Circolo Golf Venezia
Founded in 1928. Born from a conversation at the Excelsior
According to club lore, the story begins on our own terrace. In 1928, Henry Ford, a frequent guest of the Excelsior disembarked at the Lido with his golf clubs in hand. When he asked his friend Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata where he might play a round, the answer was uncomfortable: nowhere. Golf was still virtually unknown in Italy. Volpi was not a man to disappoint a guest. Within a remarkably short time, a hundred-hectare stretch of sandy dunes at Alberoni, the southern tip of the Lido had been transformed into a 9-hole course designed by the Scottish architect Cruickshank, of Maxwell M. Hart of Glasgow. The Circolo Golf Venezia was founded that same year, with Volpi as its driving force. What began as a gesture of hospitality became a permanent institution. Expanded to 18 holes in 1951 by the English architect C.K. Cotton, the Circolo remains one of the very few true links courses in Italy. The 18-hole, par-72 layout winds between Adriatic dunes, maritime pines, and the lagoon, with the first tee set atop an eighteenth-century Austrian fort that today forms the elegant clubhouse. Few courses in the world offer such a setting. None offer it with this particular history. The Circolo has hosted the Italian Open three times (1955, 1960, 1974) and the Italian Senior Open for several editions since 2004. Arnold Palmer once played here five under par. Henry Cotton, the Duke of Windsor and many of the game's great names have all walked these fairways. The Circolo sits at Alberoni, at the southern tip of the Lido, a short and scenic transfer from the hotel by car, taxi, or private water taxi. The journey itself, along the length of the Lido and across to the dunes, is part of the experience.
Guest Relations
Leave the logistics to us
Tee times, transfers, equipment hire, our guest relations team will handle it all. Just tell us when you'd like to play.
Your questions, answered
Circolo Golf Venezia is a 20 minute drive from the hotel. Our guest relations team will recommend the best options for your level of play.
Yes — tee times, transfers and equipment hire are all handled by our team. Just tell us when you'd like to play and we'll take care of everything.
The launch departs from the hotel's private pier and arrives at a landing near San Marco, putting you at the heart of the city in around 15 minutes.