible mix, right?
This is the perfect context for companies planning to organize team building activities that revolve around – but also go beyond – golf, providing a 360-degree sports and cultural experience for participants.
Let us have a look at some of the best golf destinations along with many engaging activities from the north to the south of Italy!
Just 90 minutes away by car from Milan, Arzaga Golf Club features 2 golf courses by Jack Nicklaus II and Gary Player, plus a golf academy. This is where participants can enjoy especially designed exercises to strengthen management skills, such as balancing stress and wellbeing. The adjacent spa allows for some extra relaxation and the enjoyment of all senses. Golf & wellness can be alternated with activity-packed days out in the surroundings: cultural and historic sightseeing in Salò and Gardone Riviera, water sports on picturesque Lake Garda, wine tasting and winery tours in the nearby area of Franciacorta.
Other wonderful golf courses in northern Italy include the ones of Frassanelle and Montecchia near Padua, which according to worldgolf.com “add a touch of English charm to the Venetian countryside”. Asiago Golf Club is considered one of the most beautiful mountain courses in Europe, while Golf Club des Iles Borromees offers panoramic views from Lake Maggiore. Up here, our favorite team building activities to complement golf include truffle hunting, Prosecco tours and visits to royal castles and palaces.
Moving to central Italy, Tuscany offers breathtaking courses such as Royal Golf La Bagnaia and Castelfalfi, both of which lie next to ancient medieval hamlets. The setting is ideal for golf exercises aimed at controlling one’s emotions and at building confidence. To test the new skills outside the golf courses, why not practice some Dzogchen? It is one of the most ancient teachings of the Tibetan spiritual tradition, and can be enjoyed at the international Dzogchen center in the Tuscan countryside, near Arcidosso!
In the Marches, Conero Golf Club stands out for its 18-hole championship and 5-hole executive courses next to Sirolo Nature Park. Other activities in the region include guided visits to traditional family-owned shoe and clothing factories, which often work for the most famous luxury brands.
For a golf experience near Rome, Castelgandolfo offers a lovely course by Robert Trent Jones’ with the Pope’s summer residence overlooking your team building activities! Those with little time at disposal can have a quick golf-in-Rome experience at Garden Golf University, a new driving range within the Botanic Garden of Tor Vergata. It is the capital’s first club with night lights, which means that participants can practice their swings and putts even after sunset.
In Apulia, San Domenico Golf includes typical local plants and rocks that give it a unique identity. The history behind the amusing Trulli and elegant limestone Masserie make the Salento area ideal for cultural activities and sightseeing; while sea sports like sailing and diving are perfect for developing the ability to manage collaboration and competition.
In exotic Sicily, at Verdura Golf Club there are three links-style golf courses designed by Kyle Phillips on 1,8 km of panoramic coastline. During winter this island offers not only the chance of playing golf in a mild weather, but also the possibility to ski! Fantastic ski slopes are available on Mount Etna, which is also a great place for learning about volcanic activity and eco-systems, providing participants with a unique educational experience.
Are you planning any corporate golf trips with team building activities in Italy? Contact Italian Special Occasions DMC now for your customized quote!
Photo credits:
Arzaga Golf Club, Lombardy
Castelfalfi Golf Club, Tuscany
San Domenico Golf, Apulia
