Golf Club des Iles Borromées

The club presents the course as a natural one: the changes in level, the hazards and the difficulties, it writes, “were not built artfully, they have been there for centuries”, and the architect Marco Croze merely brought them out or adapted them to a round that is both fun and demanding. Birches, “between silver and blue”, accompany the player all the way round, together with pines, firs and larches mixed with oaks, holm oaks and chestnuts: a sign, the club points out, that you are already in the Prealps.

The official measurements are 6,122 metres from the white tees, 5,695 from the blue, 5,388 from the yellow and 5,038 from the red. The front nine is a par 37 of 3,215 metres, the back nine a par 35 of 2,907. The layout has eight par 4s, five par 5s (holes 3, 6, 7, 15 and 18) and five par 3s (5, 8, 10, 14 and 17). The 6th is the longest hole, a par 5 of 505 metres from the whites; the shortest is the 14th, a par 3 of 150 metres; the first handicap hole is the 4th, a par 4 of 375 metres.

The panorama is part of the round. From the green of the 18th, before heading back to the clubhouse, you look at the mountains of the Simplon and the Val Grande; from the 10th tee you see the four lakes and the chain of the Ticino Alps. Almost all the holes face south: in winter, the club writes, the sun warms them.

The 2026 rates, in force from 1 March, set the full-day green fee at 70 euros on weekdays and 85 euros on public holidays and weekends (for the club, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays). The 9-hole green fee costs 37 and 47 euros, the junior (under 18) fee 35 and 45. For seniors over 65 there is a 138-euro package with green fee and cart for 18 holes, valid for two people on weekdays, excluding August. Frequent players will find points-based passes: 10 weekday green fees for 460 euros, 20 for 820.

For hire there are the golf cart (35 euros for 18 holes, 20 for 9), the bag at 25 euros, the manual trolley at 5 and the electric one at 8 euros for 9 holes and 15 for 18. The driving range with putting green costs 15 euros; a token for about 30 balls costs 2.50.

The club stays open all year, with January as a rest month; in 2026 it is open every day from 6 April to 31 October, while in the winter months it closes on Mondays. The website does not state the handicap required: to book there is the email [email protected], or 0323 929285.

The club is run by Golf des Iles Borromées S.S.D. and has a pro shop, bar, restaurant, driving range, putting green and hire of golf carts, trolleys and bags. For the restaurant you can call 389 0585574.

The Junior School offers a programme of youth activities, with rules of conduct for the Youth Club and a programme published every season; the website has published the 2025 one and a new youth club programme for 2026. The competition calendar can be consulted on the Gesgolf portal.

Getting here is easy: the entrance to the course is about 2 km from the Carpugnino exit of the A26 motorway, no more than 50 minutes from Milan. The hotels the club recommends include the Hotel Villa Aminta in Stresa, the Resort Antico Verbano in Meina and the First Hotel in Somma Lombardo.

• Milan from the 10th tee. On the clearest days you can see the skyscrapers of the Lombard capital with the naked eye.
• Four lakes at a glance. Maggiore, Varese, Monate and Comabbio, plus the chain of the Ticino Alps.
• A course that has been “there for centuries”. According to the club, the natural hazards were already there: Croze simply brought them out.
• Five par 5s and five par 3s. Spread across the 18 holes, with the longest at the 6th (505 metres) and the shortest at the 14th (150).