Gardagolf Country Club

GARDAGOLF COUNTRY CLUB

Gardagolf Country Club has always been considered one of the best Italian golf courses.  The golf club that spreads over an area of 110 hectares was designed by the British architects Cotton, Pennick, Steel & Partners.  The Gardagolf Country Club has 27 holes nestled between the area of the Rocca of Manerba, the castle of Soaino and the Valtenesi hills with a truly amazing panoramic view, one of extraordinary beauty.  The landscape is complimented with the natural beauty of cypress, olive, centenarian oak, maritime pine and holm oak trees.  Gardagolf is a very demanding course that needs a great deal of attention, the landscape and beautiful views are a real temptation but the player really must keep their eye on the route itself.

The philosophy and aim of Gardagolf Country Club is to offer its members and guests not only a technical field in a breathtaking setting, but to also always offer the best conditions with a welcoming Club House that offers a first class service.

The 27 championship holes and the wide practice range make it the ideal theatre for both the most important national and international tournaments and for amateurs who would like to try both a technical and fun course.   

Gardagolf Country Club aims to be at the top of Europe’s golf facilities where attention to detail, professionalism and courtesy come together in a sportive and hospitable environment.

It is thanks to Riccardo Pisa and Giorgio Simonini whose entrepreneurial abilities and vision in 1984,  created the concept of making a golf course in Valetnesi, just a few kilometres from the lower part of Lake Garda come to life.

The idea of the growing tourism has accompanied every stage of the planning and development of Gardagolf but at the same time keeping focus on respecting the environment itself.

Pisa and Simonini’s intention was that of making an investment by believing in the game of golf as an ideal complement for a holiday, characterised by style and a high standard of services.

The first 18 holes designed by the Cotton English firm, Pennick, Steel & Partners were inaugurated on 28th June 1986.  In 1990 another 9 holes were inaugurated, the Yellow course.

Gardagolf Country Club is an Anglo-Italian concept and the addition of new courses has completed the structure of the original English project.

The three 9 hole courses are a real attraction for players on both a technical and landscape point of view:

The Red Course winds its way with great lightness over the hills that dominate the Soiano Castle to the west and the Polpenazze Town Hall on the east.  The first 9 holes offer a suggestive glimpse and an interesting and challenging design for both experts and beginners.  The most characteristic hole is the 2, a par 3 with a raised starting point and a green that is protected at the front by a lake and by large floral areas that delimit the depth of it; it has been awarded “one of the 500 most beautiful holes in the world” by Golf Magazine.  From the tee of hole 8, the most challenging of the routes, the horizon then opens up as far as the eye can see out onto Lake Garda with Mount Baldo as the frame of it all; the long downhill par 4 is characterised by an insidious obstacle of water on the right, a central dip, on the left the ex manor house of the Omodeo family that is now a residential complex dominates the scene.

The White Course takes advantage of the plain that runs from Soiano to Manerba and has holes that offer very interesting features such as hole 7, an accentuated dogleg on the left with an insidious lake that devours the ball of a too ambitious tee shot.  The uphill 9 hole with the green at the foot of the Club House is set in a natural amphitheater with ancient olive trees; less experienced players must go beyond the pond with their first shot, that is characterised by the centenary chapel on the left.

The Yellow Course is surrounded by the park of Villa Omodeo, the yellow course is extremely technical, with small greens defended by deep bunkers and water hazards.
The player must decide their game strategy carefully; particularly on holes like the 2nd -par 4, 330 metres – which has a treacherous front water hazard 200 metres from the tee. The 4th hole - par 4, 367 metres - forces the player to perfectly place the tee shot on the fairway sloping to the left, with a lateral water hazard to the right of the landing area. The second shot must be made towards a small, raised green that is very well defended by large bunkers.