Redesigned for match play: Will Marco Simone prove a great Ryder Cup venue?
We take a look around the host of this year’s Ryder Cup matches in Italy
Match play demands drama and Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, found around 15 miles outside of Rome, was redesigned with the Ryder Cup in mind.
European Golf Design, teaming up with Tom Fazio II, did not just re-route the golf course to make the most of some serious undulations in the Italian countryside, they built vantage points for spectators to see the best of the action.
Not only should they have great views on the course, but they’ll also being to enjoy the backdrop of the Castle of Marco Simone and the ‘Eternal City’ in the distance.
So what have they produced?
Greens with big contours, doglegs, and some arduous elevation changes will test accuracy and shot-making. Not quite the target golf we’re used to watching on TV.
The pond carved into the side of the 5th comes into play for those who try to use driver from the tee and will surely find some notable victims, while the elongated green of the par 3, 219-yard, 7th is going to be difficult to hit.
The 11th is no distance at all for these elite players, the Par 4 weighing in a just 330 yards. But those who try and drive the green should be aware of the “insidious depression in the ground”, as it’s described on the Ryder Cup website, that frames the right side.
At just 145 yards, the Par 3 13th is easily the shortest hole at Marco Simone and a real chance for a birdie. As long, that is, as players avoid the bunker short left of the green and the huge tree and scrub that lies right behind it.
Should matches get there, the finish should provide plenty of excitement. A 206-yard Par 3, with its green perched on a ledge, is followed by a monster Par 5 that could spell triumph or disaster.
A wide fairway allows players to put it in position for a second shot at the green but anything leaking slightly left is going to find the water.
It could provide quite the climax on singles Sunday.
Marco Simone Ryder Cup Scorecard
1, Par 4, 445 yards; 2, Par 4, 476 yards; 3, Par 4, 453 yards; 4, Par 3, 185 yards; 5, Par 4, 376 yards; 6, Par 4, 383 yards, 7, Par 3, 219 yards; 8, Par 5, 503 yards, 9, Par 5, 587 yards.
10, Par 4, 455 yards; 11, Par 4, 330 yards; 12, Par 5, 554 yards; 13, Par 3, 145 yards; 14, Par 4, 495 yards; 15, Par 4, 478 yards; 16, Par 4, 352 yards; 17, Par 3, 206 yards; 18, Par 5, 626 yards.
Total: Par 72, 7,268 yards
What do you think about Marco Simone Ryder Cup? Will it suit Luke Donald’s European team, or will it give Team USA the upper hand? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment on X.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the Ryder Cup take place?
The 2023 Ryder Cup will be held from September 29 to October 2 at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club. It will be the first time the competition has been held on Italian soil.
How can I get tickets?
You can get tickets to go to Marco Simone here. General admission tickets for the weekend are sold out, but packages are still available for the week’s action in Rome.
Who won the last Ryder Cup?
Team USA are the defending champions. They dominated Team Europe two years ago at Whistling Straits, winning by a record margin. Their 19-9 win was helped by Dustin Johnson, who went a perfect 5-0-0.
Who are the Ryder Cup captains?
Zach Johnson will be at the helm of Team USA this year. Johnson won the Masters Tournament in 2007, before securing his second major at the Open Championship in 2015. He has played five times, and was part of the victorious American side in 2016.
Team Europe captain Luke Donald is a former World No.1 and is a two-time winner of the BMW PGA Championship, the DP World Tour’s flagship event. Donald has a perfect record in the event, having been on the winning side in all four of his appearances.
Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
