Villa d'Este - Northern Italy - Italy

1st Northern Italy - Best in Area 1st Italy Ranking 52nd Continental Europe Ranking
Circolo Golf Villa d'Este,
Via Cantù 13,
22030 Montorfano,
Como,
Italy

  • +39 (0)31 200200

  • Andrea Contigiani

  • Peter Gannon

  • Not known

Visit Golfbreaks.com for a golf holiday at Villa d'Este

Situated just to the north of Milan, in the pine, chestnut and birch tree-clad Como hills beside Lake Montorfano, lies Circolo Golf Villa d’Este. A timeless classic, regarded as a jewel in the Italian golfing crown.

Designed by Peter Gannon in 1926 (he would go on to work with Cecil R. Blandforth at Milano in 1928 and Varese in 1934), Villa d’Este has been something of a royal retreat over the years with Kings and Queens of Belgium, Britain, Spain and Greece signing the VIP “gold book” in the opulent clubhouse.

The overall yardage of the course is a modest 6,300 yards but with a lowly par of 69 and six demanding par threes to be played, only one of which (the 5th hole) is less than 180 yards off the championship tees, Villa d’Este is no pushover.

The 15th hole measures a formidable 464 yards and is by far the longest par four on the card. The fairway slopes from right to left, meaning most second shots will be played from an uneven lie to a small green with a bunker positioned front left that catches many pulled approaches.

No club has hosted more Italian Opens than Villa d’Este, but the national championship has not returned to Como since it was last held here in 1972 when Scotland’s Norman Wood won his only European Tour competition. In many respects the modern game has rendered the course obsolete for the professionals and that is very much their loss as both club members and many annual visitors will readily testify.

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Reviews for Villa d'Este

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Description: Peter Gannon cut the course at Circolo Golf Villa d’Este through a pine, ash and chestnut forest back in 1926 and this former Italian Open venue is still as stylish today as it was back then. Rating: 7.3 out of 10 Reviews: 3
TaylorMade
Tobias Ratzlaff

What a golf course! I played the course in April and it was in very good condition. From the moment you enter through the gate, you can see that this is all high quality. The place is quite a bit outside of Como with great views of the surrounding mountains (although no view of Lake Como). There are big old trees that surround every hole. The clubhouse is very nice and has a lot of class. The course design is great, no weak hole; I can easily remember almost every hole. The first 9 play mostly above the clubhouse, the second 9 below. In my opinion the finishing stretch from 12 to 18 is particularly strong with a mix of very interesting holes. The signature hole is the 18th which is slightly uphill to the majestic clubhouse above the green. The course is built on sandy soil, has quite steep elevation and practically every hole is surrounded by trees which add a lot to the difficulty of the course and it doesn't play short at all. The greens are not that much undulated, but there are very nice bunker complexes around the greens. All in all a great experience and it comes with the great Italian flair.

June 30, 2017
8 / 10
Reviewer Score:
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Arun
I played the Villa deste golf course in early april a year ago. The course was open to guests from the Resort - Villa D'este which is about 10 miles away. They have a reasonable number of caddies. Despite being early april the course was in good shape and was of moderate difficulty. The views were sensational and i could still see the snow capped mountains - Italian/swiss alps a few miles away. While the course is not that long- it does not need to be especially for a mid handicapper. Overall a good experience. However, I did warm up at the range- hitting of a matt- not sure if this was due to the timing - first week in april or whether it was routine. In any case the overall experience was excellent.
September 20, 2011
8 / 10
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Andy Waple
It may measure fairly short but you won’t find it easy here on the wooded hillside near Lake Como. A number of testing par threes and a variety of interesting par 4s and 5s makes for an enjoyable round where all the holes have a distinctive character. A nice easy start driving downhill to a wide fairway is not really a true reflection of what is to come. The second plays uphill to a green perched on a slope and then it is across the driveway to a very tough series of five holes, marked by three difficult par 3s. The course then opens up a little to two nice par fours before you head back into the woods for some testing challenges. I played the course in the July and it was hot and humid, although the fairways had been watered to create nice playing surfaces. The greens were in good shape if a little slow. All in all enjoyable and the clubhouse is awesome.
July 25, 2011
6 / 10
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