Cortina Golf

The course grew out of Cortina's historic practice ground, below Faloria and Cristallo, where golfers from all over the world had been training since the 1930s; the nine-hole course opened in 2010. Adding up the hole-by-hole distances published by the club gives 2,450 metres from the men's tees and 2,080 from the women's, for a par 35.

Each hole is dedicated to the peak you can see from the tee. Hole 3, Antelao, a 360-metre par 4, is the hardest on the course, just like the “King of the Dolomites” it is named after. Hole 2, Cinque Torri, is a delicate downhill par 3 of 135 metres, where you choose which tower to aim at depending on the pin position. Hole 5, Croda da Lago, is the only par 5, at 425 metres; hole 7, Tofana di Rozes, is a par 3 of just 105 metres. The round ends with Becco di Mezzodì, a 270-metre par 4.

The price list published on the website, with no year given, covers the months from June to September. For members of the Italian Golf Federation, nine holes cost €65 in June, July and September and €75 in August; non-members pay €80. An 18-hole round costs €100. Under-18s get 50% off and under-12s play free when accompanied by a paying adult.

A buggy for 18 holes costs €50, €60 in August; an electric trolley €30 and a set of rental clubs €30 or €40. The practice area, with driving range, pitching green and putting green, costs €15. The closing day and the handicap required are not stated: it is best to ask the club office on +39 0436 860952.

The club house follows the style of the houses of Ampezzo: on the ground floor the office, bar and dining room, on the first floor a panoramic attic hall, and all around a large terrace that stays open on sunny winter days too. The restaurant welcomes golfers and non-golfers alike, with meat, fish and wines from small and large cellars; the club singles out its leavened bread, a light, crisp focaccia, as the house speciality.

The golf school is run by two top-level professionals: Andrea Signor, a member of the national team from 2000 to 2012 and winner on the Alps Tour in 2008, and Giulia Sergas, who played on the LPGA Tour from 2002 to 2017, the Solheim Cup in 2013 and the Rio Olympics in 2016. An hour's lesson costs €80 with clubs and balls included, and in winter lessons continue with indoor practice.

• The sun over the Becco. The ninth hole is dedicated to Becco di Mezzodì: from Cortina, at midday, the sun stands exactly above its summit, and the people of Ampezzo used it as a sundial.
• A first ascent in 1872. Becco di Mezzodì itself was among the first peaks of Ampezzo to be climbed, on 5 July 1872, by Utterson Kelso and Santo Siorpaes.
• A mountain for the shortest par 3. Hole 7 is named after Tofana di Rozes, 3,225 metres high with a south face of about 800: the hole, by contrast, measures just 105 metres.
• A historic range. Before the course, this was the practice ground where golfers on holiday in Cortina trained as early as the 1930s.