Golf Club Il Colombaro

The course is in the Cunettone district of Salò, on 13 hectares of olive groves and meadows. The nine holes make a par 29: seven par 3s and two par 4s, none longer than 250 metres. The club pitches it at beginners and experienced players alike, and the hole-by-hole card shows why: the short game is unforgiving.

It opens with a par 3 of 100 metres guarded by two flanking bunkers and the olive trees. The 3rd is the longest par 3, 177 metres to a wide green, with out of bounds on the left. The 6th, 150 metres with a bend to the left, is described by the club as among the hardest, while the 7th has a green defended on all sides. The closer is the hole the club calls the most technical: the 9th, a 250-metre par 4 with a 90-degree dogleg and water hazards.

The 2026 price list distinguishes high and low season, weekdays and weekends or holidays. On weekdays nine holes cost 28 euros in low season and 33 in high season; eighteen holes, that is two rounds, 41 and 47 euros. On weekends and holidays the price rises to 40 euros for nine holes and 53 for eighteen. There is also a daily rate, from 52 to 65 euros, and under-18s pay half. Entry to the driving range is free; you can rent a single club (2 euros), a trolley (4) and a full set of clubs (18 euros).

Those without a handicap can still start here: the club offers an 18-question test on rules and etiquette, and 15 correct answers earn an EGA handicap of 54, which opens the door to category 6 competitions. The dress code is casual and pets are welcome.

The Toptracer Range draws the flight of every ball and the distance of every club on screen, with ten game modes, including virtual rounds on famous courses and challenges for up to eight players. Guest rates run from 2 euros for half an hour to 5 euros for two hours. The offer is completed by pitch & putt and footgolf.

The school is run by Andrea and Michele Zanini, father and son: individual, pair and group lessons, one-day clinics and packages. The Il Colombaro restaurant, with chef Bruno Piovanelli, is open for lunch and dinner, offers a business lunch and a gluten-free menu prepared by a staff trained by AIC Lombardia. Next to the course are the Colombaro Apartments.

• A technological first. The club claims to have been the first in Italy to offer the Toptracer Range.
• Seven par 3s out of nine. The course is almost all short game: only the 2nd and the 9th are par 4s.
• A handicap by quiz. The 18-question rules test earns an EGA 54.
• Golf with a football. The same grounds also host footgolf.