Croara Country Club

The first nine holes, designed by Raffaele Buratti, opened in the mid-1970s; the back nine, by Marco Croze and Giorgio Lo Cascio, followed in 1983. The result is a par 72 of 6,065 metres, at around 200 metres above sea level, with a double character: half of the layout spreads across the alluvial land of the Trebbia, the other half climbs the first Apennine foothills. The fairways are fairly narrow, lined with oaks, chestnuts, poplars and false acacias, and out of bounds is almost always lurking.

It starts with a bang: the 1st is a 409-metre par 4, stroke index 2. The club names the 11th as the hardest hole, long and narrow, with a lake on the right and woods on the left: better to leave the driver in the bag. Next comes the 12th, a left-hand dogleg that skirts the river embankment. The 14th and 15th are short par 4s where, the club writes, it is easy to go “from birdie to disaster”; on the 15th the tee shot is aimed at the church bell tower. Then the 16th, the easiest par 3, downhill beneath century-old cedars, sets up the 17th: a 480-metre par 5, squeezed between the woods and the Trebbia, with a lake in front of the green.

The 2026 price list makes no distinction between weekdays and weekends: 18 holes cost 60 euros in low season (1 February to 15 April) and 65 euros in high season (16 April to 18 October); 9 holes cost 35 euros. Access to the practice range costs 10 euros. For 18 holes you can rent a golf buggy for 50 euros, an electric trolley for 20 and a golf bag for 20.

The club is open all year, apart from a twenty-day break in January, and closes on Tuesdays that are not public holidays. Tee times are booked through the secretary's office.

The heart of the Croara is an 18th-century villa, once a noble summer residence, with small squares, gardens and an old chapel. The clubhouse overlooks the first nine holes and the river. The restaurant, with a terrace, serves Emilian cuisine made with local ingredients; dinner is by reservation only and it is closed on Tuesdays. The pro shop is run by Golf'Us.

Those travelling with non-golfers will find a summer swimming pool with solarium, four tennis courts, two clay and two grass, and two padel courts. The school is run by two federation-qualified teachers, Gianluca Baruffaldi and Federico Ranelletti, who work with TrackMan and SAM PuttLab; for young players aged 6 to 18 there is the Clubino.

• Laura Davies's 8. On the 17th, the club recounts, Laura Davies scored a “disastrous” 8 during the first Italian Women's Open.
• The most hated hole. The club itself calls the 14th, a short uphill par 4, “one of the holes members hate most”, especially high-handicap players.
• A bell tower as a flag. On the 15th the aiming point from the tee is the church bell tower.
• A par 5 to catch your breath. The 6th, at only 460 metres, is according to the club the hole where you can win back the shots lost over the first five.