7 nights with breakfast included at Grand Hotel Campione and 3 Green Fees per person at Lanzo Golf Club, Golf Club Varese and Golf Club Monticello.

Set in a secluded location in a wooded area of natural beauty, not far from Lake Lugano and the Swiss border, with stunning panoramic views over the surrounding mountains, Lanzo presents a golfing experience a little out of the way, but worth it if you are a lover of peace and tranquility. Designed by renowned architect Donald Harradine on the gentle slopes of the “Pian delle Noci” (translated as Walnuts Plateau) at an altitude of 1000 meters above sea level, it was opened for play in 1962 and it winds through ancient walnut woods and green meadows. Despite the limited length, Lanzo Golf Course is as enjoyable as it is challenging: a never boring round, due to the clever use of double tees which make it versatile enough to challenge players of thee very skill level. Designed for players who want to enjoy a pleasant round of golf rather than one fraught with difficulty and complications, it is not too long. However some holes do offer up more of a challenge. The most difficult one is the 4th, a 347 m Par 4 dogleg on the right with a small and tricky green. A well placed tee shot is just the beginning of successfully negotiating this challenging hole. The clubhouse, after undergoing an extensive refurbishment program, promises a warming welcome after your game. Relax in a charming space where superior quality local food is served and enjoy an outdoor lunch on the pleasant terrace overlooking the course. Being close to the lake, the climate here is mild and pleasant in spite of the altitude. A perfect spot for a golfing weekend! Technical Details Course: 9 holes, Par 68, 5094 m Architect: Donald Harradine Topography: Short, hilly course Distinctive features: Set at 1000 meters of altitude over sea level, a spectacular woodland 9 hole course. Golfers will remember Lanzo because it tests all aspects of their shot-making ability. Pro’s comment Perched on the hills of the homonymous valley, 9 rather tricky, yet delightful holes. From the opening one to the last hole, a succession of traps and treacherous greens, to be carefully handled, because even the smallest mistake could heavily affect the score. During the Summer months, with cooler temperatures and clear blue skies, a round here is a pleasure that I personally highly recommend!

Golf and Varese are old acquaintances. It was 1897 when the first 9 holes of the city were marked out in the park of the Grand Hotel Excelsior in the Casbeno neighborhood, today site of the prefectural offices. After a brief transfer north to Valganna, the Golf Club Varese found its definitive location in Luvinate in 1934. First 9 holes, which then doubled in the 1950s, with views that sweep from Monte Rosa to the three lakes – Maggiore, Varese and Monate – and an immense wealth of century-old trees, as beautiful to see as they are penalizing for imprecise golfers The course is indeed narrow with small and well-defended greens, with undulating sloping fairways that are often breathtaking – such as Hole 18 with an uphill climb to a killer green! Dominating it all, the 12th century monastery from which the clubhouse was created. A stop here is a unique experience. You must cross an ancient cloister, as the Benedictine nuns once did who lived here until the 15th century. Going past the old sacristy, you enter the spacious parlor, the bar and restaurant with coffered ceilings and the other walls covered with wooden panels bearing the names of the winners of the club’s most prestigious tournaments. Each hole is completely different from the others and rarely will you find yourself playing a shot with the ball perfectly level. It is often wise to forgo using a driver from the tee, so as not to run too many risks and place the ball in the wider spots of the fairway with an iron or three-wood. Technical Details Course: 18 holes, Par 72, 6054 meters Architects: Gannon & Blanford Topography: rather hilly, wide fairways, many doglegs, veteran trees Distinctive features: the many doglegs are quite demanding and require a precise game: either a 3-wood or a long iron might help. Pro’s comments The Golf Club Varese thrills golfers especially in autumn, when the trees are brightly colored with red, yellow, brown and dark green leaves. A sight not to be missed, just as the tee shot from Hole 10 overlooking Lake Varese, with a truly breathtaking view. For golf aesthetes, a must-see.

It was in the late 1960s that the brothers Alessandro and Giuseppe Panza of Biumo decided to convert a farming estate of 140 hectares, just a few kilometers south of Como, into a golf course that would complete a modern design residential complex surrounded by greenery. Easily reached from Milan, Monticello was created to be used by families: a place where adults and children would be able to practice extra-golf activities such as bridge, tennis, football and swimming. With its 36 holes – it takes pride in being the first to have them, in 1974 – Monticello is a continuing evolution, entrusted to different signatures – the last ones belonging to Jim Fazio, Baldovino Dassù and Graham Cooke. The clubhouse is instead the work of the prestigious architect Luigi Caccia Dominioni, a low building with an elongated and meandering shape which reinterpreted the Lombard farmstead in a modern key. The Red course – imposing and challenging – has been one of the historic venues for the Italian Open, played here seven times between 1974 and 1992 and won, amongst others, by the American Billy Casper and the Australian Greg Norman. The Blue course is shorter – and therefore more accessible to players with medium-high handicaps – with the front 9 which are level and rather open and the back 9 narrower and more delicate. Technical Details Course: 18+18 holes, Par 72/72, 6055/5842 meters Architect: Baldovino, Dassù, Graham Cook. Topography: from flat to slightly undulated, with small greens protected by bunkers. Distinctive features: The first shot is very important, when you play your handicap. The drive must be placed in a very strategic way. Pro’s comments Playing at Monticello is delightful and fun. The red course, made more challenging by the touch of Baldovino, amongst others, which changed the design of some greens a few years ago, is long yet flat and can be played by players of any age and level of skill. Holes 9 and 18 are indeed spectacular, as they end in front of the clubhouse with a huge lake which makes approach shots to the green more difficult and complicated.