🇮🇹 Giulia Ferroni — Shaping Europe’s Modern Golf Landscape

Architect | Innovator | Advocate for Sustainable Design

🖋️ Introduction

In an era where golf-course architecture is rediscovering its artistic and environmental roots, Giulia Ferroni stands out as one of Europe’s most creative and progressive voices.

Italian-born and UK-based, she combines landscape design training with a deep understanding of golf’s cultural heritage to create courses that are both strategic and sustainable.

As one of the very few women members of the European Institute of Golf Course Architects (EIGCA), Giulia Ferroni is helping redefine what golf architecture looks like — and who it includes.

“Good design is timeless when it respects both the land and the people who play upon it.”
— Giulia Ferroni

👩‍💼 Biography

Born and raised in Italy, Giulia Ferroni began her career in landscape architecture, studying how natural and built environments shape human experience.

Her fascination with golf — and with the artistry of routing and contour — led her to specialise in golf-course architecture, completing the EIGCA’s professional qualification and becoming one of its few female members.

Now based in the UK, she leads Leeds Golf Design, where she combines continental design elegance with British ecological sensitivity.

Her portfolio includes new designs, restorations, and consultancy for sustainability-driven projects across Europe, particularly in the UK, Italy, and the Mediterranean region.

Her practice bridges technical precision and environmental empathy, demonstrating that great golf design can exist in harmony with conservation and community values.

🌿 Design Philosophy

Giulia Ferroni’s work is built around three guiding principles:

1. Sustainability as Strategy – She designs with natural processes in mind, ensuring water, soil, and vegetation systems are integral to the course, not separate from it.

2. Elegance through Restraint – Ferroni favours simplicity and subtlety, using natural contours, local materials, and minimal earth movement.

3. Playability for All – She champions layouts that challenge advanced players while remaining engaging for newcomers and recreational golfers.

Her philosophy reflects a broader European movement — golf as a landscape experience, not just a test of power.

“Golf courses are part of living ecosystems; design should enhance their health as much as their play.”
— Giulia Ferroni

🏗️ Selected Projects & Roles

🌍 Impact & Influence

• Representation – One of the few active female lead architects in European golf-course design.

• Environmental Advocacy – Promotes low-impact construction and circular design approaches within golf developments.

• Education & Mentorship – Engages with universities and industry networks to encourage young designers, especially women, to enter the profession.

• Visibility & Voice – Featured in Women & Golf and Golf Course Architecture magazines for her leadership in sustainability and inclusion.

“Giulia Ferroni’s work reminds Europe that great design can be both traditional and transformative.”
— Women’s Golf History Project

🪶 Legacy in Motion

Giulia Ferroni represents a new chapter in golf’s long design history — a generation of architects who see sustainability and inclusivity not as modern trends but as enduring values.

Her work carries the spirit of Molly Gourlay’s artistry, Alice Dye’s empathy, and Kari Haug’s inclusivity, brought into a distinctly European context.
She embodies the shift from designing courses for the few to designing landscapes for the many.

“Giulia Ferroni is part of the quiet revolution — designing golf for balance, beauty, and belonging.”
— Women’s Golf History Project

Giulia Ferroni — Italian-born, UK-based golf-course architect designing sustainable and inclusive courses across Europe.