Golf Le Rovedine

The championship course measures 6,259 metres for a par 72 and hosted the 52nd Italian Open (men's). The club describes two very different nines: the first is narrower and shorter, with water hazards and bunkers protecting the greens; the second, from the 10th on, is wider and longer. Hole 6 is described as the hardest on the course, 12 as the longest, wide and relatively straight.

Water is the recurring theme: lakes come into play on holes 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 16, and side ditches and out of bounds protect many others. The finish, from the 15th to the 18th, is according to the club the most fun part of the course, with the most birdie opportunities.

The park that contains it covers 650,000 square metres, with 70 tree species and 29,500 square metres of lakes. Alongside the championship course is the Executive course: nine holes, all par 3, for a total of 836 metres. It hosted the Pitch & Putt Italian Open 2022-2023 and is, the club says, the place where people hit their first shots and where amateurs and professionals practise throughout their careers.

The price list on the Le Rovedine website does not state the year it refers to, so it is worth confirming when booking. On the championship course the 18-hole green fee costs 65 euros on weekdays and 100 euros at weekends and on public holidays; for nine holes you pay 40 and 60 euros. The Executive costs 30 euros on weekdays and 45 on public holidays. The competition entry fee is 20 euros on the championship course and 10 on the executive.

You can rent golf carts (40 euros for 18 holes, 25 for nine) and sets of irons (45 euros for 18 holes, 25 for nine, 4 euros for a short set). Access to the practice range with putting green costs 12 euros, 4 euros for a basket of 50 balls.

Tee times are booked online on the Nexxchange platform or at the office, on 02 576 06 420. The website states neither the required handicap nor the closing day: it is best to ask at the office.

Le Rovedine presents itself as the club that has promoted golf in Milan since 1976. The practice range has more than a hundred bays, 60 covered and 40 uncovered, and the club calls it the largest golf introduction centre in Italy. From Wednesday to Friday you can keep hitting until 10 pm, thanks to the floodlights, between 1 April and 30 October. Swing analysis uses Dartfish software, ball-flight analysis uses Trackman; there is a large putting green for the short game.

The school offers individual lessons, introductory and improvement courses, and programmes for children and teenagers with a summer camp. The clubhouse has panoramic windows over the park, an office, changing rooms, bag storage and the restaurant Al Green, which serves Italian cuisine and regional dishes with a terrace on the course; there is also the Clubino for an aperitif or a light dinner after practice, as well as a swimming pool. The calendar includes the Eclettica, the club championships, the Rovedine Gran Prix and the stages of the Christie's International Real Estate Golf Circuit.

• Seven holes with water. Lakes come into play on holes 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 16.
• An all-par-3 executive. Nine holes and 836 metres in total: it hosted the Pitch & Putt Italian Open.
• Golf in the dark. From Wednesday to Friday the floodlit practice range stays open until 10 pm.
• A park of 650,000 square metres. There are 70 species of trees and almost three hectares of lakes.