Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: The Ryder Cup Course Outside Rome
On the rolling countryside beyond Rome, Marco Simone was re-routed and rebuilt for the 2023 Ryder Cup. Its two returning nines combine broad, lower ground with a more elevated back side and a series of decisions built around risk and reward.
Marco Simone sits just beyond Rome, where the countryside rises and falls around a historic estate. The course became one of the defining modern Ryder Cup venues because its redesign was not a cosmetic refresh: the routing and all 18 holes were rebuilt to create a more strategic championship test and a better theatre for spectators. The result is a course whose natural contours are central to both the play and the event setting.
A complete redesign rather than a surface renovation
The original Marco Simone layout dates to the late 1980s and was designed by Italian architect David Mezzacane in collaboration with American designer Jim Fazio. For the Ryder Cup project, the course underwent a complete re-routing and rebuild. The work began in 2018 and was led by European Golf Design in cooperation with Tom Fazio II, with the back nine reopening in 2020 and the full 18-hole course following in early 2021.
The redesigned course uses the rolling countryside to create distinct playing environments. The front nine occupies lower, more open ground, while the back nine introduces more elevation changes. Views towards Rome and the nearby Castle of Marco Simone add to the landscape, giving the venue a clear sense of place beyond the golf itself.
Risk, reward and the changing character of the two nines
The new routing was developed to create strategic options for elite players without making every hole a simple power contest. The wider front side allows players to choose lines and angles across more open terrain. As the round moves to the back nine, changes in elevation and tighter strategic decisions place greater emphasis on position and control.
This shift gives the course a rhythm that is important to match play. A player may choose to attack a hole and accept a difficult next shot, or play for a safer angle and rely on the approach. For spectators, the natural slopes create varied vantage points across the course and help explain why the venue was selected for a major team event.
A landmark week for Italian golf in 2023
Marco Simone hosted the Ryder Cup in 2023, the first time the contest had been staged in Italy. Europe regained the trophy with a 16½–11½ victory over the United States, securing the result on Sunday at the course outside Rome. The event placed the redesigned venue in front of a global audience and gave the course a lasting association with one of golf’s most important team competitions.
The Ryder Cup was the culmination of the 2018–2020 redevelopment, but it was also a starting point for the course’s new public identity. Visitors can now experience the same strategic landscape that framed the match, subject to the club’s current tee-time availability and visitor arrangements.
