Sardinia is not a golf destination in the way Portugal or Spain is. There is no cluster of thirty courses within forty minutes of the airport. What Sardinia has instead is something rarer: one genuinely world-class golf course set inside the most beautiful stretch of Mediterranean coastline in Europe, and a handful of honest supporting options around the island. That is enough for a memorable golf holiday, provided you understand what you are booking.
I have been sending golfers to Sardinia since 2012. The island works best as a combination trip: two or three rounds of golf built around a week that also includes the sea, the food, and the extraordinary light that makes Sardinia look like nothing else in Italy. Golfers who arrive expecting the same density of options as the Algarve are disappointed. Those who arrive knowing they will play Pevero twice and Is Molas once, and spend the rest of the week on the terrace of a Costa Smeralda hotel, leave already planning a return.
The island divides naturally into three golf zones. The north, specifically the Costa Smeralda and the Gallura region, is built around Pevero and the extraordinary infrastructure of Porto Cervo. The south, centred on Cagliari and the Pula coast, offers Is Molas and access to Forte Village. The west coast, largely unknown to British and German golfers who dominate the island\'s tourism, contains Is Arenas, a course that deserves far more attention than it gets. Flying into Olbia serves the north; Cagliari serves the south and west.
Pevero Golf Club
The only course in Sardinia that belongs in a conversation about Europe's elite. Robert Trent Jones Sr. carved Pevero out of the natural granite landscape of the Costa Smeralda in 1972, commissioned by the Aga Khan as part of his legendary resort development. The terrain does what no architect can invent: cork oaks, salt-scoured rock faces, and views across the Emerald Coast to the islands of La Maddalena. Fairways wind through ravines and over ridges with elevation changes that make club selection genuinely difficult. The par-3 holes are exceptional, particularly the 5th and 16th, where the Mediterranean serves as both backdrop and mental hazard. This is a course where a 10-handicapper can score badly and still walk off the 18th feeling they've played something worth the journey. Green fees reflect the Costa Smeralda postcode more than any pretension, and justifiably so.
Best for: Any golfer visiting Sardinia. Non-negotiable if you are staying in the north.
Is Molas Golf Resort
The main golfing infrastructure of southern Sardinia sits twelve kilometres from Forte Village, the island's most celebrated luxury resort complex. Is Molas runs 27 holes across three nines, the Molas, Stagno, and Laguna loops, each with a distinct character. The Stagno nine borders the lagoon wetlands and delivers the most dramatic scenery; the Molas nine is the most strategically interesting. Green fees are honest for what you get, and the course consistently delivers better conditioning than you might expect from its relaxed price point. For golfers staying at Forte Village or one of the south coast hotels, Is Molas is a natural base for two or three rounds. The combination of a calm, unhurried atmosphere and genuinely varied terrain makes this an underrated destination round.
Best for: Golfers staying in Cagliari or the south coast. Good for multiple rounds.
Golf Club Is Arenas
The west coast of Sardinia is almost unknown to international golfers, which makes Is Arenas one of Europe's quiet secrets. The course sits within a protected coastal pine forest behind the dunes of the Sinis Peninsula, 18 holes laid through Aleppo pines and juniper with distant views of the Oristano Gulf. There is no pretension here: no resort infrastructure, no manicured hotel lounge, just a well-kept course in extraordinary natural surroundings. The wind off the Tyrrhenian Sea makes the exposed holes play longer than the card suggests. Greens are small and firm. This is the sort of course you discover on a second visit to Sardinia and tell no one about. The approach from Oristano takes you through villages that have not changed in fifty years.
Best for: Golfers who want scenery, solitude, and something genuinely different. Combine with a stay in Alghero.
Tanka Golf Club
Villasimius hosts some of Sardinia's finest beaches, and Tanka sits in the middle of the resort zone, a compact and enjoyable layout that suits golfers who want a morning round before the afternoon becomes about the sea. It is shorter and less demanding than the courses above, with tree-lined fairways and predictable terrain. The green fees reflect that honestly. Nobody goes to Tanka expecting Monte Rei. You go because you are in Villasimius for a week, you want to play, and Tanka is there and perfectly decent. The relaxed pace and modest prices make it a reasonable choice for mixed groups or beginners.
Best for: Golfers based in Villasimius who want a casual, low-pressure round.
How to plan a Sardinia golf holiday
When to go
The golf season in Sardinia runs year-round, but the practical window for a golf holiday is April through October. May and June are the sweet spot: temperatures sit between 22–27°C, courses are in good condition after the spring rains, and the island has not yet reached the full summer crowds that arrive in July and August. September is equally excellent and often overlooked. By September the sea is warmest, the summer visitors have left, and course availability opens up. Avoid July and August unless you are committed to early morning tee times: afternoon rounds in 35°C heat on exposed granite terrain are a different experience entirely.
October and November are viable if you are happy with cooler evenings and the possibility of rain on the west coast. Pevero and Is Molas remain open and playable. Is Arenas can get wet in a bad autumn but is rarely closed.
Where to stay
For a golf-focused trip to the north, Porto Cervo and Baja Sardinia give you immediate access to Pevero without a meaningful drive. The Costa Smeralda hotels, Cala di Volpe, Pitrizza, Cervo Hotel, are among the finest resort properties in the Mediterranean, with pricing that reflects that. Budget-conscious golfers staying in Olbia or Palau will find Pevero a 30–45 minute drive: manageable, but worth factoring into tee time planning.
For the south, Forte Village in Pula is the obvious base: the resort has its own shuttle to Is Molas, exceptional facilities, and enough variety across its multiple hotels and villas to suit any budget from comfortable to extravagant. Cagliari city also works as a base; it is 25 minutes from Is Molas and has a wider choice of independent restaurants and a genuine urban atmosphere that the resort zones lack.
Combining north and south in one trip requires either a car (the SS131 highway runs the length of the island, about 2.5 hours Cagliari to Olbia) or a rethink of the itinerary. Moving base once mid-trip is workable. Moving more than once turns a relaxing golf holiday into a logistical exercise.
Getting there
Olbia Costa Smeralda airport serves the north and connects directly to London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Dublin with Ryanair, easyJet, and British Airways during the summer schedule. Flight times from the UK are approximately 2 hours 30 minutes. Cagliari Elmas connects similarly, with slightly more year-round frequency. Both airports have car hire readily available; driving is the practical choice unless you are staying exclusively in Porto Cervo, where taxis are efficient and expensive.
Golf clubs travel without issue to either airport. If you are considering rental clubs, Pevero has a limited selection. Is Molas has better stock. Bringing your own is always the better option for a trip centred on course quality.
How many rounds to plan
A typical Sardinia golf holiday works best over 7 nights with 3–4 rounds of golf. More than that and you are spending the trip driving between the island\'s spread-out courses rather than enjoying the place itself. A sensible programme for a north-based trip: two rounds at Pevero, one at Is Arenas (with a night in Alghero), and a rest day for the beach or a boat trip to La Maddalena. For a south-based trip: two rounds at Is Molas, one at Is Arenas if you are willing to drive, and the rest of the week at Forte Village.
Golfers expecting to play every day will be better served by the Algarve or Costa del Sol. Sardinia rewards those who want golf as one excellent component of a broader Italian island experience, not the only one.
Green fee reality check
Pevero tee times during high season (June–August) can sell out weeks in advance. The club has a limited number of daily visitors and does not operate a large online booking system. Booking through a specialist often accesses blocks of tee times that are not visible to individual golfers searching directly. Off-peak, there is rarely a problem booking 2–3 weeks out. Is Molas and Is Arenas have open availability throughout the season.
Green fees at all Sardinian courses are quoted in euros and can be paid by card. No Sardinian course operates a strict handicap certificate requirement at check-in, though Pevero will politely suggest that golfers with a handicap above 36 may find certain holes challenging.