DES ÎLES BORROMEES

The area around Lake Maggiore with its luxuriant vegetation and vivid colours, the endless variety of trees and flowers, is the ideal setting for golfing. Des Îles Borromées is on the hilly side of the lake, 500 metres above sea level, close to another golf course, the Alpino, one of the first to be constructed in Italy. Even last century this area was popular as a holiday centre and the many top class hotels of renown confirm this. The sports facilities are always in great demand and golf enthusiasts are constantly on the increase. The designer is Marco Croze (yet again!) and the course is routed over 72 hectares of natural ground, with full respect for the existing countryside, except for two peat-bog areas which have now been turned into lakes. Although very recent, the course is certainly ideally suited from a technical point of view for top level championships.

Golf Club Des Iles Borromées is situated in a beautiful alpine setting 600  metres above sea level. When playing the course, golfers can also enjoy spectacular views of the Sempione and Val Grande mountains. From the 18th hole tee, on a clear day, one can see the skyline of Milan, Lago Maggiore, Lago di Varese, Monate and Comabbio as well as the Ticino Alps. But the natural flora is the real highlight. Birches flank the entire course along with pine trees, ash and larch trees mixed with oak and holm  oak and chestnut trees. Golfers can even find Mikado thuies on hole 12.The course is open throughout the year except for January. Summer temperatures never go above 85° and there is almost always a slight breeze. In late winter the sun warms many of the south-facing holes.

The course and the most  spectacular holes.
The natural fairways were designed by the architect Marco Croze. Its slopes  and  hazards are not man-made, they have been there for hundreds of years and makes this course both demanding and fun. No hole is boring. Hole 5, the shortest, is a par 3, 150 metres long. It is all uphill and surrounded by 5 bunkers. The longest hole, 11, is a par 5 which  measures 525 metres. Even powerful players will find it difficult to  reach the green in two strokes. Its green is also deceptive as it is surrounded by a small lake on the left side.