Golf courses are like little specks of paradise dotting planet earth. For a golf enthusiast life must feel like heaven, at least when putting on a golf course or at the club, socializing, relaxing, having a drink with a buddy, corporate world forgotten and far away.

I was the guest of Frederico Gorno, a respected member of the Franciacorta Golf Club. My friends, Mirella and Julio Alonzo and I were meeting Frederico for lunch at the Club. After spending a couple of hours at the Bersi Serlini vineyard and in perfect spirit, light hearted and cheerful we drove into the Golf Club.

It’s one of those places you immediately fall in love with. Quintessentially old world, the 18-hole course Franciacorta Golf Club is one of the most premier golf clubs of Italy. As I walked through the reception area and through the dining hall, I noticed there was nothing swanky or new world about the, except what I saw on the lawn, and I had to blink twice to tell myself I was not dreaming. Sexy, sleek, sports models of Audi were standing elegantly right on the lawns, just outside the restaurant of the club. Wow! It was a promo. The Audi Cup was going on. What a display of the newest cars from the Audi stable. Talk about golf and all things beautiful in life!

The fruit of the experience of two great experts such as Pete Dye, the American architect, who is one of the world’s leading figures in golf club design and Marco Croze, the Venetian architect, also a great Italian expert in the field, the Franciacorta Golf Club spreads over an area of 60 hectares, 150 acres of land that was once tended as vineyards. It offers an 18-hole course (par 72) and a shorter 9-hole course, a practice green, a Club House, tennis courts, swimming pools, five-aside football pitches, restaurant and a wine cellar, saunas, Turkish baths and accommodation.

The club is situated in the heart of of Franciacorta, in the province of Brescia, on morainic hills at approximately 185 metres above sea level, south of the Lake of Iseo. It is 15 minutes from the main town, 20 from Bergamo, 40 from Milan, 40 from Verona and two hours from Venice. The unique feature of this club is that it is in the centre of a golf area joining nine prestigious golf courses in a less than 100 kilometres range. It’s a wonderful oasis of green surrounded by woods and vineyards with flora and fauna worthy of a reserve.

I was glad of the opportunity of being able to walk around the course, keeping the rules in mind and maintaining the code of golf conduct. It was a golden hour, I thought, as I imbibed the tranquility and my eyes soaked in the green. The freshness, the fragrance of the grass, the visual delight was phenomenal. The man made 50,000 square metres wide lake was so soothing to behold. Returning to the Club House via a walking track under age old trees, I realized I was sufficiently hungry. When I tell you it was one of the best meals of my life you just have to take my word for it.