Golf Club Milano: playing inside Monza Park

The Royal Park of Monza covers almost 700 hectares of woodland and is, according to the club, one of the largest historic parks in Europe and the largest one entirely enclosed by walls. In one corner of it, golf has been played since 1928: the Golf Club Milano now has 27 holes on three courses and a record of nine Italian Opens. It is a private club, with access rules that deserve a careful read: here they are, along with the history and the figures that the facts allow us to cite.

From the Royal Pheasantry to the golf course

The club was founded on 8 May 1928 on the initiative of Senator Giuseppe Bevione. According to the FAI, the proposal was shared by the hundred members of the Rotary Club Milano. The first clubhouse was the Fagianaia Reale (Royal Pheasantry), where Victor Emmanuel II and later Umberto I raised pheasants for hunting parties with their guests: the building was later restored and furnished by the architect Pietro Portaluppi.

The course was designed by James Peter Gannon, with construction overseen by Cecil Blandford, later the club's secretary. It began with 9 holes; by 1933 it had 18. In 1958 the third course was added, the work of Giulio Cavalsani, then secretary and later a course designer: in just three years he brought the course to the 27 holes still played today.

Three courses inside an ancient wood

The three nine-hole courses run through centuries-old trees that, the club writes, give golf the character of «a gesture of style». The website does not publish par and lengths for the individual courses, which must be requested from the secretary's office: for that reason we do not give them here.

The clubhouse, commissioned by president Gianni Albertini and built in 1958 to a design by Vietti e Buzzi, is described by the club as «one of the most beautiful in Europe». Its terraces overlook the courses and a swimming pool surrounded by the park's trees; there are a restaurant and a bar.

Nine Italian Opens

The record includes nine Italian Opens: 1951, 1952, 1956, 1981, 1984, 1990, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Winners here include Sandy Lyle in 1984 and Francesco Molinari in 2016, with a score of -22. The 2017 edition was won by Tyrrell Hatton with 263 strokes (-21), drew 73,000 spectators and, for the first time, offered 7 million dollars in prize money. In 1990 Richard Boxall won (-21) with Severiano Ballesteros, José María Olazábal and Vijay Singh in the field.

Among its international events the club also recalls the «Gran Premio Internazionale Città di Milano».

Playing at Golf Club Milano as a guest

Here the rule needs careful reading. On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays access to the course and the practice range is reserved for members and their guests. The website adds that guests are welcome up to six times a year, without specifying the conditions. Green fees are not published online: for details you must contact the secretary's office.

The secretary's office is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm and closed on Mondays; the number is 039 30 30 81, the email [email protected]. The club asks for respect of etiquette and of the Club's rules. For young people up to 21 there is the Club dei Giovani, followed by six professionals.

The twinning with Villa d'Este and other Lombard courses

Members enjoy the same privileges at the Circolo Golf Villa d'Este thanks to the Double Membership agreement. The Montorfano course is another Gannon design, from 1926, and has hosted twelve editions of the Italian Open. For non-members, an alternative of the same standing is the Villa d'Este hotel in Cernobbio, which in 2024 brought the Montorfano course back among its facilities and offers a 2026 golf package (21 March to 21 November, minimum two nights).

If the weekend at Monza remains out of reach, Lombardy has other clubs with a great competitive history and more open rules.

• Golf Club Monticello: 36 holes, seven Italian Opens since 1975, course record of 63 by Greg Norman and Costantino Rocca.
• Golf Club Carimate: 18 holes since 1962 in the grounds of the Castle, and the «Carimate» chair by Vico Magistretti, born in its restaurant.
• Golf Club La Pinetina: 18 holes, par 71, by John Harris among the pines of a regional park.

Curiosities

• From hunting to golf. The first clubhouse was the Royal Pheasantry of Victor Emmanuel II and Umberto I.
• A hundred Rotary members. According to the FAI, Bevione's proposal was shared by the hundred members of the Rotary Club Milano.
• A record edition. In 2017 the Open drew 73,000 spectators and, for the first time, 7 million dollars in prize money.
• A field from 1990. When Boxall won, Ballesteros, Olazábal and Singh were in the field.
• Double membership. With the Double Membership, members enjoy the same privileges at Villa d'Este.