“The most beautiful hole in Italy”: that is how La Gazzetta dello Sport described the 17th at Royal Park I Roveri in 2011. At Fiano, two 18-hole courses share the former Savoy hunting reserve.
Drive from Turin towards the Reggia di Venaria, carry on past the gates of the La Mandria nature park, and you reach a place that the rest of Italian golf knows by a single number: 36 holes. Royal Park I Roveri, in Fiano, has two 18-hole courses, signed by two American architects and built thirty-five years apart. This profile explains how they are laid out, what the club says about itself and how to play as a guest.
From Savoy reserve to Agnelli course
The club was founded in 1971 at the wish of the Agnelli family, who entrusted the design to Robert Trent Jones Senior. The land is the former hunting reserve of La Mandria, now a nature park, close to the Reggia di Venaria Reale, built in 1651 for the hunting parties of Duke Charles Emmanuel II. The Alps rise all around. The club speaks of close encounters with the reserve's protected wildlife: from the fairways, in other words, you see more than golf.
Allianz Course: the Trent Jones Sr design
The historic layout is the Allianz Course: par 72, 6,566 metres from the men's championship tees, with a slope of 143 and a rating of 74.4. The club stresses its innovative use of bunkers and water hazards: greens and hazards are arranged so that every shot has to be thought through, with no room for pure power.
The credentials are high, but they should be read as the club presents them. According to Royal Park, the course is regularly among the top 50 in Europe and ranked first in Italy on top100golfcourses.com in 2016, 2017 and 2023. It is the course that hosted four Italian Opens, from 2009 to 2012.
The 17th hole, the signature hole
The 17th is the course's emblem. In 2011 La Gazzetta dello Sport called it “the most beautiful hole in Italy”. It is a journalist's verdict, not an official ranking, but it explains why many visitors to Royal Park ask to play that very hole first.
Allianz Bank Course: Hurdzan and Fry, 2006
The second course is a different story. The Allianz Bank Course dates from 2006 and was designed by Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry, for whom it was their first project in Europe. It is flatter and more open than its twin: artificial ponds and bunkers are the main hazards. It measures 6,572 metres, par 72, slope 140. The signature hole is the 18th.
Golf Digest and Golf World named it Best New Course in 2014, according to the club.
| Allianz Course | Allianz Bank Course | |
|---|---|---|
| Architect | Robert Trent Jones Sr | Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry |
| Year | 1971 | 2006 |
| Par | 72 | 72 |
| Length (championship tees) | 6,566 m | 6,572 m |
| Slope | 143 | 140 |
| Character | bunkers and water, a course to think your way round | flatter and more open, ponds and bunkers |
| Signature hole | 17 | 18 |
The two courses are almost the same length but do not share the same character: anyone playing two days in a row has the comparison ready-made, without changing club.
Playing Royal Park as a guest
The club is open, it says, to “members, guests and tourists”. The published price list gives a green fee of 160 euros, the same on weekdays and weekends, in high and low season, and 80 euros for under-18s. The price list does not state the year it applies to, so it is best to confirm the figure before booking. For equipment: golf cart 60 euros, electric trolley 30, manual trolley 10, bag 40.
The welcome follows a ritual: at reception you receive directions to the changing rooms, restaurant and practice area, then the golf cart and a short briefing ten minutes before your tee time. Tee times are spaced ten minutes apart for a steady pace, and at the end of the round the clubs are cleaned. For the required handicap and the closing day, ask the secretary's office on +39 011 923 55 00.
Clubhouse, restaurant and academy
The clubhouse lounge, designed by Brunello Cucinelli, opened in 2024. The dining room, renovated in 2021, seats 80 and serves Piedmontese and Mediterranean cuisine; in summer there is also a buvette overlooking the Allianz Course. Since 2019 the club has housed the Edoardo Molinari Golf Academy, with a driving range, short game area and putting green.
Among the events the club recalls: the 2021 European Ladies' Amateur, the 2022 World University Championships and the 2024 European Amateur Team Championship.
Where to stay and where else to play
Visitors from out of town stay in the city: ask the club about transfer times. With a second day to spare, there are three other courses in the same area.
- Circolo Golf Torino La Mandria, inside the same park since 1956: 36 holes, the course where the Molinari brothers grew up. It hosted the Italian Open in 1999, 2013 and 2014.
- Golf Druento Cascina i Merli: 12 holes, par 47, on a historic farmstead near the Reggia, with no pesticides.
- Golf Club Stupinigi: nine holes inside the city, which the club presents as Turin's only city course.
Curiosities
- A course for the Agnelli family. The 1971 course is entirely the work of Trent Jones Sr, built at the Agnellis' wish.
- A European first. The Allianz Bank Course was the first course Dana Fry built in Europe.
- From hunting to golf. You play in the former La Mandria reserve, near a Reggia built for the hunting parties of Charles Emmanuel II.
- Golf for everyone. The Italian Open for disabled golfers was played here in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Frequently asked questions
How many holes does Royal Park I Roveri have?+
Thirty-six, on two 18-hole, par 72 courses: the Allianz Course by Robert Trent Jones Sr (1971) and the Allianz Bank Course by Hurdzan and Fry (2006).
How much is the green fee at Royal Park I Roveri?+
The club's published price list, which does not state the year, gives 160 euros for adults in every period and 80 euros for under-18s. It is best to confirm before booking.
Can non-members play at Royal Park?+
Yes: the club is open to members, guests and tourists and publishes a green fee list. The required handicap and the closing day are not published, so ask the secretary's office.
How many Italian Opens has Royal Park I Roveri hosted?+
Four, from 2009 to 2012, all on the Allianz Course.
What is the difference between the two courses?+
The Allianz Course (1971, Trent Jones Sr) relies on bunkers and water hazards that must be read carefully; the Allianz Bank Course (2006, Hurdzan and Fry) is flatter and more open, with ponds and bunkers as the main hazards.
Can golf carts and trolleys be hired?+
Yes: according to the published price list, a golf cart costs 60 euros, an electric trolley 30, a manual trolley 10 and bag hire 40.
