“It’s going, it’s going, it’s in!” Whoops of joy and hugging followed as a thrilled Mrs W celebrated her first-ever hole-in-one.
It may not have been on the top 100 route, but we will never forget our time at the Chervo San Vigilio.
But it is far from our only wonderful memory. We had a marvellous stay at this beautiful resort, in the shadow of the Dolomites, south of Lake Garda.
Its team prides itself on offering the very best of Lombardian hospitality and service at a venue that hosted the 2020 Italian Open.
Mrs W and I were part of the British team that was competing in the press golfing societies’ Nations Cup alongside ten from other European countries.
We played Chervo San Vigilio’s red and yellow courses over two practice days and two days of competition and enjoyed convivial dinners in the evening.
In 2023, I have had the good fortune of playing at six different clubs in Lombardy and high-quality food and drink have been a theme.
Here, the dishes ranged from perfect pasta to fabulous fish and were accompanied by delicious local wines and grappa.
The kitchen is complemented by high-end accommodation (we stayed in a two-storey apartment) with top-class spa facilities.
Chervo has a 27-hole complex and we played on a combination of its red and yellow nines where water is the main feature.
The former is very testing, demanding accuracy off the tee and long approaches.
My favourites include, for an obvious reason, the aforementioned 190-yard, par-three fifth with water encroaching from the left.
I also enjoyed but did not conquer the par-five ninth which demands a strategic second shot before playing towards a green with water in front and to the right and a fiendish bunker to the left.
The yellow course was more to my taste because of its combination of healthy holes and scoring possibilities.
Water is present on most of the holes, notably on a lovely short par-three and on the 17th, which demands a heave over the lake from the tee.
The 18th is a splendid home hole ascending between the lake and sand traps before heading to a huge green which doubles up with the ninth.
Those who succeed on the final green can be assured of applause from the attractive clubhouse terrace where players exchange tales of derring-do or holes in one!
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