Colombera Golf Club

The course was designed by the architect Fulvio Bani over about 30 hectares of flat land. It is made up of nine holes of the Pink course and three executive holes of the Green course: the combination allows 9, 12 or 18 holes to be played, and the club had precisely in mind the 12-hole competitions that are increasingly in demand. Adding up the distances on the scorecard (men's tees), the Pink course is par 33 over 2,376 metres, the Green par 9 over 397; the website also publishes a par 67 with 4,533 metres, which does not add up with 12 holes, so we do not report it.

The challenge is above all water. The 1st, a 348-metre par 4, is lined by a lake on the right all the way to the green; the 2nd, 344 metres, is protected by two lakes on opposite sides. The 3rd, known as “la piccola” (the little one), is a par 3 of only 115 metres, with out of bounds on the right and a large bunker on the left. The 8th is the only par 5: 480 metres, a dog leg to the right, with a lake level with the green. On the Green course, the 3rd drops towards a green in a natural amphitheatre, and is the hardest hole on the layout.

The price list on the website is headed “Tariffe 2027” (2027 rates). The 18-hole green fee costs 35 euros on weekdays and 50 on public holidays and weekends; 12 holes cost 32 and 45 euros, 9 holes 30 and 40, 3 holes 10 and 15. For non-members, entry to a competition, green fee included, is 65 euros over 18 holes.

A golf car costs 25 euros for 9 or 12 holes and 35 for 18, a trolley 5 euros. Access to the practice range costs 10 euros, with tokens for 30 balls at 2.50 euros for non-members. The club declares itself open all year round; the course's closing day and any handicap required are not stated, and should be asked about at the office (389 6276236). From Brescia it takes 20 minutes, from Bergamo 30 and from Milan 40, thanks to the A4 and BreBeMi motorways.

Colombera has almost four hundred members and was acquired in 2023 by Borgosesia Spa, a listed real estate finance group. The club describes itself as an informal place, far from any image of exclusivity, and recalls that it was once considered among the best nine-hole courses in Italy.

In the clubhouse the Swing Cafè, closed only on Mondays, serves a light menu with local produce and has a veranda over the course; for events and dinners there is the Ristorante La Colombera. The practice range has 30 north-facing bays, plus an approach area and a putting green. The Golf Academy is run by Romolo and Alessandro Napoleoni, Stefano Betti and Michele Liberatore; a 30-minute lesson costs 30 euros, 20 for beginners.

• PARvone. The mascot is a peacock, a name born from “par” and “pavone”: its cut-out figures along the course carry playful messages, and finding them is part of the game.
• Real peacocks. The club says that peacocks stroll freely on the green, along with many other animals among the ponds with water lilies.
• The smallest. The 3rd hole, “la piccola”, measures 115 metres but has a green with steep slopes: small, the club writes, but not easy.
• Franciacorta as a prize. Wine from nearby Franciacorta is often among the prizes in the club's competitions.