Fioranello Golf Club

The club was founded in 1979 on land that once belonged to the Boncompagni Ludovisi princes, on the border of the Appian Way Archaeological Park. In 1984, once the clubhouses were finished, plans for expansion began and in 1990 the opening of the 18-hole course was celebrated, later improved over the years. The website does not name the architect.

The scorecard published by the club gives par 70 and 5,603 metres from the longest tees, with a course rating of 70 and a slope of 129; the shorter sets of tees come down to 4,712 metres. The round runs over five par 3s, ten par 4s and three par 5s: the 8th (495 metres), the 10th (505, the longest on the course) and the 14th (466).

The holes with the highest handicap rating are the 6th, a par 4 of 375 metres that the club marks as stroke index 1, and the 15th, index 2, a par 4 of 403 metres, the longest of the par 4s. Then comes the 9th, a 197-metre par 3 that closes the front nine, and the 11th, a par 3 of only 125 metres, the shortest on the course. On the back nine the 13th, a 278-metre par 4, is the easiest hole on the card.

Those who prefer a short round have the 9-hole Pitch & Putt course, where the Youth Club organises competitions for the youngest players.

The website speaks of a clientele of members and players passing through, the “globetrotters”, and announces an area for buying the green fee online, by credit card; on the pages consulted it is not yet active. Bookings are made by calling 06 7138080 or 06 7138213.

The price list published on the website does not give the year and does not clearly label the price columns, so we give only the order of magnitude: for 18 holes, fees range from 40 to 70 euros depending on the category (foreigners, other players, members of clubs in Lazio) and the day. The golf buggy costs 40 or 50 euros, the electric trolley 15, the hand trolley 8, a set of irons for hire 30. The driving range fee is 10 euros.

Required handicap, closing day and dress code are not published.

The club presents itself as a true English-style country club, with no pretensions of being an “overpriced club” but in old English style: sociability, sport and a Roman countryside atmosphere. The swimming pool is on the terrace overlooking the course, with a 20-euro entry on the price list, and there is a Bridge Club affiliated with the Italian Bridge Federation, with 14 tables for 48 players and a library.

Since July 2020 the bar-restaurant has been called Diciotto: a room of about 60 seats with a view of the 18th green on one side and the Appian Way park, at the foot of the Castelli Romani, on the other. The cooking, between creative and traditional, is served from 12 noon to 4:30 pm; the bar works from 7:30 am until the club closes and has ready-made dishes for those who want to set off quickly.

The school is a tradition: high-level players and several PGA professionals have come out of its nursery. The Youth Club welcomes young people aged 6 to 18, divided into Baby, Pre-Competitive and Competitive groups, with group lessons on Saturdays and Sundays.

• A princely estate. Before golf, the land belonged to the Boncompagni Ludovisi princes.
• From 1979 to 1990. The club was founded in 1979, but the 18 holes were celebrated only eleven years later.
• The longest hole. The 10th is a 505-metre par 5; the shortest is the 11th, a 125-metre par 3.
• Fourteen bridge tables. The card room, bright and overlooking the lawn in front of the clubhouse, hosts 48 players and has a library of books on the game.