Golf Trip Planner logo
Golf Trip PlannerPrivate Concierge
Golf guide • Italy • Lombardy

Golf in Milan: from the royal park at Monza to the fairways of the Lombard plain

Milan has four leading courses no more than forty minutes from the centre: Golf Club Milano, 27 holes opened in 1928 in the royal park at Monza, Le Rovedine and Castello Tolcinasco south of the city, and Barlassina to the north, on the edge of the Groane park. All but Barlassina have hosted the Italian Open. Golfers come to play in the morning and return in the evening to the Duomo and the city's great restaurants and hotels, from April to June and in September and October.

Plan this tripUpdated

Milan is known for fashion, design and La Scala, far less for its fairways. Yet the city hosted the Italian Open many times, from 1951 to 2017. The oldest, Golf Club Milano, has occupied a wooded corner of the royal park at Monza since 1928, next to the autodromo. The others came later: on the plain south of the city, among lakes and ponds, or in the Groane woods to the north.

The terrain is flat everywhere, which makes for easy walking and puts the challenge elsewhere: in Monza's centuries-old trees, in the water on the southern courses, in the accuracy that narrow corridors demand. Distances are short, but Milan's traffic counts: play early and head back at aperitivo time, when the terraces of Brera fill up and the Duomo catches the evening light.

Three to five nights are enough to play three courses without rushing. Where to stay depends on the programme: central Milan for restaurants, museums and shopping, or quieter Monza, facing the Villa Reale, for those who want to string together tee times at Golf Club Milano. The Italian Formula 1 Grand Prix, in early September, turns Monza into a hive for one weekend.

The courses

Green beside a pond lined with poplars and a willow, flowering grasses in the foreground, buildings in the distance

Golf Club Milano

  • Architect: Peter Gannon; Giulio Cavalsani (1958)
  • Opened 1928
  • 27 holes

Founded in 1928 in the park at Monza, one of the largest walled historic parks in Europe, the club began with nine holes designed by Peter Gannon, then eighteen in 1933. Giulio Cavalsani added a third nine from 1958, while the present clubhouse was going up. The three loops combine into eighteen-hole rounds, always among centuries-old trees that punish the slightest stray drive. Nine Italian Opens have been played here, including the 2016 edition won by Francesco Molinari. A flat, demanding forest course for consistent players.

Official website

Golf Club Le Rovedine

  • Opened 1976
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

About eight kilometres from the centre, at Noverasco di Opera, Le Rovedine is the closest course to the city. Opened in 1976, its par-72 eighteen measures 6,259 metres and hosted the 1995 Italian Open, won by Sam Torrance, as well as an Italian Ladies' Open. The first six holes, narrow and lined with lakes, call for caution; the rest open out and let you swing more freely. With a hundred-bay driving range and a nine-hole executive course, it is also the ideal place for a warm-up or a late-afternoon round.

Signature hole. The 6th, the hardest hole on the course according to the club's statistics: a large oak splits the fairway in two and water runs down the left all the way to the green, which is guarded on the right by a lake and a bunker.

Official website

Castello Tolcinasco Golf

  • Architect: Arnold Palmer
  • Opened 1993
  • 27 holes

Opened in 1993 at Pieve Emanuele, thirteen kilometres from the Duomo, Tolcinasco is laid out around a 16th-century castle, restored with its original frescoes and brickwork. Arnold Palmer designed twenty-seven championship holes in three loops, blue, yellow and red, plus a nine-hole executive course. Eleven lakes and pale-sand bunkers punctuate wide fairways designed to be playable by all. The course hosted five consecutive Italian Opens, from 2004 to 2008; Francesco Molinari won his here in 2006. A spa, pool and restaurant make it easy to spend the whole day.

Official website

Barlassina Country Club

  • Architect: John S. F. Morrison; Donald Harradine
  • 18 holes

North of Milan, at Lentate sul Seveso, Barlassina is the best-kept secret of the group. Born in the 1950s, it was designed by the Englishman John S. F. Morrison with Donald Harradine, in the woods of the Groane park. Tree-lined corridors, varied vegetation, well-defended greens: this is classic parkland that rewards placement more than length. In 1961 the clubhouse served as a set for Michelangelo Antonioni's La Notte, with Marcello Mastroianni and Jeanne Moreau. Allow about forty minutes from the centre.

Official website

Where to stay

Palazzo Parigi Hotel & Grand Spa

On Corso di Porta Nuova, between Brera and the fashion district, the Palazzo Parigi was conceived and decorated by its owner, the architect Paola Giambelli: marble floors, a grand staircase, light-filled rooms. The top-floor suites open their terraces onto the spires of the Duomo, and the Grand Spa has everything needed to loosen the back between rounds. A classic, hushed address, a short walk from everything.

Mandarin Oriental Milan

Near La Scala, on Via Andegari, the Mandarin Oriental is the most convenient address for those who want to do everything on foot: the Duomo, the Galleria and Brera are a few minutes away. The hotel has a spa and, in its second courtyard, Seta, Antonio Guida's two-star restaurant, which spares you a taxi on the night of the big dinner.

Hotel de la Ville Monza

Facing the Villa Reale in Monza, the former Eden restaurant, a hotel since the early 20th century, has been run by the Nardi family since 1958. A Small Luxury Hotels of the World member, it has the feel of a private house, furnished with art and antiques. Ask for a junior suite overlooking the Villa Reale: not all have the view. Golf Club Milano is in the same park; Milan is half an hour away.

Hotel room with green walls, velvet armchairs and a marble fireplace, windows open onto rooftops at sunset

Where to dine

Seta by Antonio Guida

At the Mandarin Oriental, Seta is one of the most sought-after tables in Milan, with two Michelin stars. Antonio Guida cooks inventive contemporary Italian food, served in the hotel's second courtyard. The lunch menu is the gentlest way to discover it after a morning on the course.

Ratanà

In an early 20th-century building at the foot of the Bosco Verticale, in the Isola district, chef Cesare Battisti reinterprets Milanese and Lombard tradition with carefully chosen produce and little artifice. The menu changes every month, apart from a few permanent dishes, and the wine list follows the same rhythm. The name pays tribute to a Milanese healer priest nicknamed el pret de Ratanà.

Derby Grill

The Hotel de la Ville's restaurant, for the evening after a round at Golf Club Milano: dark panelling, leather armchairs and portraits in an English spirit, extended since 2018 by La Veranda. Chef Fabio Silva, from Campania, runs two menus, one turned towards his native region, the other towards Lombardy. Ask for a table in the veranda and save room for the fiordilatte ice cream served from the trolley. Tuesday to Saturday, brunch on Sunday.

Saffron risotto and a breaded cutlet on a white tablecloth, a glass of red wine and a small lamp in a hushed room

Beyond golf

The Duomo and its rooftop terraces

Begun in 1386 and completed in its final details in 1965, Milan Cathedral is the largest church in Italy outside the Vatican. Climb onto its roofs, among the spires of Candoglia marble: the Madonnina keeps watch from the top of the highest spire, at 108 metres. Book online and go early, before the crowds.

The Villa Reale and Monza Park

Built between 1777 and 1780 by Giuseppe Piermarini for Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, the Villa Reale at Monza opens onto a park of more than 700 hectares, enclosed by a wall of about 14 kilometres. Its avenues can be explored on foot or by bike, from the Giardini Reali to the Mirabello and Mirabellino villas. An ideal late afternoon after a round at nearby Golf Club Milano.

The Monza autodromo

Opened in the park in September 1922, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza hosts the Italian Formula 1 Grand Prix. Outside race weekends, the circuit offers guided tours, driving sessions and karting. When it opened, it was the third permanent circuit in the world, after Brooklands and Indianapolis.

When to go

Spring, from April to June, and early autumn, from September to October, offer the best conditions: mild temperatures, courses in good shape, pleasant light. July and August are hot and sultry on the Lombard plain; play early in the morning. Winter is cool and often foggy, with frosty mornings that delay tee times.

Getting there

Linate airport (LIN), seven kilometres east of the centre, is the most convenient: about twenty minutes by taxi to central hotels, but it handles only flights within Europe. Malpensa (MXP), some fifty kilometres to the north-west, receives long-haul flights and is linked to the centre by the Malpensa Express. A car remains useful for reaching the courses.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course near Milan?

Golf Club Milano, in the royal park at Monza: 27 holes opened in 1928 among centuries-old trees, and nine editions of the Italian Open, the most recent in 2017.

How many golf courses are there around Milan?

Four leading courses lie no more than forty minutes from the centre: Golf Club Milano at Monza, Le Rovedine and Castello Tolcinasco to the south, and Barlassina to the north.

Which golf course is closest to central Milan?

Le Rovedine, at Noverasco di Opera, about eight kilometres from the centre, or some twenty minutes by car. Castello Tolcinasco, thirteen kilometres from the Duomo, is a close second.

When is the best time to play golf in Milan?

From April to June and in September and October. Summer is hot and humid, winter often foggy. Avoid Monza on Italian Grand Prix weekend in early September.

Which airport is best for a golf trip to Milan?

Linate (LIN), twenty minutes from the centre, for flights within Europe. Malpensa (MXP), some fifty kilometres away, for long-haul flights; the Malpensa Express links it to the centre.

Tailor-made

Your golf trip: Milan

Tee times, suites, transfers and tables: your concierge replies within 24 hours with a proposal shaped around you.

Fairway lined with ancient olive trees and a dry-stone wall, sloping down towards the sea at sunset
Puglia

Bari

2 courses
Upper town girdled by pale stone ramparts, a bell tower and dome at sunset, mountains behind
Lombardy

Bergamo

3 courses
Alpine green edged with golden larches, wooden barns and towering pale limestone walls under a clear sky
Trentino-Alto Adige

Bolzano

3 courses
Explore: Italy →