trains - Golf Gerre Losone

TRAINS,
PLANES
AND
A BIT OF GOLF
FAMOUS
for its chocolate, cheese and timepieces,
Switzerland is perhaps less known for its golf.
But, as Clive Agran discovers on his trip to Lake
Maggiore, its golf courses are just as
immaculate as its train service is accurate.
By Clive Agran, photos by Golf Clubs and Resorts
51
LAKE MAGGIORE, SWITZERLAND
H
aving told everyone that I was going to Italy
for a short golf break, it was somewhat
unsettling to discover that I was, in fact, in
Switzerland. My excuse is that Lake
Maggiore, not unlike spaghetti Bolognese,
sounds unmistakeably Italian. Embarrassingly, the bit of the
lake the Eden Roc hotel was located on was up the Swiss end
and I therefore reluctantly had to concede I’d got it wrong.
The clue I missed was that my flight from London City
airport landed in Zurich, which even I knew to be as Swiss as
Toblerone. As expected, the train taking me up to London had
been 20 minutes late, but there was no panic because I had
sensibly booked myself into a nearby hotel the night before.
Fog delayed the Swiss airline flight departure the next morning
just long enough to ensure I missed the train connection in
Zurich. Unlike their British counterparts, Swiss trains run almost
obsessively on time – to the extent that you suspect one leaving,
say, five minutes late would not only make front page news the
next day but would also oblige the Transport Minister to resign.
Whereas our rail executives spend the bulk of their time and
energy thinking up excuses for poor punctuality, in Switzerland
they ensure neither flood, blizzard nor landslide shall cause any
disruption to their vaunted train service.
SPECTACULAR TRAIN RIDE. Trains are quite simply the best
way to travel and so I didn’t mind waiting half-an-hour for the
LAKE MAGGIORE, SWITZERLAND
next one to whisk me due south from Zurich, through
the Alps to Lugano. Anything less like the 7.52 from
Surbiton to Waterloo is hard to imagine.
Pretty lakeside vistas soon morph into breath-taking
panoramas and the stunning scenery grows ever more
spectacular as the train trundles between mountains,
past cascading waterfalls and alongside tumbling
streams. Rather than reading a book or completing a
crossword, you will fill most of the three-and-a-half
hours either staring at the craggy mountain tops or taking endless photos.
Lugano more or less merges seamlessly into the
pretty lakeside town of Ascona and so it was no more
than a ten-minute taxi ride to the magnificent Eden Roc
hotel. Estate agents are forever banging on about the
paramount importance of location, well the Eden Roc
would appear to have bagged the best spot: right on
the lake and at the top of the end of the quayside
boulevard where the smart set sip their cappuccinos
and soak in the sun.
The lakeside terrace is an understandably popular
spot to sip coffee or something stronger and lower down
there are some comfy wicker chairs right next to the
water. Watching the boats come and go can be
surprisingly thirsty work. However, if you’re feeling
energetic, there’s a choice of pools in which to plunge
and splash about.
There’s a super spa for those who feel in need of
pampering and if you fancy venturing out on the limpid
lake, the hotel has its own boats and offers skiing, sailing, motor-boating and all manner of water-sports.
Exploring the lake is a first-class way of building an
appetite in order to do justice to the superb food on
offer in the hotel’s fab four restaurants.
My favourite was the Marina, which offers a wide
range of fish, pasta and meat dishes in a relaxed
atmosphere right next to the lake. It’s hard to worry
about global warming or the likelihood of England’s
football team not making it through to the World Cup
quarter finals in such a superb spot.
UPMARKET. Ascona is an unashamedly upmarket resort
PLAYING GOLF. After lunch, I strolled through the
quaint mediaeval streets of Ascona, while reflecting on
the fact that, at 196 metres above sea level, this town is
at the lowest point in Switzerland. Being rather
energetic, I strode purposefully along the lovely lakeside
boulevard trying hard not to feel too self-conscious in
my rather over-stated (and possibly a tad vulgar) golf
trousers. Well, there’s only limited space in a small
suitcase and so some doubling-up is unavoidable.
Okay, since I’m dressed for it I might as well go the
whole hog and do what I came to do: play golf!
Fortunately, I don’t have to go very far to tee up. In fact,
it’s little more than a five-minute stroll around the
corner to Golf Club Patriziale.
As with most things they do, the Swiss take their golf
pretty seriously, which perhaps explains the extremely
impressive driving range and first-class practice facilities.
Principally because I didn’t want to appear just another
light-hearted Brit who wasn’t that bothered about the
state of his swing, I felt obliged to pick up a token in
the pro shop and hit a few balls before going out.
where Swiss bankers, Italian industrialists and German
businessmen come to unwind and spend their Francs
and Euros. Quite a few own second homes here. Those
that don’t stay in one of several five-star hotels of which
Eden Roc is the pick. Although it’s technically one
hotel, it’s actually three merged together.
Thanks to its considerable success, it has gradually
expanded and absorbed what were previously its near
neighbours. While the three happily interconnect, having
essentially separate buildings enables the hotel to separate
families with young children to the benefit of all.
There are approximately 100 rooms of which
roughly a third are suites. All have balconies, the
overwhelming majority overlook the lake and most are
south facing. The irresistible temptation, therefore, is
to relax on the balcony, stare out over the lake or up at
the majestic mountains and thoroughly chill out.
Some consolation for those who foolishly imagined they
were visiting Italy can perhaps be found in the fact that
the little island clearly visible a little way to the southwest marks the Swiss/Italian border. And there might
be yet further comfort in the knowledge that, even
though Ascona is not in Italy, Italian is the principal
language spoken here.
LAKESIDE TERRACE. The rooms are undoubtedly
supremely comfortable and tempting as it certainly is
to simply luxuriate in their splendour, venturing out
Gleneaglesbrings
PGA Centenary
its ownCourse
rewards.
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GREAT GOLF MAGAZINE
READY-MADE EXCUSE. Given that I was renting clubs
because I can no longer be bothered to schlep my own
around the world, it was probably a good idea to try
them out. Apart from avoiding needless wear and tear
on the body, the great benefit of borrowing clubs is the
ready-made excuse it provides if, as is almost invariably
the case it seems, you play badly. “These shafts are rather
whippy,” you should remark, as you flex the driver on
55
LAKE MAGGIORE, SWITZERLAND
punctuated by the occasional shout of ‘fore’. Funny how that
word has entered the universal vocabulary.
Again, the practice facilities were absolutely first class and so
irresistible that I bought a bucket of balls to test them out.
Although there were mats in the undercover part of the range, two
parallel lengths of string on the grass outside indicated the area
within which balls could be struck from the turf.
Since I’m rather inclined to sweep the ball off the surface rather
than strike down and take a divot, I didn’t feel too guilty. Indeed,
I have often thought those of us – unlike the pros – who are
disinclined to take a divot, do less damage to the course and
should therefore receive a substantial discount on the usual green
fee.
PRETTY WATER FEATURES. Sited alongside a river and stretched
the first tee. “Mine at home are super stiff. However, I’ll try and
adjust my timing accordingly.”
The course and club date back to the roaring ‘20s. By the ‘30s
it was well established as the place where all the movers and
shakers of Ascona society hung out. Initially only nine holes, it
was subsequently expanded and upgraded in the 1950s so that
today it can legitimately claim to be among the best in Switzerland, if not Italy!
It’s a classic English-style parkland course with fine specimen
trees dividing the lush fairways, lots of flowerbeds and some
genuinely striking water features which inject enormous aesthetic
appeal. Beautifully maintained, exceptionally well presented and
blessed with exceedingly good greens, it’s thoroughly enjoyable
and, although the odd water hazard will almost certainly catch
you out, not too intimidating.
NO LAKE HOLES. My only mild criticism is that although you’re
treated to occasional glimpses of Lake Maggiore, it would have
been nice to have a couple of decent ‘lake’ holes. Sixteen and
seventeen run alongside the water but the trees obscure the view.
The eighth, a short par-4, would receive my vote for signature
hole. With a lake on the left and trees on the right, you need to
hit a decent tee-shot to give yourself a good angle in on the green.
But a rocky waterfall stands waiting to grab anything pulled left
or that falls dismally short.
There are four sets of tees which stretch the course from 5,500
to 6,500 yards. Blokes should resist the temptation to use the
appealing blue tees which are intended for ladies’ competitions.
After another sensationally magnificent meal that evening in
the Eden Roc Hotel, I was ready the next morning for another
crack at slimming my slice down to a more modest fade. Golf
Gerre Losone is only ten minutes north of Ascone by car and I
was all changed and ready for action before you could even say,
“Do you think four balls is going to be enough?”
QUIET AND TRANQUIL. For a Sunday morning, the course was
surprisingly quiet. Possibly part of the reason is that the Swiss are
far more God-fearing than we Brits and so many of them might
have been in church. The bells were certainly ringing out to
remind those who weren’t where they perhaps ought to have been.
When they eventually stopped clanging, I was struck by how
remarkably quiet and tranquil it was, with the silence only
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GREAT GOLF MAGAZINE
out on the valley floor with craggy mountains towering above,
Golf Gerre Losone brilliantly demonstrates what can be achieved
on what might appear to be a rather flat piece of real estate.
Mounding on either side of the fairways and strategic planting of
trees on top of these provides plenty of definition and an
appealing, almost sensuous, appearance.
Carefully sited big boulders also considerably enhance the
overall visual appeal as do the pretty water features that are liberally
sprinkled about. About 700 feet up, the ball ought to fly a little
further here than it does at sea level. Although quite a few of my
putts ran rather a long way past the pin, I can’t honestly say I
noticed any significant extra length in any other aspect of my game.
The course is a real cracker and it’s not hard to see why it was
chosen to host the Ladies’ Swiss Open in 2006 and again in 2012.
And the food in the clubhouse was excellent and rounded off a
hugely enjoyable day and a delightful short trip to Switzerland.
Where next, Italy?
GGM
GOOD TO KNOW
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