Golf in Lake Como: The Complete Guide
The world's most romanticized lake keeps its golf discreet and old: the 1926 Peter Gannon masterpiece at Circolo Golf Villa d'Este, the 1907 hillside fairways of Menaggio and Cadenabbia, the second oldest club in Italy, and 36 tournament holes at Monticello, all within an hour of the ferries, villas and gardens. Classic parkland golf from about 110 euro at the flagship, and a bench of Brianza clubs from 40.
Photograph: Circolo Golf Villa d'Este, via Google
Why golf here
Como's golf is a century old and built like its villas: small, beautiful and guarded. The English tourists who wintered on the lake founded Menaggio and Cadenabbia in 1907, making it the second oldest club in Italy, and in 1926 Peter Gannon drew the par 69 at Montorfano for the grand Villa d'Este hotel, a course that went on to host the Italian Open repeatedly and still ranks among Europe's finest classic parklands. Nothing here is long by modern standards. Everything is precise: chestnut and pine corridors, small tilted greens, borrowed mountain views, and clubs where the handicap certificate matters and the risotto after the round matters more.
As a trip, Como works as Italy's most elegant golf and leisure split. The courses cluster south and west of the lake within easy reach of Como city, the ferries connect Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio for the non golf days, Milan is forty minutes by train, and the grand hotels of Cernobbio set the tone. Fees stay civilized, about 110 euro at the flagship and 40 to 70 across the supporting cast, because these are members clubs that receive guests, not resorts chasing them. Pair it with Lake Garda, ninety minutes east, and northern Italy becomes a full golf week. The national picture lives in our Golf in Italy hub.
The Lake Como courses to build around
Circolo Golf Villa d'Este
One of Europe's great classic courses: Peter Gannon's 1926 par 69 above the small Lake Montorfano, ten minutes from Como, framed by thirty thousand pines, chestnuts and birches. It has hosted the Italian Open repeatedly and its guest book reads like a royal register. Short on the card and relentless on the scorecard, it is the connoisseur's round in northern Italy. Consortium listed weekday fees around 110 euro in 2026; visitors book ahead with a handicap certificate.
Menaggio and Cadenabbia
The time capsule: founded by English winter residents in 1907 in the hills behind the lake's western shore, the second oldest golf club in Italy and still gloriously old fashioned, with sloping lies, stone walls and lake glimpses through the trees. Weekday visitor rates have listed around 100 euro, with regional packages discounting to 70. Play it on the day you ride the mid lake ferries; Menaggio, Bellagio and Varenna sit below.
Golf Club Monticello
The tournament scale: 36 holes across the Red and Blue courses on the plain south of Como, a past Italian Open venue and the area's biggest golf estate. Long, fair and immaculately maintained, it is the course for the group that wants a full modern examination between the classics, with weekday rates listed around 70 euro and packages cheaper.
Carimate and the Brianza bench
The wooded Brianza belt south of the lake hides a deep bench: the villa clubhouse parkland at Carimate around 59 euro, the pine corridors of La Pinetina near 72, the smart members club at Barlassina, and honest local golf at Lanzo, Lecco and Dei Laghi from about 40. None is a pilgrimage; together they let a Como week play golf every day without repeating a course.
Course facts and designers verified June 2026 from club, consortium and operator listings. Always confirm access and fees directly before booking.
Indicative costs and the season
Como prices like the members club country it is: a civilized flagship fee, modest steps below it, and weekday play the key to both rates and access.
| Course | Indicative 2026 weekday fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Circolo Golf Villa d'Este | around 110 euro | consortium listed rate; handicap certificate required |
| Menaggio and Cadenabbia | around 100 euro; packages near 70 | weekends busy with members; book ahead |
| Monticello | around 70 euro | 36 holes; weekday visitor play |
| Carimate, La Pinetina, Barlassina | about 59 to 83 euro | the Brianza members clubs |
| Lanzo, Lecco, Dei Laghi, Bormio | about 40 to 50 euro | the value bench, including the mountain round at Bormio |
Fees gathered June 2026 from the regional golf consortium and operator listings. Every figure is third party pricing that moves with season and demand; always confirm directly before booking.
Booking individual rounds? Compare live tee times through our partner: [TEE_TIME_AFFILIATE_LINK]. Hotels from the Cernobbio grandes dames to Bellagio: [HOTEL_AFFILIATE_LINK].
Four nights, lake and parkland
Fly to Milan, train or drive to Como in under an hour, and split the stay: city end for the golf cluster, mid lake for the ferries.
Villa d'Este
The 1926 Gannon course first, while legs are fresh; its par 69 punishes tired swings. Check in at Cernobbio and take an aperitivo on the lake terrace where the course got its name.
Monticello, then Como
Eighteen of Monticello's 36 tournament holes in the morning, then the funicular to Brunate above Como for the whole lake at your feet and dinner in the walled city.
The ferry day
Trade golf for the boats: Bellagio's terraces, the gardens of Villa Carlotta at Tremezzo, Varenna's waterfront. Sleep mid lake at Menaggio for tomorrow's early tee.
Menaggio and Cadenabbia
The 1907 course in the morning light, stone walls and lake glimpses on every other hole, lunch on the club terrace, and the drive back south past the villas.
Plan your Lake Como golf trip
The classic clubs arranged with the right notice, the right shore for your base and the ferry days built in: tell us roughly when and who is traveling, and one concierge builds the trip and costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Golf on Lake Como: common questions
What are the best golf courses on Lake Como?
Circolo Golf Villa d'Este leads: the Peter Gannon designed par 69 of 1926 above Lake Montorfano near Como, a repeated Italian Open host and one of Europe's great classic parklands. Menaggio and Cadenabbia, founded in 1907 in the hills above the lake's western shore, is the second oldest club in Italy. Golf Club Monticello at Cassina Rizzardi fields 36 championship holes and has hosted the Italian Open, and the Brianza belt adds Carimate, La Pinetina, Barlassina and more within half an hour.
How much does golf cost on Lake Como?
Consortium listed weekday rates in 2026 run about 110 euro at Villa d'Este, 100 at Menaggio and Cadenabbia, 70 at Monticello and 59 at Carimate, with the smaller clubs of the area from about 40 to 50. Weekends price higher and some clubs restrict visitor play; the regional green fee packages discount multi club itineraries. All fees are third party pricing that moves with season and demand; always confirm directly before booking.
When is the best time to play golf on Lake Como?
April to June and September to October are the sweet spot: warm, clear, the gardens in bloom or the light turning gold, and every course open. July and August are hot and busy on the lake itself but quieter on the fairways. Most Como courses close or run reduced winter play between November and February in the pre alpine climate, so this is a spring to autumn destination; book the classic clubs ahead and carry a handicap certificate.
How do you get to Lake Como and where do you stay?
Milan's airports serve the lake, with Malpensa and Linate about an hour from Como, and the fast train runs Milan to Como in under 40 minutes. Base in or near Como city for the golf cluster, since Villa d'Este, Monticello and the Brianza clubs ring it within thirty minutes, or stay mid lake at Bellagio or Menaggio for the 1907 course and the postcard ferry towns. The grand lakefront hotels, led by Villa d'Este at Cernobbio, anchor the luxury end.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Course openings, the booking windows that matter and where to play next. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts and indicative fees verified June 2026 from club and consortium listings. Last reviewed June 2026.