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[Andrew Bertram]

The day I spent at Morfontaine was one of my most treasured days on the links. From the moment we ventured through the front and down the 1 mile drive it was like a couple of kids in a lolly shop.

I had arranged to play at 9am, we could not play earlier as the course only opened the gates at 9am!  On arrival in the car park there were only 4 cars, all belonging to staff.
We were met at the Club House by the Secretary Manager who welcomed us and shared coffee and breakfast and primed us with a run down of the Club’s history and the works they had planned and how little the course had changed over the preceding 70 years.
The main work being undertaken is to correct the “runways” in his words. That is what he called the tees that have become long strips. Kyle Phillips is re working the tees into boxed smaller tees similar to what was originally there.

The course was extremely pleasurable to play and flowed beautifully from hole to hole. The green contours moved from subtle on some holes to extreme on others. This is something that has been lost on a lot of sand belt courses with the need for “fast” greens and it is such a shame. IN particular the Valiere 9 hole course has an exceptional set of greens with extreme slopes.

The use of trees adds greatly to the course. Tress do not interfere with pay in areas they should not but they do frame holes beautifully, in particular with singular standout trees.

On the day in question we had the course to ourselves, when we finished 18 a couple arrived for lunch and followed that with golf. We then enjoyed lunch on the terrace and another 9 on the Valiere course. When we got to the 1st green and saw what was ahead we just laughed,  the 3rd green was laid out in all it’s glory. Going from the 2nd green up the hill to the 3rd tee and to see what was ahead was a wonderful sight.
We spent about 20 minutes putting on the 3rd green after finishing the hole it was that good.

After leaving the 3rd we walked over a small crest to the 4th tee and started laughing at how good the setting was for the 4th.

I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed the course.



Golf de Morfontaine Club House


1st Tee Shot


1st approach


2nd from behind green


2nd green


2nd Green


3rd tee shot


3rd approach


4th hole


4th hole bunker detail


4th green from short right


5th tee shot


5th approach


6th tee shot


6th approach


7th tee shot


7th approach


8th approach




9th approach


9th tee shot


10th green


10th green from behind green, 11th hole on right


11th hole


11th hole


12th tee shot


12th approach


12th green


13th hole


13th green


14th approach


15th approach’


16th approach


17th hole


17th hole


18th tee shot


18th green


Valliere 1st tee shot


Valliere 1st green


Valliere 2nd hole


Valliere 2nd green


Valliere 3rd hole


Valliere 3rd hole


Valliere 3rd approach


Valliere 3rd Green



Valliere 4th hole


Valliere 4th green


Valliere 4th green


Valliere 5th approach


Valliere 5th green


Valliere 5th green


Valliere 6th tee shot

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Valliere 6th approach


Valliere 8th approach


Valliere 8th green


Valliere 9th hole


Club house from Valliere 9th tee


I trust you have enjoyed these photographs.


    

[John Mayhugh]

Thanks for sharing the photos. The greensite of the 17th is really cool.  How much did the trees affect play?

I don't wish to seem ungrateful, but is there any chance of posting larger photos?

[Adam_Messix]

Andrew--

Those are great pictures and give a great sense of Morfontaine the course.  It's amazing how I love the greens on both the big course and Valliere even though they are so different.  For the most part, the greens on the big course are really subtle with difficult to read internal contouring with a few nice false edges on 7, 9, and 10.  The original greens on the Valliere are quite interesting and the closest thing to Engineers that I've come across.  I like the newer greens on Valliere too (6, 7, and 9) which are similar to the greens on the big course. 

John--

The trees on #17 are not an issue.

[Philip Gawith]

Adam, I agree with John that you should try to post your pictures on a larger scale - you are underselling your efforts, especially when you have the double blessing of playing a very private course in fabulous weather.

It is indeed a magical place to visit and the Valliere course has some amazing greens/holes - the main course is mainstream by comparison. It is interesting that the stones in fairway that you find on this course - around hole 5 or 6 as i recall - are also found at Fontainebleau. I don't remember seeing them on a UK course.

The club has an ambience quite unlike any other golf course i have played - more akin to some sort of private upper class hunting lodge!

[John Mayhugh]

I was typing my question quickly and didn't do a good job.  Was wondering about the impact of the trees throughout the course, not specifically on 17.

17's comment was intended just to be the siting of the green. 

[Tony_Muldoon]

Andrew I echo all the above comment re size.  I'm not sure I've ever seen the greens on Valliere even tough I have heard of them.  There's a lovely write up in the World Atlas of Golf saying those 9 holes were amongst Simpson's earliest work, 1910 and then he returned for the main course in 1927.

This winter I think I will write down my must play list, this will be near the top. Thanks for taking the time to share.

[Mark Bourgeois]

Thank you, Andrew, I very much enjoyed these little photos.

With the exception of the 13th, what an apparently amazing collection of holes -- and the failings of 13th like the 17th look as though they can be erased in a matter of minutes by a man deft with a blade.  Or saw.

[Andrew Bertram]

thanks for your comments

the trees do not really impede on the line of play or do they change the shot you would want to play. It apears the management and clearing of the trees has been well done over many years.
Even the 13th - the tree there is not really in play for better players, it would however make the hole very challenging for average players.

On 17 i had not given the trees any thought at all and they really were not in play. it must be camera angle.

sorry about the size, i will go back in tonight when i have time and increase the sizing up to large from medium. I was concerned about putting too big a photo on the site.

Andrew

[Alfonso Erhardt]

How's Paris to play in November?? Is it too late to go? Are the courses too wet?

[Steve Okula]

Alfonso,

Yes, you can play golf in Paris in November. Expect rainy weather with temperatures in the 5-10°C range, that is 40°'s F. If the weather is clear, expect frost delays. If you're booking tee times, between 11 AM to 1PM is about right. It'll be dark after 5PM.

[Alfonso Erhardt]

Thanks Steve,

Worst than I thought. In Madrid its like that in December. I guess I'll have to postpone until spring 2010.....

[Tom MacWood]

Valliere has to have some of the wildest greens in golf. I've seen 1907 and 1910 given as the date for that course but it was actually built in 1912 and opened in 1913. Valliere was the estate of the Duc de Gramont, and he and his gardener built a six-hole course several years prior to Simpson. He met Simpson (I believe at Dieppe where Fowler & Simpson were working) and he asked him to build him a new course. From what I understand it was his private golf course.

[John Sabino]

Andrews - congratulations on playing Morfontaine, one of the best. Fabulous pictures. I'm curious how hard it was for you to arrange play as it is difficult to get on.  I agree with you, the 4th on the Valliere is one the greatest holes in golf. John

[Andrew Bertram]

Gents

I have just uploaded the larger photos

In future i will post photos this size

Andrew

[Andrew Mitchell]

Andrew

Thanks for the larger photographs, Morfontaine looks even more impressive now!

[Adam Russell]

Andrew -

Thanks for all your work. The new pictures look much better, and this is a course I have always heard about but never seen any good shots of the playing corridors. It looks like the trees don't pose any sort of problem play-wise, but what's eating the bark? I'm from a place choked with them (Georgia). They all look to be stripped about fifteen feet up the trunks. If they were in decline from say, a pine beetle, it looks like a massive change coming.

[Tim Pitner]

Thanks for posting, Andrew.

To those in the know, how would you compare the land on which the classic, Paris-area courses were built to that of the London-area courses?  Is it actually heathland?  Is there a sandy base?

[Kalen Braley]

Its hard to put my finger on exactly just why...

But this may very well be the most naturalisitic course I've ever seen, based purely on pics of course.  Everything seems to blend so effortlessly into its surrounds and the course looks like it was just mowed and pins placed.

Simply fantastic...

P.S.  And I'm guessing the pics don't do it justice and it looks even better in person!!

[George Freeman]

Morfontaine looks like a BLAST to play, especially the Valliere course!  Those greens looks exquisite...

Thanks for the pics Andrew!

[Bill Schulz]

Morfontaine is indeed a unique golfing experience.

First of all, even with gps, it is highly unlike that someone with slightly above average intelligence could find the front gate to the club.  I was fortunately picked up at my hotel (King George V is my favorite hotel in the world followed by Pietro de Poisitano) by the member and amazed by the many hidden turns and unmarked roads that lead to the gate.

There is no bag drop, there are no golf attendants that grab your clubs and in fact, there is no pro shop!

You check in with the office manager (I think the green fees were around 40 euros) and are given a scorecard but no pencil.

Unlike apparently most guests, after a lengthy conversation by the member with the club staff, I was allowed to purchase a shirt (something I do very rarely these days).  Of course, I graciously appected this kind offer and they opened a closet which had around a dozen shirts.  I selected a lime green Morfontaine shirt which has a pocket in the front.

Morfontaine is very private, I did not see another golfer all day.  They are not keen on Americans although Eisenhower is still highly regarded at the club.  I did not see any caddies or evil golf carts so we carried our clubs for the 27 holes, very short walks between holes with an excellent routing that wanders capriciously in all directions like a puppy chasing a squirrel.

The above comment that Morfontaine is very natural and comfortable in her appearance is spot on.  Maintenance is diligent but definitely not manicured.

The collection of par 3s are as strong as any in Europe although the par 5s are not the strong point of the course.  In fact, the recent work around the par 5 12th green by Kyle Phillips looks out of place with its uncharacterically large putting surface and chipping areas.

Please note the excellent photograph of the par 3 17th hole.  I played it with the hillside behind the green blooming and it was a surreal site with its dramatic and unusual beauty.  The 18th tee is behind the green up on the hill with a real cool and narrow tee box.

Morfontaine is around 6700 yards from the back tees with the difficultly behind in the long par 4s and strategically placed bunkers.

There is a dog water dish near the 10th  tee.

Lunch on the patio is served by an Angelina Jolie look a like (ok, I'm exaggerating a little bit here) in a little black and white outfit (tres bien!) and the shrimp salad is delicious.

The Valliere course is the best nine hole course I have ever played by a wide margin (little Marion near Kittansett is truly unique with its rock walls fronting several greens and Augusta National's is fun but very artificial).  Please note the photos of the par 3 4th hole which is arguably the best inland par 3 in the free world, it is that good.  It is a dowhill par 3 with the tee box only a few paces behind the excellent par 4 3rd green and the bunkering melds into the enivornment.  The shot values and fun factor are off the charts as depending where the pin is you can putt there almost 5 different ways (like the 7th green at Friar's Head).  We putted for probably 20 minutes on the green after we played the hole.

The Valliere course, unlike the main course, is also notable as it is adjacent to a gun shooting  range and the shots reverberate through the air...truly unique.

For an amazing and detailed writeup of Morfontaine, I would suggest reading John Sabino's witty as hell blog regarding his world travels in the quest to play the Golf Magazine Top 100.