Circolo Golf Torino - La Mandria

Notable Observations

• Historic Parkland Biodiversity Setting The club sits within La Mandria Natural Park, an area containing protected priority habitats including aquatic environments, woodlands and grasslands. The course has long-established woodland and undergrowth areas that have remained untouched for over 65 years.
• Major Wetland and Bird Habitat Lake Risera is described as the largest natural lake within an Italian golf course and covers around 6 hectares. The April 2026 census recorded 40 cormorant nests and 20 grey heron nests, alongside many other wetland species.
• Tree Heritage Inventory All trees have been recorded, numbered and inspected by a specialist company. Notable trees include century-old hawthorn, ash and alder specimens, as well as a 90-year-old Cryptomeria japonica.
• Warm-Season Turf Trials The club is evaluating warm-season turf conversion to reduce water demand under changing Po Valley climate conditions. Conversion of the pitch and putt course and short-game area has already been completed with positive results.
• Organic Fertilisation Programme Annual soil testing guides fertiliser applications, with a significant organic component already used across all surfaces. The report notes that results from organic fertiliser inputs have been excellent so far.
• Water-Efficient Irrigation Management No potable water or groundwater is used for turf irrigation. Irrigation uses authorised consortium water sources, with software-controlled cycles, ET data, weather checks, monthly records and syringing to reduce summer water stress.
• Historic “Turet” Water Fountains Drinking fountains across the course allow players to refill the thermal water bottles provided to members. These fountains also preserve a historic Turin landscape feature, known locally as “Turet”.
• Education and Research Collaboration The club has hosted school visits, environmental education programmes and university students for sustainability-focused site tours. It has also worked with university professors and researchers, and has been included in the 2026–2027 Italian golf bioindicators research project.

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“From an environmental perspective, the club still has potential for sustainability that can be developed over time, especially given the proven willingness and commitment of the current management. There are short-, medium-, and long-term initiatives that can significantly reduce the club's environmental impact. Specifically, efforts can be made in the short term to fully transition to natural organic fertilization (excellent-quality, highly humifying products are now available on the market), and in the medium term to partially reduce external electricity supplies by installing photovoltaic panels on the roofs, as well as solar panels for hot water production. Also in the medium term, feasibility studies and analyses can be undertaken to potentially convert the turf from cool season to warm season species. In the long term, plans can be made to renew the entire maintenance fleet, using only more electric engines and increasing the number of self-driving, software-controlled machines.”

Paolo Croce (GEO accredited independent verifier)