Golf Club Sappada

The course is a nine-hole mountain layout at an altitude of 1,250 metres, carved out of slopes that become ski runs in winter. The holes are short but anything but trivial: the change in elevation distorts distances and many greens are hidden by the terrain.

It begins with the 1st, a 102-metre uphill par 3 with out of bounds close by; the 2nd, a 290-metre par 4, has a blind tee shot and a dogleg left. The 4th, a 142-metre par 3, has a raised two-tier green, and the 5th, a 195-metre par 4, is an uphill mountain hole with a dogleg left and a blind second shot. The 7th, a 193-metre par 3 with a small green tucked behind the slope, is named by the club as the hardest; the 8th, the longest at 253 metres, has long grass to clear 60 metres from the green. The round ends with the 9th, a 112-metre downhill par 3.

The club welcomes guest players; fees, opening calendar and rules are not published on the website, so it is best to call the secretary's office on 347 260 0424 or write to [email protected]. According to the Italian Golf Federation's club profile, the season runs from May to October and the club closes on Tuesdays: check this when you book.

Behind the clubhouse are a putting green and a practice range. The clubhouse is home to the restaurant Il Mondschein, which the club describes as serving gourmet cuisine based on local ingredients, in a dining room with a view of the Dolomites. The club offers individual and group lessons.

Its signature event is the Golf Marathon: 54 holes in pairs, played in a greensome format, every year in September.

• Snow in winter. The course's slopes turn into ski runs.
• Short holes. Five par 3s and four par 4s: the longest is 253 metres.
• 54 holes in a day. The Golf Marathon is played in pairs in greensome format.
• The hidden green. At the 7th the green is small and tucked behind the slope.