Golf Club Villa Carolina
A Historic Club Facing Modern Challenges
Founded in 1991 and set in the rolling hills of Monferrato in Piedmont, Golf Club Villa Carolina is defined by its landscape as much as its heritage. The clubhouse, a restored 18th‑century villa originally gifted to Carolina of the Marquis Albrizzi, sits at the heart of a 110‑hectare property spanning the municipalities of Capriata d’Orba and Castelletto d’Orba.
The club features two championship 18‑hole courses: La Marchesa, designed by Bryan Silva of Cornish & Silva, and the more undulating Il Paradiso course by Graham Cooke. After more than 30 years of operation, the Rain Bird® Nimbus™ II irrigation system serving La Marchesa, installed in phases beginning in the early 1990s, was no longer fit for purpose. Undersized PVC piping, poor sprinkler uniformity and irrigation cycles exceeding 12 hours were further strained by increasingly extreme climate conditions.
A Collaborative Renovation
In 2024, the club launched a comprehensive renovation to modernise irrigation performance and long‑term course management. Engineer James Massarenti led the design and now supervises works in close collaboration with Superintendent Lorenzo Bisio and Club Managers Amedeo Daglio and Dragos Tataru.
“From the outset of the design phase, I had the rare opportunity to develop strong synergy with the golf staff,” says Massarenti. “Within the agreed budget, arrive at a shared project that truly meets the current and future needs of the course.”
The first phase focused on a complete irrigation overhaul of the back nine holes of La Marchesa, carried out during winter by contractor Aquafert with technical support from Rain Bird distributor Scarabelli Irrigazione. This marked a national first: Villa Carolina became the first 36‑hole club in Italy to adopt a Rain Bird Decoder + IC hybrid system, managed from a single PC.
Intelligent Irrigation, Built for the Future
Over 600 Rain Bird® 752/702 IC rotors and approximately 200 Rain Bird® block rotors were installed, supported by reconstructed main and secondary pipelines. The new layout enables triple‑row fairway irrigation, back‑to‑back greens coverage and block‑controlled starting tees, all managed through the Rain Bird® IC System™ with CirrusPRO™ Central Control software.
“The adoption of the new CirrusPRO™ software allowed this upgrade to be completed quickly and seamlessly,” explains Fausto Scarabelli of Scarabelli Irrigazione. “Our specialised team is trained to Rain Bird’s highest standards and worked closely with course staff to ensure precise system configuration and optimised irrigation performance.”
Once fully operational, the hybrid system will manage both the newly installed IC rotors and existing decoder‑controlled irrigation across the club’s full 36 holes.
Measurable Results and Elevated Course Performance
The second phase—now nearing completion—includes converting fairways to warm‑season grasses and expanding irrigation coverage for roughs and tees, with all renovation work scheduled for completion by January 2026.
“It’s very important to have an irrigation system that adequately covers the rough areas adjacent to the fairways,” notes Massarenti, “so that these zones are not penalised by the reduction in irrigation times achieved thanks to the new warm‑season grasses.”
Despite the scale of the works, on‑course disruption was carefully managed. “A major effort in advance communication with members and tour operators is necessary,” says Manager Dragos Tataru. “We have managed player flow without particular issues.”
Early performance data is already delivering results. Night‑time irrigation cycles have been reduced from more than 12 hours to less than eight, turf quality has visibly improved and player feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
Superintendent Lorenzo Bisio concludes, “I believe that in time we will fully realise all the benefits of a modern and efficient irrigation system. Once fully completed the La Marchesa course will undoubtedly reach a new level of unparalleled excellence.”
On behalf of the ownership, the club confirms that “the new irrigation system has revolutionised our course management capabilities,” positioning Villa Carolina among Italy’s most advanced and resilient golf facilities.
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