5 nights at Hotel Ristorante Giardinetto with breakfast and 2 green fees (Golf Club Alpino di Stresa, Golf Club Des Iles Borromées)

Among the golf courses around Lake Maggiore, the oldest one is Alpino di Stresa Golf Club, high in the hills overlooking the most famous town of the area. From this strategic location you can enjoy the pleasure of an extraordinary panoramic view of the lake and the Alps. You will be welcomed in a friendly atmosphere in this 9 holes only club, designed in 1924 by Peter Gannon. The course has a distinctive trait that distinguishes it from any other: the architect was left-handed and that has been reflected in the project, later developed by the professional Francesco Pasquali, who won the first Italian Open on this very golf course in 1925, followed by two other championships. The layout runs clockwise and the left section becomes punishing, often to the very edge of the out of bound limit. Despite the 700 m. altitude, only holes 1,3, 4 and 9 are uneven. Overall it is a short but quite difficult course, with some narrow and dodgy fairways, many tall trees along the tracks, small and fast greens, protected by bunkers. As a compensation, a unique detail: you will never find a bunker on the fairways, nor any water hazard. Technical Details Course : 9 holes, Par 69, 5397 meters. Architects: Peter Gannon, Francesco Pasquali Topography: hilly Distinctive features: the greens are not so visible when you throw in the ball. Pro’s comments Almost 100 years of history but it doesn’t look it! At Alpino di Stresa Golf Club you can play and have fun on a course with steep slopes, where precision is much more needed than strength; 9 holes to play tiptoeing, without of bounds always at your left. If you don’t hook, delight is guaranteed

At 600 meters of altitude, this is the second golf course in Stresa after the historic Alpino, and is nestled in woodlands abounding with a variety of tree species. On those days when a lake gives new meaning to the word “beauty”, golfers often stand bewitched at the starting tee on Hole 18. There you can admire a panorama that sweeps from the Ticino plain to the Alps of the Simplon Pass and Switzerland, and over four lakes – Maggiore, Varese, Monate and Comabbio, the Alps, and on the most fortunate days, even the skyline of Milan. Dating back to 1987, the course is natural and it shows: its difficulties, the differences in level, and its hazards were not custom-built. They have been there for centuries. Architect Marco Croze has only enhanced or adapted them to a course that manages to entertain as well as challenge at the same time. The design of the holes is extremely varied and quite undulating, and this often forces players to adopt a defensive tactic. Your feet are never flat on the ground and each shot can have disastrous effects on the score: in this case, simply console yourselves with the panorama. Technical Details Course: 18 holes, Par 72, 6122 meters. Architect: Marco Croze Topography: hilly, narrow course with some interesting water hazards Distinctive features: remarkable either for its play course or for the natural surroundings. Its landscape is itself an added value. Pro’s comments: To understand the beauty and difficulty of this golf course, you must try it: breathtaking panoramas and a very demanding and punishing layout for imprecise golfers