No Italian club has hosted the Italian Open more often than the one at Montorfano, above Como: twelve editions on a course of just 5,760 metres. In 2026 it turns one hundred.
Count how many times the Italian Open has returned to the same venue and the first name on the list is the Circolo Golf Villa d'Este: twelve editions, a record among Italian clubs. The course lies at Montorfano, above Como, at about 400 metres above sea level in a wood of chestnuts, birches and pines, and measures a mere 5,760 metres for a par 69.
2026 is the centenary year: the club was designed in 1926 by Peter Gannon. Here you will find how the course is laid out, how to play it as a guest and how it ties in with the Cernobbio hotel that bought it back in 2024.
A short course that has hosted the best: the Montorfano layout
The course is an 18-hole par 69 of 5,760 metres, designed in 1926 by Peter Gannon. The club describes it as one of the most fascinating and technically demanding par 69s in Europe, with natural hazards designed to test players of different levels. By today's standards the length is modest, and it has not stopped the course from hosting twelve Opens.
What counts for more is the setting. The course lies at about 400 metres of altitude, in a wood of chestnuts, birches and pines that, according to the club's and Villa d'Este's own pages, exceeds 30,000 trees. From the holes you can see the small Lake Montorfano, with the Pre-Alps in the background and, on clear days, Lake Como.
For hole-by-hole details, the course rating and the slope, it is best to ask the club office.
Who Peter Gannon was and what he designed around the lakes
Gannon's name is on more than one historic club in the north. Besides Montorfano, he is credited with the Golf Club Milano in Monza Park (1928, with Cecil Blandford overseeing the works), the Golf Alpino di Stresa on Mottarone, begun in 1924, the Circolo Golf degli Ulivi in Sanremo and Courmayeur.
Anyone wishing to compare another course on Lake Como can look at the Golf Club Menaggio & Cadenabbia: founded on 10 January 1907 at the Hotel Victoria in Menaggio, it is the second oldest in Italy, with 18 holes, par 70, 5,482 metres.
The club today: centenary, restaurant and lodge
The club belonged to the Villa d'Este hotel until the end of the 1970s, and the hotel bought it back in 2024. In 2026 the centenary brings a full programme of competitions and events, presented in the presence of the leaders of the Italian Golf Federation; the 2026 competition calendar can be downloaded from the club's website.
The restaurant La Terrazza al Golf, overlooking the 18th hole, is open for lunch and dinner to non-members too, with chef Orazio Stella. For a stay on the course there is the Lodge, a guesthouse with 32-square-metre rooms and a patio onto the garden, along the entrance avenue, within the first nine holes. For lessons there is the Green Golf Academy.
Playing Villa d'Este as a guest: calendar, tee times and hotel package
The course is open every day from March to December, except Tuesday. January and February are therefore closed. The club's website publishes neither a green fee list nor the handicap limit for guests: to get a tee time you need to contact the club office on +39 031 200 200 or write to [email protected].
A second route is through the Villa d'Este hotel in Cernobbio, which for 2026 offers a golf package of at least two nights with breakfast, one 18-hole green fee, a golf cart and club hire. It is valid from 21 March to 21 November, with some dates excluded. Among the shorter options: nine holes in the morning with lunch, nine holes at sunset with a glass of Franciacorta, a round with a PGA Italia professional, and two-hour lessons for children aged 5 to 14.
The hotel is a villa built in 1568 for Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio and a hotel since 1873, with 151 rooms in a ten-hectare park. The course is not on the lake but about 14 kilometres from Cernobbio. In May the villa hosts the Concorso d'Eleganza, the vintage car show held here since 1929: for those who play, it is best to book well in advance.
Curiosities
- A national record. Twelve Italian Opens: no other club has hosted as many.
- 30,000 trees. According to the club, the Montorfano wood exceeds that number.
- The home course, twice. The hotel owned it until the end of the 1970s and bought it back in 2024.
- Twinned with Milan. Members of the Golf Club Milano enjoy the same privileges at Villa d'Este thanks to the Double Membership agreement, as the Milan club states.
Frequently asked questions
How many times has Villa d'Este hosted the Italian Open?+
Twelve times, a record among Italian clubs.
How many holes does Circolo Golf Villa d'Este have?+
Eighteen, par 69, over 5,760 metres; the course was designed by Peter Gannon in 1926.
Is the course open in winter?+
According to the Villa d'Este hotel's website, the course is open from March to December, every day except Tuesday: January and February are closed.
How do I book a tee time?+
The club's website publishes neither a price list nor online booking: contact the club office on +39 031 200 200 or [email protected]. Hotel guests can use the 2026 golf package.
Is the course on Lake Como?+
No. It is at Montorfano, inland, about 14 kilometres from the Cernobbio hotel, at 400 metres of altitude. From the holes you can see the small Lake Montorfano.
Is there a restaurant at the club?+
Yes, La Terrazza al Golf, with a view of the 18th hole, open for lunch and dinner to non-members too.
When does the club turn one hundred?+
In 2026: the course was designed in 1926, and the centenary brings a programme of competitions and events, with the calendar on the club's website.
