Two hours by car or twenty minutes by helicopter from our stretch of coast sits one of the most spectacular golf courses in Europe, rated among the top five Italian courses according to Leading Golf Courses, and 32nd among more than 700 fairways on the Old Continent. The unique characteristics of each hole, and the layout imposed by the need to exploit the natural lines of the forest that borders the course, create a living, technical and challenging course. Open all year round, Is Arenas enjoys the benefits of solidity of intent and investment, as well as a focus on sustainability. This private course offers all the comforts of its status: no tee-time, a simple wooden shed as a starter point, an atmosphere of relaxed luxury bordering on shabby chic. There is no clubhouse, snacks are served on the course and plates of spaghetti, clams and mullet roe can be enjoyed on the veranda after a game, followed by a dip in the sea and a shower on the beach before heading home.
Is Arenas is no isolated oasis in the desert, it lies at the centre of one of the most interesting territories on the entire island: Sinis, on the western coast of Sardinia, offering an unencumbered horizon over sea where each day the sun disappears in a riot of colours. Among the natural wonders of Sinis is the Is Arenas pine forest, over 1,000 hectares of sand dunes, trees and Mediterranean scrub, 750 of which welcome the few privileged players on the fantastic 18-hole par 72 course designed by Robert Von Hagge. The 6,800 m course winds in a figure of eight, allowing players on various holes to almost never meet, and underlining the sense of peace and privacy that is one of the principal features of this club.
From many points of view, the most important feature of Is Arenas is the surrounding context: authentic villages, simple trattorias where the farm-to-table ethos was practically invented, earthen houses, archaeological sites, wineries, flamingos, olive groves, a heritage of culture and tradition as singular as it is fascinating. Hidden away here – but not too much – are some of the major must-sees on the island. The Santa Cristina spring, the ruins of the Phoenician city of Tharros, the Giants of Monte ‘E Prama, the natural limestone arch of S’Archittu, the citrus groves of Milis, the fish pools of Cabras, the famous beaches of Is Arutas, Mari Ermi, and Putzu Idu, in addition to the beach adjoining the golf course, six kilometres long and almost always deserted.
A private course is a world apart, an environment that is created gradually among the players who have forged a bond with the family that created it. The lucky ones can find its founder, Pier Maria Pellò, in the mood to tell some of the fantastic anecdotes from his life.
Is Arenas means “the beaches” or, in this case, the sands. In a rare ecosystem of vast sand dunes stretching over 1,000 hectares, a precious forest of holm oaks and junipers once stood, which was cleared in the 19th century.
Pellò, a professor of engineering at the Polytechnic University of Milan, arrived in the 1970s with a UAZ (Editor’s note: a Russian army off-road vehicle). The pine forest was impenetrable. Over the next 30 years, Pellò created roads and ponds and experimented with Bermuda Grass, a tropical variety that does well in the heat. Finally, in 1999, the 18-hole par 72 Is Arenas course was inaugurated.
An extraordinary course.
The legendary Robert Von Hagge, the architect of Baron Bich’s golf course, was called in to design the greens and fairways. Here he expressed the full extent of his ability and style. Passionate about the natural dunes, he included those still free from the pine forest in the course. He argued that while the forest is shaded and the holes are sheltered from the wind, the dunes provide visuals, emotion and perspective. History depicts him with his American fisherman’s hat and a notepad on which, in pencil and charcoal, he draws one of his most typical fields, the Mounts and the Sandy Wests are modelled in sand, of which there is no shortage here. A non-invasive project on an environmental level, and an exemplary one in the history of golfing landscapes: a highly technical and difficult course when starting from the championship tees, and an exciting one from the other starts.
“Von Hagge was so good that he made even the shortest holes challenging. All along the course the greens and bunkers are arranged in such a way as to require excellent strategic ability in addition to skill.” according to Silvia Valli, a longstanding contributor to the Rolex Guide, which rates the 1,000 most beautiful courses in the world. “What I love about Is Arenas is the perfect layout of the obstacles, the sequence of the holes, and the impeccable maintenance in every season.”
Life at Is Arenas
At Is Arenas, players are welcomed in the Foresteria degli Ulivi and the Bistrot degli Ulivi, at the centre of the course, where the relaxed and informal atmosphere characteristic of the best sporting clubs reigns supreme. Franco Majno, CEO of 2fast4you and President of the Bugatti Club Italy is certainly a fan, and when touring Sardinia with his groups of super-cars (and super-drivers), never misses an opportunity to stop off here.
The suites of the foresteria, or guest house, designed by Silvia Teresa (how handy to have an owner who is an architect) are spacious and elegant, cool in summer and warm in winter. Their decidedly Mediterranean mood is underlined by the profusion of sea and pine that bursts through the windows. Below, at the shared tables, the daily rituals of breakfast, dinner and prize-givings take place, old discussions are rehashed and new acquaintances are made. Everything contributes to the general feeling of being in a more relaxed and comfortable dimension: almost, one might say, on another planet.
