Golf Club Lecco

The project, coordinated by the architect Enrico Colombo, produced an 18-hole layout entirely in bermuda grass across 540,000 square metres, within a park of more than a million square metres. The club describes the two halves differently: the front nine demand precision, the back nine length. Adding up the par of each hole gives a par 71.

The holes worth remembering are those the club describes by name. The 13th, a par 4 and the first stroke index, calls for a long, accurate drive between out of bounds on the left and water on the right, and the second shot must also reckon with the lake. The 8th is the longest on the course: a 543-metre par 5, with a fairway squeezed between woods and a two-tier green. The 14th, a 530-metre par 5, has an uphill, sunken green with seven bunkers around it; the 15th, a 525-metre par 5, is described as very scenic.

The 17th, a par 4 with a small, raised green guarded by three bunkers, has the Resegone at its back. Among the par 3s, the 10th climbs 164 metres to a steeply sloping green ringed by woodland.

The club is open seven days a week from April to September; from October to March the Tuesday that is not a public holiday is a closing day, and office hours vary with the season (in summer, 8:30 am to 5:30 pm on weekdays). The online price list, which gives no year, sets for non-affiliated players a green fee of €55 for 18 holes (€40 for nine) on Monday, Thursday and Friday, and a day rate of €35 on Tuesday and Wednesday; on public holidays the fee rises to €75 for 18 holes and €50 for nine.

A buggy costs €40 for 18 holes and €25 for nine on weekdays (€50 and €35 on public holidays). To book and to check the current rates, it is best to contact the office (+39 388 5799795). Those playing 18 holes can collect a swimming pool pass, for a fee, from the office (the pool is open from June to mid-September).

The buildings of the original Lombard farmstead from the 1600s have been restored with respect for the old structures and now house the club house, bar and restaurant. The club's story begins in 1960 with Golf Club Royal Sant'Anna, which for more than twenty years was, for many enthusiasts, the cradle of golf; a group of Brianza entrepreneurs and professionals took it over and turned it into today's Golf Club Lecco.

The practice range has 11 uncovered bays and 7 covered ones, an approach area and a bunker area; the professionals give individual lessons on the range and on the course, but only on the days the club is open. The club has a golf school, a youth section and a calendar of competitions that includes the 9-hole format known as the "Contadino".

• A 1600s farmstead as a club house. The original buildings have been restored and now house the club house, bar and restaurant.
• A club with an earlier history. Golf Club Royal Sant'Anna, founded in 1960, was taken over by Brianza entrepreneurs.
• The Resegone behind the green. On the 17th the mountain forms the backdrop, with water in front after the tee shot.
• A park of over a million square metres. The club describes it as a green space with a rich heritage of trees.