Torino La Mandria

Circolo Golf Torino moved three times before settling at La Mandria, inside the regional park that was once the Savoy hunting reserve, a few kilometres from the Royal Palace of Venaria. Today it has 36 holes, two 18-hole par-72 courses and a nine-hole pitch and putt. The club insists on one point: everything serves the golf, with no roads or buildings along the holes.

This profile covers the two courses, the roll of honour, the visitor rates and the story of a club founded in 1920.

History: from 1920 to La Mandria, by way of a racecourse

Torino was founded in 1920 by eleven people, with its first home in the lower Canavese, near San Maurizio, on a heath also used for military exercises. The later stages:

• 1924: it affiliates to the FIG.
• 1927: it moves to Mirafiori, with nine holes inside the racecourse.
• 1951: it arrives at the Colle della Maddalena.
• 1956: it settles at La Mandria. 1957 is the year Circolo Golf Torino - La Mandria was inaugurated.

The centenary was celebrated in 2024.

The courses: Blue and Yellow

The Blue Course, 18 holes, par 72, dates from 1956 and was designed by John Stenton Fleming Morrison, chosen to turn a portion of the La Mandria forest into "the finest golf course of its day", says the club. The Italian Opens of 2013 and 2014 were played here. The 6th is the hardest par 4 (handicap 1), the 15th the longest par 5; on the closing stretch the 16th is a long par 3 with the green ringed by bunkers and a stream twenty metres short.

The Yellow Course, also 18 holes and par 72, came together in stages: the back nine dates from 1967, designed by the Englishman John Harris. Water is the protagonist here: at the 14th, a scenic par 3, the green sits on an island beyond the lake; at the 10th a lake on the left makes the tee shot on the par 5 a delicate one.

Alongside the two courses is a nine-hole Pitch and Putt, open to members only, even without a handicap.

The roll of honour: three Italian Opens and an international championship

According to the club, the roll of honour is the most distinguished in Italy. It has hosted three editions of the Italian Open.

In 2022 the course also hosted the International Championship of Italy, won by Filippo Ponzano on the Blue.

Playing at Golf Torino as a visitor

The club has a page dedicated to visitors. The price list carries no year, so the figures should be confirmed before you travel.

The website does not explain what the price difference depends on, so it is worth asking the secretary's office. For information and bookings: [email protected] or 011 9235440. The website gives neither the closing day nor the handicap required.

Clubhouse and restaurant

The clubhouse, built in the late 1950s to a design by Attilio Berardi, has a patio overlooking the Blue, a card room, a billiards table and a TV room with a big screen; the Cascina Risera houses the pro shop, the juniors' room and the fitness area. The restaurant is run by La Credenza, a Michelin-starred restaurant in San Maurizio Canavese, but access is reserved for members, except at special events.

Curiosities

• A record that lasted 34 years. In 1965 Alfonso "Lillo" Angelini finished the Torino Open with a 65, nine birdies and a single bogey: the course record stood unbeaten until 1999.
• Nine holes in the racecourse. In 1927 the club played at Mirafiori, sharing the ground with horse racing.
• A menu with two courses. The restaurant offers a "Blue Course" of Piedmontese cuisine and a more contemporary "Yellow Course".

Other courses around Turin

In the same La Mandria park stands Royal Park I Roveri: the Agnelli family entrusted it in 1971 to Robert Trent Jones Sr., it has 36 holes and has hosted four Italian Opens. Towards the Biellese, Golf Club Biella Le Betulle is a par 73 signed by John Morrison, the same architect as the Blue Course. Further east, towards Lake Maggiore, Bogogno Golf Resort has 36 holes by Robert Von Hagge, opened in 1997.