Italy's best golf courses, by Costantino Rocca Menaggio: This is the oldest of the courses in the Lakes, with great views of Lake Como and the mountains, a traditional atmosphere and, for those very rare wet-weather days, a famous library of golf literature. The course may not be long but it is quite tight, so make sure you play straight. Enter one of the competitions and you might find yourself playing with George Clooney, who has a house nearby and is not a bad golfer. 5,476m, par 70; €65 (menaggio.it). Castelgandalfo: Olgiata, rather than this course, is where aspiring Italian professionals go to qualifying school - just as I did. It's a demanding layout, especially since they added 800m as part of Rome's bid for the 2020 Olympics. For holiday golf, I recommend Castelgandolfo, set in an extinct volcanic crater in the Frascati hills, overlooked by the Pope's summer residence. If he wanted to take up the game, he would have a beautiful course in his back yard. The club has accommodation and a good restaurant in the clubhouse, a 17th-century palazzo. 6,205m, par 72; €65 (countryclubcastelgandolfo.it). Tuscany Argentario: This new resort in the Maremma offers luxury accommodation paired with coastal golf. They say the prevailing style is minimalist chic, but there is nothing minimalist about the bill. 6,218m, par 71; €70 (argentariogolfresortspa.it). South San Domenico: This is the best of Puglia's courses - wide open and often windy, with a beautiful hotel, the Masseria San Domenico, among the olive groves nearby. People come to Puglia to enjoy the local food, notably the pesto, and escape the northern winter. It's a great choice for golfers, too, with a beautiful clubhouse. Just the place for a Rocca Golf Ambition winter clinic! 6,388m, par 72; €95 (golfpuglia.it). Sardinia Pevero: Take a lot of balls to this spectacular Robert Trent Jones course on the fashionable Costa Smeralda. The fairway is not very wide and if you miss it, you are in the macchia. The wind always blows hard here, and the same is true across the water at Sperone (Corsica), where I also love to play. 6,150m, par 72; €90 (golfclubpevero.net). Sicily Il Picciolo: I am designing a new course near Taormina right now, but progress has been held up by a combination of bad weather and Sicilian attitude. Until that is finished, my favourite Sicilian course is the original one, on a country estate near Linguaglossa on the shoulder of Etna, with the smoking volcano always in view. There is a new resort hotel beside the course, but I prefer the "dormy house" or foresteria solution, staying in the clubhouse - good food and a friendly atmosphere. 5,881m, par 72; €80 (ilpicciologolf.com).