Golf Club Gressoney Monterosa

The course lies 200 metres beyond the centre of Gressoney-Saint-Jean, where the valley opens onto the Monte Rosa glacier. It is a mid-mountain course and, the club writes, every hole differs in its technical features and its setting: the Lys torrent, the slope of the fairway, the woods or a spectacular waterfall.

In 2018 the course was extended to 12 holes, with 2 par 5s, 6 par 4s and 4 par 3s. The restyling, the club assures us, has preserved and enhanced the natural setting. From the 4th to the 12th hole the layout is entirely flat and allows you to play 9, 12 or 18 holes: the 18-hole round is a par 70 of 5,020 metres. The layout remains, according to the club, "always delicate", with relatively narrow fairways, well-protected greens and a constant presence of water.

The 2018 season shows what playing at this altitude means: snowfalls that lasted until May and the avalanches of April made the 6th hole playable only from late July, after several days of work by bulldozers.

The course is playable from early June until late autumn, thanks to a climate and an exposure that, the club says, make it playable despite the mountain setting. The price list published on the website, with no indication of the year, sets a daily entry fee for June and September of 20 euros on weekdays and 35 on pre-holidays and holidays, rising to 25 and 45 euros in July and to 60 euros every day from 1 to 21 August; three executive holes cost 10 euros (15 in July). Members of an Aosta Valley club affiliated with the FIG get a 30 per cent discount. It is advisable to check the updated price list before setting out.

On site you can hire trolleys, golf carts and equipment; for special requirements the club asks you to book. For beginners, the 1+1 formula gives away one green fee for every pair of players to anyone who has never been to Gressoney or has not played here for two seasons. The website gives no minimum handicap and no closing day.

The facilities are, for now, temporary: a group of small wooden chalets arranged to form a little square houses the secretary's office, changing rooms, toilets, bar and restaurant, a meeting place for enthusiasts. The club's website mentions a project for a new clubhouse.

For practice there is a driving range with 8 covered bays and 5 in the open air, and a large putting green with a practice hole and a bunker. In July and August introductory golf courses are held: Monday to Friday, one hour a day for five days, with instructor, balls and irons included, at 100 euros for adults and 80 for children. The club organises competitions over the summer and works with partner hotels that offer free green fee packages.

• A hole in one on opening day. On 21 August 2018 Annalisa Lorenzini inaugurated the new holes with a perfect shot on the 2nd; she had already made a hole in one on the 2nd of the old layout.
• A hole under the avalanches. In 2018 the 6th hole was made playable with bulldozers only in late July.
• Three ways to play. The flat stretch from the 4th to the 12th allows you to play 9, 12 or 18 holes.
• A little square of chalets. The secretary's office, bar and restaurant are in small wooden cabins that serve as a meeting centre.