9 nights with breakfast at Villa Condulmer and five green fees per person (Villa Condulmer Golf Club, Ca Amata, Padova, Venezia and Ca della Nave GC)

We are around twenty kilometers from the Venetian Lagoon, a World Heritage site: either before or after an obligatory tour of the Serenissima, or better Venice, golf lovers simply cannot miss playing a match at the Golf Club Ca’ della Nave in Martellago, a gem designed by Arnold Palmer on terrain dominated by the aristocratic majesty of the 16th century Villa Grimani Morosini. The great American champion who designed the course in the mid-1980s perhaps drew inspiration from Venice when he decided to insert artificial lakes and water hazards onto no less than 12 of the 18 championship holes – but not even the 9 executive holes are exempt from red stakes! The most difficult is Hole 2, a par 4 of 370 meters, picturesque and rolling with the lake flanking it on the right for the length of the fairway. Two bunkers there awaiting the landing of your first shot and another to defend the entrance to the green complicate things considerably. Hole 14 is also spectacular, a par 4 of 278 meters, where the fairway is an islet in the middle of a large lake: from the tee, you have to cross a small bridge to reach the ball, and the same must be done to reach the green which, in addition to the water in the front, is also defended by three bunkers. Technical Details Course: 18 holes, Par 72, 6366 meters Architect: Arnold Palmer Topography: flat with artificial hills and undulated fairways. Distinctive features: you can recognize everywhere the American style. The play is amusing thanks to artificial slopes and well-placed water hazards. Pro’s comments Arnold Palmer’s hand is clearly seen in the design of this splendid course; lots of water, bunkers on the dogleg bends and in defense of the greens which are wide and welcoming. Much about this course is already revealed by Hole 2, a handicap 1; almost 400 meters from the furthest tee, water on the right and a green defended by a bunker on the left; you will find water another 11 times by the time you have completed the round but don’t be discouraged; the course is not that difficult and everyone will have a ball. Bravo Arnie!!!

Choosing Ca’ Amata means treating yourself with a golf day in a romantic eighteenth-century atmosphere, in the heart of an area – the province of Treviso – which offers a vast amount of interesting sightseeing opportunities. The course, created in 1991, has been cut out from the park of the Villa of the same name, one of the most prestigious examples of the eighteenth-century Venetian architecture. There are also guided tours (booking required). The environment is beautiful and well maintained, framed by trees, bushes and flowers, adding elegance along the fairways. Eleven of the 18 holes include lakes and streams, to catch inaccurate shots; and lovers of beauty will notice that even the water hazards adhere to strict aesthetic rules, with architectural elements belonging to the most beautiful romantic parks: ledges, small bridges, little waterfalls characterize the whole course. The track, entirely flat, covers a vast area, 75 hectares, starting a course which allows the golfer spectacularly long shots. The large fairways forgive imprecise shots, but the greens – sometimes very big, others smaller and technically challenging with many slopes – are less forgiving. Very long Par 4s alternate with shorter holes, making the course a real challenge, even for the more expert players. The climate here is mild: you can happily play almost all year long. Technical Details Course: 18 holes, Par 72, 5686 meters Architect: Marco Croze Topography: flat, numerous water hazards Distinctive features: strategic game is essential; it’s bound to test your nerves with water coming into play on many holes.

At Mogliano Veneto, in the Treviso province but only 23 Km from Venice, Golf Club Villa Condulmer awaits you, a successful combination of farming landscape, art, history, hospitality and good food. The front 9 holes date back to 1960, designed by John Harris among the ancient trees in the park of the homonymous eighteenth-century villa; the back 9 holes were designed by Marco Croze in 1970. Here more length from the tee is required, fairways are flat but the presence of many water hazards and the very well defended small and fast greens make the game an interesting challenge. The 2nd hole can be considered one of the most enjoyable to play. A 350 m left dogleg par 4, it gives the player a creative second shot to get past the villa’s ancient gate. A shot you will keep in your memory forever. The fascinating clubhouse deserves a special note: it is an old farmhouse, carefully restored keeping its original traits. By the veranda, a panoramic terrace run along the southern side of the building, giving an inspiring view over the ancient park of the villa. Course: 18 holes, Par 71, 5955 metres Architects: John Harris and Marco Croze Topography: from flat to slightly hilly Distinctive features: the front 9 holes as well as the back 9 offer a pleasant and varied game

The eighth golf course in the order of appearance on Italian soil – initially 9 holes designed by the Scot Bobby Cruickshank in 1930, increased to 18 in 1951 by C.K. Cotton – was created to attract an elite tourism in the Lagoon. An area of 100 hectares was chosen as site with natural dunes around an old Austrian fortification built to defend the Most Serene Republic during the Lombardo-Venetian rule halfway through the 19th century, when Venice was the capital. The stables and military quarters were transformed into what is still the clubhouse. It is on southernmost tip of Lido Island, in the Alberoni hamlet: reaching it from the mainland is neither simple or casual. Your efforts will be rewarded by that ambiance of low profile innate elegance which has intrigued figures such as the Duke of Windsor, the billionaire John Davison Rockefeller, or celebrities from the past and present such as Bing Crosby and Clint Eastwood. Course: 18 holes, Par 72, 6199 m Architects: Cruikshank & C.K. Cotton Pro’s comments: When you enter the Golf Club Venezia, founded in 1928, you can understand why it is worth the effort of waking up early to take the ferryboat to reach it: the atmosphere there is truly different. Not overly long, the course is flanked by wonderful trees and the silence permeating it is a remarkable plus. Hole 9, the par 3 with the bell, is unforgettable: not long, it is played blind (the green cannot be seen because it is hidden by defense canals and the fort’s ramparts). When you have finished the hole, you must ring the bell to indicate that the green is free. You will also greatly enjoy the other 17 holes. A Venice attraction to be compared to Saint Mark’s Square or the Rialto Bridge: not to be missed.

The Valsanzibio club is the firstborn among Padua’s golf courses, thanks to the support of an entrepreneur, Igino Kofler, who at the end of the Fifties, with a group of friends, wanted to create a course in order to enhance the tourist quality of the well known spa district of Abano and Montegrotto. Originally it was called “Euganeo Golf Club”, but the name is not the only thing that has changed in more than 50 years of history: the present Padua Golf Club, open to the public in 1962, has been extended from the original 18 holes designed by John Harris (Yellow and Blue). In 2003, indeed, 9 additional holes were opened: the Red Course, created by the Venetian architect Marco Croze. The fairways run at the foot of the Euganeas Hills in an outstandingly beautiful setting, a real botanical garden. In the Seventies, the club president was a nurseryman, Benedetto Sgaravatti, who embellished the naturalistic heritage of a rather barren ground with not less than eight thousands trees and shrubs, carefully chosen according to technical landscape criteria. The best background? That of the green of the 2nd hole in the Yellow Course, where you can admire the Diana’s Gate of the eighteenth century Villa Barbarigo: the garden, after your game, is definitely worth a visit. Technical Details Courses: 18 + 9 holes, Par 72/36, 5767/2824 meters Architect: John Harris, Marco Croze Topography: light hilly, many bunkers Distinctive features: in the middle of a valley at the foot of the Euganean Hills. It is mostly a parkland flat course with many water hazards. Thick vegetation at the sides of the fairways.