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Golf guide • Italy • Lombardy

Golf on Lake Garda: vineyards, cypresses and three Italian Opens

On the south-western shore of Lake Garda, around Soiano del Lago, three clubs lie less than forty minutes away: Gardagolf, 27 holes opened in 1986 and host of three Italian Opens; Arzaga, whose 18 holes were designed by Jack Nicklaus II; and Bogliaco, founded in 1912 above the lake. Golfers come for hill golf among vines, olive trees and cypresses, with the lake as a backdrop; April to June and September to October are the best months.

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Between Desenzano and Salò, the Lombard shore of Lake Garda rises in gentle moraine hills: this is the Valtènesi, seven municipalities of vineyards, olive groves and hilltop villages, Soiano del Lago among them. Here the lake is glimpsed rather than imposed, round the corner of a fairway or from a castle terrace. It is the lake's densest golfing territory: two 27-hole complexes a quarter of an hour apart, and a century-old course a little further north.

Gardagolf, below Soiano, is the benchmark: the European Tour played the Italian Open here in 1997, 2003 and 2018. Arzaga, at Calvagese della Riviera, plays the estate card, with a Renaissance palazzo turned hotel beside the fairways. Bogliaco, at Toscolano-Maderno, is one of the oldest clubs in the country, laid out on a balcony above the water among lemon and olive trees.

The rhythm of a stay soon falls into place: a round in the morning, a glass of Chiaretto, the local rosé, as the light softens over the Rocca di Manerba, and dinner by the water in Desenzano or in an osteria in Salò. Three to five nights allow you to play all three clubs, take a turn around Sirmione and keep an afternoon for a Valtènesi winery.

The courses

Green with a yellow flag in front of a pond, oaks and olive trees, a slope of golden vines in autumn

Gardagolf Country Club

  • Architect: Cotton, Pennink, Steel & Partners
  • Opened 1986
  • 27 holes
  • Par 72

Opened on 28 June 1986 to a design by Cotton, Pennink, Steel & Partners, Gardagolf spreads over 110 hectares between Soiano castle and the Rocca di Manerba. Three loops of nine: the White, fairly flat and cut by large water hazards; the Red, which follows the slopes of the hills; and the Yellow, added in 1990 in the park of Villa Omodeo. The par 72 championship course combines the White and the Red. Oaks, holm oaks, cypresses and olive trees line demanding fairways: Bernhard Langer won the 1997 Italian Open here with a 64 that remains the course record.

Signature hole. On the Red, the 2nd is a par 3 played from a raised tee to a green defended at the front by a lake; further on, the 8th opens up the view over Lake Garda and Monte Baldo.

Official website

Arzaga Golf

  • Architect: Jack Nicklaus II; Gary Player
  • Opened 1998
  • 27 holes
  • Par 72

At Calvagese della Riviera, a quarter of an hour from Soiano, Arzaga brings together 27 holes, opened in 1998 around a 15th-century residence. Jack Nicklaus II's par 72 eighteen has wide, fairly forgiving fairways, but water comes into play on several holes and the greens are well guarded. Gary Player's nine holes, with their round and sometimes very deep bunkers, complete the day. A carefully kept course, accessible to all levels, with a large driving range for warming up.

Signature hole. The 7th on the Nicklaus course, a par 3 of about 156 metres, runs along a pond down its entire left side.

Official website

Golf Bogliaco

  • Opened 1912
  • 18 holes
  • Par 70

Founded in 1912, Bogliaco presents itself as the third-oldest golf club in Italy. It sits high up at Toscolano-Maderno, on the western shore, about 35 minutes from Soiano via Salò. The 18-hole par 70 course is short, 5,235 metres from the men's tees, but its small, well-defended greens and water hazards call for precision. The setting does the rest: century-old lemon and olive trees, Mediterranean vegetation and the lake below for much of the round.

Official website

Where to stay

QC Grand Hotel Villa Arzaga

At the heart of the Arzaga estate, a 15th-century Renaissance residence, with marble staircases and frescoes, has housed QC Termegarda's five-star hotel and spa since 2022. The 78 rooms are split between the villa and residences in the park: ask for the villa. Around 5pm the spa serves its guests a complimentary aperitivo; take it beside the panoramic pool. The 27 holes begin at the foot of the hotel.

Monastero Resort & Spa

In Soiano itself, this four-star hotel combines historic buildings with contemporary comfort around a large palm-fringed pool, with a spa and a bistro for quiet evenings. Every room is a suite or junior suite; ask for a Suite Garden, on the ground floor, with two rooms and a private patio onto the garden. Gardagolf is a few minutes away, Arzaga a quarter of an hour, and the hotel offers golf and spa packages.

Conti Thun Wine Resort

In Puegnago, about ten minutes from Gardagolf, the Thun family, whose winemaking tradition began in Terlano in South Tyrol, has restored a 19th-century courtyard farmhouse, Cascina Masserino, amid 15 hectares of vines and olive trees. Twenty-four rooms, an infinity pool, the estate's osteria and cellar. Ask for a garden room with a terrace, opening straight onto the pools, and help yourself at the honesty wine bar.

Stone villa with tiled roofs, a pool and cream parasols among cypresses and olive trees above a lake

Where to dine

Esplanade

In Desenzano, a quarter of an hour from Soiano, the Esplanade has held a Michelin star since 1992. Massimo Fezzardi cooks mainly fish, from the lake and the sea, between classic and more creative recipes, backed by a remarkable cellar. The terrace faces the water: for the last evening, ask for the table set on the jetty, for two to six, weather permitting. Closed on Wednesdays.

Osteria dell'Orologio

On a narrow street in the centre of Salò, the Giacomini family has run this osteria of wood panelling and majolica since 1996, where regulars take their glass at the counter before service. For two, ask to eat there. Brescian cooking: pan-cooked rabbit, spiedo, lake fish and homemade pasta, with some 800 wines, many by the glass. Closed on Wednesdays and Thursday lunchtime; the natural stop on the way back from Bogliaco.

Osteria Dalie e Fagioli

In Manerba, about ten minutes from Gardagolf, this Michelin-selected osteria reworks Brescian cooking with produce from small local suppliers. Order the casoncelli filled with spiedo, the province's signature dish, or the crisp fried lake sardines, and let the staff guide you through a cellar of more than 200 labels, from Lugana to Groppello. Open every day for lunch and dinner, with a summer terrace.

Beyond golf

Soiano, its castle and San Michele

Soiano castle, raised around the 10th century as protection against Hungarian raids, was part of a defensive network with Desenzano, Lonato, Padenghe and Moniga. In the village, the church of San Michele Arcangelo, rebuilt in the 17th century, houses an Annunciation attributed to Andrea Celesti, a canvas by Andrea Bertanza and a baroque organ from 1694.

Valtènesi Chiaretto

The Valtènesi produces a rosé with a long history, Chiaretto, made from groppello and recognised as a DOC sub-zone of Riviera del Garda Classico. The same hills yield a highly regarded olive oil. Several estates receive visitors by appointment: a late-afternoon tasting among vines and olive trees is the simplest way to understand the landscape you have just crossed on the course.

Sirmione and the Grottoes of Catullus

Some twenty minutes to the east, the Sirmione peninsula juts out into the lake. At its northern tip, the Grottoes of Catullus are the ruins of a Roman villa built between the late 1st century BC and the early 1st century AD, covering about two hectares, with an archaeological museum. Go early, before the day's boats arrive.

Church with a stone bell tower on a hill, vines, olive trees and tile-roofed houses, the lake in the distance

When to go

Spring and early autumn are the best seasons: from April to June the hills are green and the courses in top condition; September and October add the grape harvest and a softer light. July and August are hot and very busy, especially by the water, so play early in the morning. The clubs stay open all year, but winter is cool and sometimes misty, with slower greens.

Getting there

Verona Villafranca airport (VRN), south-west of Verona and close to the A4 motorway, is about 45 minutes by car from Soiano. Milan Bergamo is the other option depending on flights, a little over an hour away. By train, Desenzano del Garda-Sirmione station, on the Milan-Venice line, is served by Frecciarossa trains; it is a quarter of an hour from Soiano. A car remains essential for getting between the clubs.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course on Lake Garda?

Gardagolf at Soiano del Lago is the best known: 27 holes opened in 1986, including a par 72 championship course that hosted the Italian Open in 1997, 2003 and 2018.

How many golf courses are there around Soiano del Lago?

Three clubs are easily played from Soiano: Gardagolf on the spot, Arzaga (27 holes) a quarter of an hour away and Bogliaco (18 holes) about 35 minutes away at Toscolano-Maderno.

When is the best time to play golf on Lake Garda?

From April to June and in September and October. Summer is hot and busy, winter cool; the clubs stay open all year.

Which airport is best for a golf trip to Lake Garda?

Verona Villafranca (VRN), about 45 minutes from Soiano. Milan Bergamo is an alternative, a little over an hour's drive away.

How many days do you need for a golf trip to Lake Garda?

Three to five nights: enough to play Gardagolf, Arzaga and Bogliaco, and keep time for Sirmione and a Chiaretto tasting.

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