Golf Club Le Fronde

The course covers 70 hectares, partly hilly and partly flat, right next to the area that precedes the Avigliana lakes. The design was entrusted in 1973 to John Harris, who laid out the 18 holes following the natural contours of the land. The par 71, over a length of about 6,000 metres, should not be misleading: according to the club, lakes, bunkers and centuries-old trees demand very careful play, and the greens must be read with care because on several holes a delicate putt can wreck the scorecard.

Every hole has a name. The 1st, Il Musiné, is a short 326-metre par 4, a dogleg right with out of bounds down the right-hand side and about 15 metres of drop between fairway and green. The 2nd, La Sacra, takes its name from the Sacra di San Michele and is a 419-metre par 4, the second hardest on the course (handicap 2), with a narrow downhill tee shot. The 11th, Il Lago, is a 164-metre par 3 guarded by two bunkers, but the real problem is the steep slope of the green. The 12th, Il Nobel, is a 354-metre par 4 with a gentle descent; the 13th, Il Bunker, is a 487-metre par 5 with a raised green and two deep bunkers.

Every hole, the club points out, offers a different view of the mountains of the valley, starting with Rocciamelone.

The price list on the website, which does not state the year, gives a green fee for 18 holes of €50 on weekdays and €70 at weekends and on holidays; a 9-hole round costs €30 on weekdays and €35 at weekends and on holidays. A golf buggy costs €50 for 18 holes and €25 for nine. The club also offers a weekday package for two Italian federation members, two 18-hole green fees with buggy included for €110, to be booked by e-mail before 12 noon the day before.

The course is open from February to December and its closing day is Tuesday; on Mondays the club closes early, from 5 pm. The secretary's office is open from 9 am to 5:30 pm. The website does not state a minimum handicap: it is best to ask at the secretary's office (011 9328053) when booking.

The founder was Giuseppe Maggiora, who in the early 1970s turned his dream of a golf course at the mouth of the Susa Valley into reality. The clubhouse, designed by the architect Tony Cordero, consists of two blocks joined by a portico with exposed wooden beams, with the swimming pool set among the trees and a card room on the first floor. The club has a bar and restaurant (011 9311340).

The Golf School is run by the professionals Simone Minuto, Riccardo Leo and Alessandro Merletti, with V1 video analysis, Flightscope radar and the tools of Phil Kenyon, Francesco Molinari's coach, for putting. The practice range has grass and mat bays and a short-game area; access costs €6 on weekdays and €10 at weekends and on holidays.

• A course built on a dynamite factory. Until the 1950s the Nobel dynamite works stood here: small hidden casemates still surface among the holes, and the 12th is called, quite literally, Il Nobel.
• The drive that reaches the Sacra. According to the club, the Sacra di San Michele seems within reach of a good drive, and the 2nd hole bears its name.
• Measured greens. The club publishes the average speed of its greens in 2026, 2.95 metres on the Stimpmeter, with a cut of 3.5-4 mm.
• Elevation 450. At 450 metres, the club explains, summers are cool and breezy and there is no fog in autumn.