Ai Colli Di Bergamo Golf

The Via Longuelo course is a nine-hole par 30: adding up the distances on the official scorecard, the men's tees give about 1,750 metres, the women's about 1,590. Six holes are par 3s, three are par 4s, but the yardages do not follow the logic you might expect.

You start with a 210-metre par 3, for which the club recommends a rescue; the 4 and the 5, on the other hand, are short par 4s of 225 and 240 metres, where an iron off the tee may be enough. The real test is the 3, a 355-metre par 4 that calls for a drive and a pitch and is the hardest hole on the index. Among the par 3s, the 7 measures 179 metres and the 2 just 106, a wedge shot.

For every hole, the scorecard published on the website also gives the recommended club: a useful aid for anyone playing the course for the first time and for those learning to manage distances.

The club offers green fees for members of the Italian Golf Federation and mentions online booking on its website, but does not publish guest rates: it is best to ask at the secretary's office. Newcomers to golf have two dedicated beginner packages: one month of access to the practice facilities with three lessons and equipment for 100 euros, or four months with five lessons for 300 euros.

For practice there is a 24-bay driving range and an 18-hole putting green with night lighting. Lessons are given by the club's professionals, Federico Besana, Luca Bordogna and Matia Maffiuletti.

The restaurant, open to non-players too, has more than 120 seats indoors and over 200 in the outdoor courtyard. The clubhouse has a meeting room with a video projector, changing rooms, a pro shop and storage for bags and trolleys; there is also a beauty centre. Next to the course, two padel courts and three multi-sport courts.

• A course in the city. The club stresses that it is one of very few Italian facilities with a golf course within the municipal territory, five minutes from the centre of Bergamo.
• A par 3 as long as a par 4. Almost: the 1 measures 210 metres, the 4, a par 4, just 225.
• Putting under the lights. The putting green has 18 holes and is lit so you can practise after sunset.