Please consider supporting our efforts.
| 
| Hits: 3668
Mondello Golf Club, Palermo, Sicily. (1926 - WW2)
Construction of the golf course started in 1925 near the charming beach of Mondello just east of Palermo. The chosen land with a lot of olive trees was left of the wide and downhill road Viale Regina Margherita di Savoia from the gate of Giusino, at the exit of Favorita, leading to the beach. In 1927 the links was ready for play. The 9-hole course had a length of 2.910 yards. A small Arab-style building designed in 1915 by the Belgian architect Francois contained a tea room and a bar and was a fully equipped clubhouse. The small building still stands less than 100 meters from Piazza Caboto. Prince of Petrulla was the club president and Count Guido Airoldi, an experienced golf player, was not only one of the main initiators but also captain of Mondello Golf Club.
The article below is from 1925 when the course was probably under construction.
Article from The Sphere March 21st 1925. Image © Illustrated London News Group. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.
The new Mondello clubhouse March 1926.
Illustrated London News Saturday 20th March 1926. Image © Illustrated London News Group.
PGA golf professional C.A.M. James who in 1926 had overseen the golf course construction was always available for lessons and many Britons and Americans spending the mild winter in Palermo played the course during the following years. The golf season would usually start in December and end in March. The golf course at Mondello survived until1940 when the war put a stop to golf. In 1943 the golf course was occupied and used as an American camp. At the end of the conflict it would have been easy to reopen the golf course but this did not happen as the lease for the land was not extended.
The Mondello Clubhouse. From Golf Illustrated March 1933.
View of the Mondello course.
Plan of the Mondello course.
Golfers on the Mondello course.
The Google Map below shows the location of the course.