Eight regions – from Valle d’Aosta in the northwest to Friuli-Venezia Giulia in the northeast – make up the northern area of Italy, an area known to the locals as Alta Italia. These regions are split into 46 provinces, from where an impressive total of 241 golf facilities (two thirds of all the courses in the country) are affiliated to Federazione Italiana Golf, the national governing body. This northern stronghold of the Italian golfing scene is where many of the top layouts are found and it’s dominated by old tracks from the 1920s – such as the Peter Gannon-designed Milano and Villa d’Este courses – and the 1950s, with the likes of the John Morrison courses at Torino La Mandria (Blue) and Biella-le Betulle. A number of modern courses have also attained national prominence, including Robert von Hagge’s Conte and Bonora layouts at the 36-hole Bogogno complex whilst the two Robert Trent Jones Snr courses at Royal Park I Roveri in Turin and Castelconturbia, near Milan, are comfortably ranked within the Top 100 list of golf courses in Continental Europe.
Northern Italy, Italy
Robert Trent Jones designed Royal Park I Roveri and it’s his first Italian architectural ensemble, which opened its doors for play in 1971.
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Northern Italy, Italy
Golf Club Biella known locally as "Le Betulle" is located in Valcarozza, one of the most evocative and serene spots in northern Italy. The club was founded in 1958 and the English architect John Morrison designed it.
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.
John Morrison designed the original Torino golf course and a number of holes were renovated by the Canadian architect Graham Cook in preparation for the 1999 Italian Open, won by Padraig Harrington.
Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Castelconturbia Golf Club opened for play in 1984 to a standing ovation. It’s located about one hour’s drive to the north of Milan and it has bags of Italian style.
Founded in 1928, Milano Golf Club is one of Italy’s most prestigious clubs and the course is routed through glorious parkland on fairly flat terrain.
The original eighteen holes at Bergamo-L’Albenza Golf Club were formed by C K Cotton in the early 1960s and this course was just one of several Italian layouts that he designed or restyled around that time.
Bogogno Golf Club, or Circolo Golf Bogogno, is one of Europe’s most impressive 36-hole golf resorts. With two contrasting Robert von Hagge-designed courses, it’s a destination well worth knowing.
A corner of paradise where golf meets the unparalleled beauty of Lake Garda.
Del Conte is one of two Robert von Hagge courses at the impressive golf club Circolo Golf Bogogno.
Set within a sprawling, 360-acre property the fairways of the Nicklaus course at Arzaga Golf Club are wide and generally forgiving, though water comes into play at several holes...
Routed around the Venetian fortress of San Nicolo, Venezia is a delightful, eclectic amalgam of parkland-cum-links, with lovely tree-lined fairways laid out on sandy soil...
Back in 1992, Le Robinie was where the Nicklaus Design team established their first Italian course and the Golden Bear himself put his signature stamp on the property.
Founded in 1958, Golf Club Bologna was the first golf club to be established in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. The course was designed by Ken Cotton and John Harris when they were in partnership...
Designed by American architect Jim Engh in collaboration with Bernhard Langer, the course at Modena Golf & Country Club hosted the fiftieth edition of the Italian Open in 1993, three years after the layout first opened for play.
The 27-hole golf facility at Franciacorta Golf Club is one of Pete Dye’s rare European projects from the mid-1980s and he designed the layout in collaboration with Marco Croze.
Peter Gannon and Cecil Blandford co-designed a number of Italian courses back in the 1920s and 1930s and they established the original course at Golf Club Varese, which was subsequently doubled in size during the mid-1950s...
Wilfried Moroder of MPS Golf Design laid out the course at Golf Club Passeier Meran and this relatively short but engaging track is set spectacularly within the heart of the Alps.
The Hurdzan and Fry-designed course made its debut at Royal Park Golf I Roveri in 2006, thirty-five years after the Robert Trent Jones layout opened for play.
Set close to Lake Como and originally founded in 1907, Menaggio & Cadenabbia Golf Club is the second oldest in Italy. The course was redesigned by Commander John Harris in 1965.
Host to seven Italian Opens between 1975 and 1992, the Rosso course at Golf Club Monticello was originally laid out by Jim Fazio and Baldovino Dassù, with more recent renovations by Graham Cooke...
Designed by architect Marco Croze, the 18-hole layout at Golf Club des Iles Borromées is routed around a hilly, 180-acre property which lies within an extensive pine and silver birch forest overlooking Lake Maggiore.
The original nine holes at Golf Club Verona were designed in the early 1960s by John Harris, who made great use of the hilly terrain. Giulio Cavalsani's longer, more open second nine appeared in 1973 to form today’s formidable 18-hole layout.
The course at Golf Bogliaco sits a hundred metres above Lake Garda, where tree-lined fairways offer glimpses of the azure waters below.
The Yellow course at Circolo Golf Torino has evolved down the years with architect Marco Croze extending the original Blue course to a 27-hole layout before fashioning a further nine to produce two fabulous 18-hole tracks.
Situated a mere 20km to the north of Milan, Barlassina Country Club is an exclusive and private club, which was originally founded in 1956 by a group of wealthy Italians...
Starting in 2004, Castello di Tolcinasco Golf & Country Club hosted five editions of the Italian Open and it’s the Blu and Giallo nines at this 27-hole facility which are regarded as the championship 18-hole combination.
Commander John Harris laid out the original course at Golf Club Padova in the early 1960s. Another 9-hole circuit was added in 2003 to complete a wonderful 27-hole facility...
Architect Marco Croze laid out the initial nine holes here in 1972 – one of several collaborative golf projects he completed with Commander John Harris around that time – and he returned twenty-two years later to add a second nine.
Situated at the foot of the Schlern massif in the heart of the Dolomites, the 18-hole course at Golfclub St.Vigil Seis is routed across a spectacular Alpine landscape, offering a mountain golf experience of the highest order.
Located within the Appiano Gentile and Tradate pinewood regional park, the tree-lined fairways at Golf Club La Pinetina were set out by Commander John Harris in the early 1970s.
Adriatic Golf Club Cervia was founded in 1984 when Marco Croze laid out a 9-hole course in the pines. This loop, now called the Red, was joined by Croze’s Blue course a year later. These two circuits form the premier 18-hole course at this popular 27-hole facility.
Bisected by the Lerrone river, the layout at Garlenda Golf Club was planned by John Morrison before he died in 1961 and completed by Commander John Harris in 1964, an architect who fashioned more than a dozen courses in Italy, including the highly regarded Biella, Venezia and Menaggio & Cadenabbia.
Situated close to Lake Garda, in the gentle hills of Desenzano and Sirmione, the golf complex at Chervò Golf Hotel Spa & Resort San Vigilio has operated three 9-hole circuits and a 9-hole executive course since it first opened for business in early 2009.
There are very few Arnold Palmer designs in continental Europe and this is one of them. The club states the architect “drew inspiration from nearby Venice, scattering holes with water hazards” but – truth be told – because the landscape is so flat, several small lakes had to excavated to provide fill for contouring the holes.
Originally designed by Tom Macaulay in 1990 and renovated more recently by Jeremy Slessor of European Golf Design, the 27-hole layout at Golf della Montecchia lies close to Padua city centre, just a 20-minute drive away.
Situated between the Tagliamento River estuary and the Marano lagoon, the course at Golf Club Lignano is a Marco Croze design which hosted two consecutive editions of the Italian Ladies’ Open in 1993 and 1994, shortly after it first opened for play.
Golf Club Ambrosiano came about in the early 1990s when a group of golf-minded businessmen near Milan purchased a 150-acre property from the local Noè family, engaging Geoff Cornish and Brian Silva to set out an 18-hole course.
The 18-hole layout at Golf Club Paradiso del Garda is an early new millennium design from Jim Fazio which is located next to the town of Peschiera del Garda, just a kilometre from the nearest exit on the main Torino-Trieste motorway.
It’s not known who set out the course when Golf Club Perugia was founded in the late 1950s but David Mezzacane renovated the holes in the early 1990s. The clubhouse is rather unique, dating back to the 1920s, part of which consists of a couple of old brick lime kilns which loom over the outside terrace.
