L’Ugolino Italian Masterpiece-document
L’Ugolino Italian Masterpiece
I don’t recall what it cost and I don’t remember the score but I will never forget L’Ugolino.
Launching myself into the first gin of the evening I was surprised by a call to play golf the next day. Pretty ordinary stuff, you might think, and normally I would agree with you but this was in 1990 and I did not then play the game.
I was spending the summer in Tuscany and, despite having spent months mooching around pretty much every inch of the place, I had found no evidence of golf whatsoever.
Taking my glass for a bit of fresh air I decided the invitation must be bogus.
Golf was played on the featureless and gale-smitten strips of Scottish sea shore for which no other use could be found.
Looking around in the last of the Tuscan sunlight all I could see were hills jumbled up tight against each other like kids at a tuck shop door. And how can you play golf where it is so steep that even a picnic is totally out of the question? By the time you have the blanket pinned down with stones the hamper is always halfway to the valley floor.
So it was quite a revelation to arrive at L’Ugolino the next day to find a golf course all laid out and waiting. And that was all that was waiting - there wasn’t another person in sight.
The immaculate villa clubhouse had a reception and a pro-shop but of the receptionist and the pro there was not a hint. And no members either - not an inch of plaid to be had.
On his arrival my host cleared up the mystery by simply stating that, “Italians don’t play golf”.
“So why did they build this gorgeous golf club?”
“They didn’t”, he replied, which I thought pretty unhelpful seeing as we were standing slap bang in the middle of it.
“A bunch of English guys founded the Golf Club of Florence in 1889 and it has been based at L’Ugolino since the thirties”.
Bingo; only the English would be so terminally optimistic as to propose a golf course on land that a gecko would have trouble clinging onto.
Fortified by an espresso we had to make ourselves, we headed off to play a round of golf that has been hard to erase.
The ball striking was what it was and not in the least bit important. We had the course to ourselves, perfect weather, rolling fairways lined with cypress trees, and all around the soft Tuscan hills falling over themselves off into the distance.
I don’t recall what it cost and I don’t remember the score but I will never forget L’Ugolino.
意大利球场杰作：乌格里诺
乌格里诺球场位于意大利中部康帝城，文艺复兴名城佛罗伦萨南面。在这里，您可以欣赏美术、历史、文化，温暖的地中海气候能让您一年四季都不缺乏愉悦感觉。
我刚趁着夜色小酌一口便被一个电话搅了雅兴，有人约我明天同去打高尔夫。你肯定会认为这是常事，很稀松平常嘛。通常情况下，我也这样认为，但是考虑到那是1990年而且当时的我还没有打高尔夫的嗜好，对您的看法我就不敢苟同了。
话又说回来，那年整个夏天，我都在托斯卡纳地区徜徉闲逛，几乎走遍了这个地方的角角落落，却从未发现一点关于这个地方有高尔夫的迹象。这个地方也有高尔夫球场？
于是，我放下酒杯释然的认为这可能是别人跟我开的一个玩笑而已。在我的印象中，打高尔夫的地方应该是地势平坦的荒芜之地，比如说苏格兰沿海岸线一带。而环顾托斯卡纳，四周环绕的群山像极了挤在糖果商店门口的孩童，摩肩擦踵，紧紧挤在一处。这样一个陡峭之地连野餐都不太可能，何谈高尔夫。
第二天，乌格里诺高尔夫球场却像启示录一样活脱脱出现在我的面前击碎了我之前对它的所有疑惑，它静静地伫立在那里，像个趟尽岁月的老人，庄严肃穆。
不过整个球场看上去空无一人，接待处和球具商店也无生命迹象，唱空城计吗？
朋友到来后一句话便让我如梦方醒：“意大利人打高尔夫的不多。”
“那他们为什么建了一个如此气派的球场呢？”
“不是意大利人建的，”听来如当头棒喝，他继续说，“1889年，一群英国佬在此成立了佛罗伦萨高尔夫俱乐部并于1933年建成了这个球场。”
哈哈，没错，只有英国人才会对在这种鸟不拉屎的地方建高尔夫球场如此乐衷。
两杯咖啡下肚，我们开始了乐趣横生的高尔夫征程。
此时此地，球技如何已不再重要，没人会在意。重要的是，我们享受着一个“专属”球场。当天天气晴朗，放眼望去，球道草随风如海波荡漾，四周托斯卡纳的美景都能尽收眼底。
时隔这么多年，我已经记不清当时的花费和分数，但是乌格里诺球场却永远封存在了我的记忆当中。
【Tip】
乌格里诺球场是意大利高球史的代名词，是意大利托斯卡纳地区最古老的高尔夫球场。它地处美丽的意大利红酒之乡康帝城山区，被连接佛罗伦萨城和锡耶纳城的“康帝公路”分为两部分。球场建于1933年，设计师布兰德福德与甘侬最初设计乌格里诺为标准杆69杆球场，60年代设计师皮耶罗·马辛尔里将其修改为标准杆72杆球场。
乌格里诺球场是依附托斯卡纳地势与自然条件修建的天然球场，坡度大草皮少，即使技艺高超的球手在此也同样会面临严峻挑战。乌格里诺球场前3洞攻击比较容易，是送“分”洞，从第4洞开始难度陡增；第5洞难度最大；第10洞风景最有优美，可以俯瞰湛蓝湖水倒映菲耶索莱山川秀丽景色；后5洞均位于康帝公路另一侧；第18洞则是难度可以令人窒息的右狗腿洞。
【Tip】
Ugolino Golf Club is largely synonymous with Italian golfing history, being the oldest club in Tuscany and Italy.It is situated on the beautiful Chianti hills and crossed by the road that connects Florence and Siena.Ugolino was founded in 1933 and was designed by British architects Blandford and Gannon. The course they drew was par 69 . In the sixties the course was turned into a par 72 by Piero Mancinelli.
Ugolino is a natural course designed and built in the Chianti hills and it exploits at best the natural characteristics of the Tuscan landscape.The course is an amusing but most challenging test for players who have to devote their skills to playing accurately rather than powerfully. The first three holes are short par fours where you “would”be able save some strokes for the rest of the game. In fact on the 4th tee we usually say “now we start to play seriously”. The 5th hole is the most difficult hole on the course. In the beginning of hole number 10 you will face a beautiful panorama with the lake under you and in the background the hills of Fiesole.
The last 5 holes are on the other side of the ‘Chiantigiana’ road.The final hole will let you catch your breath,the 18th hole is a sharp right hand dog-leg hole.
I don’t recall what it cost and I don’t remember the score but I will never forget L’Ugolino.
Launching myself into the first gin of the evening I was surprised by a call to play golf the next day. Pretty ordinary stuff, you might think, and normally I would agree with you but this was in 1990 and I did not then play the game.
I was spending the summer in Tuscany and, despite having spent months mooching around pretty much every inch of the place, I had found no evidence of golf whatsoever.
Taking my glass for a bit of fresh air I decided the invitation must be bogus.
Golf was played on the featureless and gale-smitten strips of Scottish sea shore for which no other use could be found.
Looking around in the last of the Tuscan sunlight all I could see were hills jumbled up tight against each other like kids at a tuck shop door. And how can you play golf where it is so steep that even a picnic is totally out of the question? By the time you have the blanket pinned down with stones the hamper is always halfway to the valley floor.
So it was quite a revelation to arrive at L’Ugolino the next day to find a golf course all laid out and waiting. And that was all that was waiting - there wasn’t another person in sight.
The immaculate villa clubhouse had a reception and a pro-shop but of the receptionist and the pro there was not a hint. And no members either - not an inch of plaid to be had.
On his arrival my host cleared up the mystery by simply stating that, “Italians don’t play golf”.
“So why did they build this gorgeous golf club?”
“They didn’t”, he replied, which I thought pretty unhelpful seeing as we were standing slap bang in the middle of it.
“A bunch of English guys founded the Golf Club of Florence in 1889 and it has been based at L’Ugolino since the thirties”.
Bingo; only the English would be so terminally optimistic as to propose a golf course on land that a gecko would have trouble clinging onto.
Fortified by an espresso we had to make ourselves, we headed off to play a round of golf that has been hard to erase.
The ball striking was what it was and not in the least bit important. We had the course to ourselves, perfect weather, rolling fairways lined with cypress trees, and all around the soft Tuscan hills falling over themselves off into the distance.
I don’t recall what it cost and I don’t remember the score but I will never forget L’Ugolino.
意大利球场杰作：乌格里诺
乌格里诺球场位于意大利中部康帝城，文艺复兴名城佛罗伦萨南面。在这里，您可以欣赏美术、历史、文化，温暖的地中海气候能让您一年四季都不缺乏愉悦感觉。
我刚趁着夜色小酌一口便被一个电话搅了雅兴，有人约我明天同去打高尔夫。你肯定会认为这是常事，很稀松平常嘛。通常情况下，我也这样认为，但是考虑到那是1990年而且当时的我还没有打高尔夫的嗜好，对您的看法我就不敢苟同了。
话又说回来，那年整个夏天，我都在托斯卡纳地区徜徉闲逛，几乎走遍了这个地方的角角落落，却从未发现一点关于这个地方有高尔夫的迹象。这个地方也有高尔夫球场？
于是，我放下酒杯释然的认为这可能是别人跟我开的一个玩笑而已。在我的印象中，打高尔夫的地方应该是地势平坦的荒芜之地，比如说苏格兰沿海岸线一带。而环顾托斯卡纳，四周环绕的群山像极了挤在糖果商店门口的孩童，摩肩擦踵，紧紧挤在一处。这样一个陡峭之地连野餐都不太可能，何谈高尔夫。
第二天，乌格里诺高尔夫球场却像启示录一样活脱脱出现在我的面前击碎了我之前对它的所有疑惑，它静静地伫立在那里，像个趟尽岁月的老人，庄严肃穆。
不过整个球场看上去空无一人，接待处和球具商店也无生命迹象，唱空城计吗？
朋友到来后一句话便让我如梦方醒：“意大利人打高尔夫的不多。”
“那他们为什么建了一个如此气派的球场呢？”
“不是意大利人建的，”听来如当头棒喝，他继续说，“1889年，一群英国佬在此成立了佛罗伦萨高尔夫俱乐部并于1933年建成了这个球场。”
哈哈，没错，只有英国人才会对在这种鸟不拉屎的地方建高尔夫球场如此乐衷。
两杯咖啡下肚，我们开始了乐趣横生的高尔夫征程。
此时此地，球技如何已不再重要，没人会在意。重要的是，我们享受着一个“专属”球场。当天天气晴朗，放眼望去，球道草随风如海波荡漾，四周托斯卡纳的美景都能尽收眼底。
时隔这么多年，我已经记不清当时的花费和分数，但是乌格里诺球场却永远封存在了我的记忆当中。
【Tip】
乌格里诺球场是意大利高球史的代名词，是意大利托斯卡纳地区最古老的高尔夫球场。它地处美丽的意大利红酒之乡康帝城山区，被连接佛罗伦萨城和锡耶纳城的“康帝公路”分为两部分。球场建于1933年，设计师布兰德福德与甘侬最初设计乌格里诺为标准杆69杆球场，60年代设计师皮耶罗·马辛尔里将其修改为标准杆72杆球场。
乌格里诺球场是依附托斯卡纳地势与自然条件修建的天然球场，坡度大草皮少，即使技艺高超的球手在此也同样会面临严峻挑战。乌格里诺球场前3洞攻击比较容易，是送“分”洞，从第4洞开始难度陡增；第5洞难度最大；第10洞风景最有优美，可以俯瞰湛蓝湖水倒映菲耶索莱山川秀丽景色；后5洞均位于康帝公路另一侧；第18洞则是难度可以令人窒息的右狗腿洞。
【Tip】
Ugolino Golf Club is largely synonymous with Italian golfing history, being the oldest club in Tuscany and Italy.It is situated on the beautiful Chianti hills and crossed by the road that connects Florence and Siena.Ugolino was founded in 1933 and was designed by British architects Blandford and Gannon. The course they drew was par 69 . In the sixties the course was turned into a par 72 by Piero Mancinelli.
Ugolino is a natural course designed and built in the Chianti hills and it exploits at best the natural characteristics of the Tuscan landscape.The course is an amusing but most challenging test for players who have to devote their skills to playing accurately rather than powerfully. The first three holes are short par fours where you “would”be able save some strokes for the rest of the game. In fact on the 4th tee we usually say “now we start to play seriously”. The 5th hole is the most difficult hole on the course. In the beginning of hole number 10 you will face a beautiful panorama with the lake under you and in the background the hills of Fiesole.
The last 5 holes are on the other side of the ‘Chiantigiana’ road.The final hole will let you catch your breath,the 18th hole is a sharp right hand dog-leg hole.
