3 nights with breakfast at Royal Hotel Sanremo and one green fees per person (Golf degli Ulivi Sanremo Golf Club)

You must go 160 meters above sea level and travel outside the city for five kilometers to find Sanremo’s 18-hole course, carved out of mountain slopes amongst Val Gogna’s picturesque olive tree groves which descend toward the coast. This is one of Italy’s historic clubs. The first match was played on December 1, 1931, and the official inauguration took place three months later when the clubhouse was completed. Stretching 5203 meters of length, this is no course for “hard-hitters”, with its very technical and delicate holes where players must pay the utmost attention. The holes come one after the other in succession on different levels, taking on the characteristic pattern of the terraced cultivations. The most intriguing is probably the 9th, a par 3 which measures 76 meters from the yellow tees. It is so short that it is regularly underestimated. How much can it take to reach the green with a half pitch shot? Ask Baldovino Dassù, a great champion of the 70s and 80s, who scored a sensational 12 here. It might seem impossible, but you have to keep in mind that the fairway is practically nonexistent. The two bunkers are huge, the green is tiny and sloping, and behind it… hic sunt leones, or rather, there are lions here, meaning there is a precipice amongst the olive trees. Statistics confirm it: more than 45% of the results on this hole are above par. The clubhouse is one of the reasons that makes playing at this club worth it. The atmosphere is one of days gone by, of English aplomb as it was with the first frequenters of the course, with hardwood floors, large airy rooms enclosed by huge picture windows and a terrace that runs along most of the perimeter, offering stunning views of the course and valley. Technical Details: Course : 18 holes, Par 69, 5203 meters Architects : Gannon & Blanford Topography : a lot of slopes, short paths Special features : the first stroke is decisive and its control is very important Pro’s Comments: A miracle!!! I believe the Golf degli Ulivi is truly a miracle. If you consider the portion of land and the machinery that architects, engineers and workers had back in 1925-30 to build a golf course, it can only be considered an extraordinary event. The holes are on different levels and demand maximum precision. You will make your score on the extremely difficult five par 3s (2-9-11-14 and 16). But I find the 14th and 16th two truly complicated holes. Both are longer than 200 meters from the men’s tee, with tiny greens that are defended frontally by rather deep bunkers. Only those who have played there know what I’m talking about. Why not give it a try?