[John Mayhugh]

 With this week’s Ryder Cup, the attention of much of the golf world will be on France. This photo laden post is presented as an alternative look at French golf – one that is far more charming and less watery than Le Golf National.
 
Golf de Saint-Germain
Ran has an excellent profile of the course here. http://golfclubatlas.com/courses-by-country/france/saintgermain1/    Built on small, mostly flat piece of property, Colt did a wonderful job of utilizing the available features and creating some of his own.
 
The exquisite clubhouse sgDSC09518 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
 
A few familiar names with course records.
sgDSC09519 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
 
 
 
Many green sites have bunkers built up in front or on the sides.
sgDSC09531 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
 
 
Colt used the 5^th tee to provide a huge bunker on the 4^th green.
sgDSC09546 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
sgDSC09547 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
 
The course works around an old railroad bed.
sgDSC09539 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
 
And a former quarry.
sgDSC09609 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
 
Saint-Germain is full of charming green complexes. If not for the language on signs, one could easily believe they were outside of London, not Paris.
 
sgDSC09590 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
sgDSC09571 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
 [size=0pt]sgDSC09563 by [/size] john mayhugh, on Flickr
 

[Jon Wiggett]

John,


France has a few decent courses one of which is the Old Course Cannes Mandelieu. This is a Colt course which is pretty much intact due to the club not wanting to spend any money on it investing mainly in the clubhouse and restaurant. Conditioning is not always great but worth a visit to see an original Colt course.     

[John Mayhugh]

Jon,
I hadn't heard of this course before - thanks. I've never been in the south of France.

[John Mayhugh]

 Golf de Saint-Cloud
Saint Cloud is a lesser known Colt course that’s even closer to Paris than Saint-Germain. Colt is noted for picking great par 3 sites. This one seems to have a clear focal point.
scDSC00406 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
 
Saint-Cloud offered a tough walk, but the land provided some really clever holes.
scDSC00402 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
scDSC00430 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
scDSC00450 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
 
 
Here’s an interesting solution to a blind tee shot.
scDSC00418 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
scDSC00419 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
 
We didn’t need to follow this sign.
scDSC00390 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
The course is built on the former Buzenval Estate.  Some old fence walls remain.
scDSC00393 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
 
This was also the site of a French/Prussian battle in 1871. The 15^th hole has a monument to a notable young painter that died there.
scDSC00435 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
 
A lot of potential at Saint-Cloud. Would love to see what sort of results Frank Pont and Patrice Boissonnas could produce there.
 

[Niall C]

John

Fantastic stuff, thanks for posting. I've been itching to sample French golf for a while and pleased to say I'll being going next year. This looks like one for future trips.

Niall

[John Mayhugh]

John

Fantastic stuff, thanks for posting. I've been itching to sample French golf for a while and pleased to say I'll being going next year. This looks like one for future trips.

Niall

France was really enjoyable. Along with Holland, plenty of good golf on the continent.

[John Mayhugh]

 Golf de Fontainebleau
The course is located in the midst of Fontainebleau Forest, so it’s hardly surprising that there are loads of trees. For the most part, they do not affect play. Some of them have earned the right to stick around.
 
fbIMG_1821 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
 
I doubt the Ryder Cuppers would be satisifed with the range.
fbDSC00035 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
 
The clubhouse is a bit more impressive.
fbDSC00032 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
 
Simpson’s artistry is on full display with the first hole.
fbDSC00029 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
 
A rockfield provides an interesting hazard on a short par 5.
fbDSC09992 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
 
This shelter gives an idea of the simple charms of Fontainebleau.
fbDSC09917 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
 
Fontainebleau could be spectacular with the right touch. Bunkering was inconsistent stylistically, with some shapes that didn’t fit. Greens would benefit from expansion.
 

[Steve Okula]

Thanks for posting those great photos John.

But I disagree with your opinion on the trees at Fontainebleau. It's been years since I played there, and I can't recall the details, but my lasting impression was that the course would be immeasruably improved by taking out a thousand or so trees. They narrowed the course and took away all kinds of lines of play that were the architect's intent. With the right tree management, it would definitely contend with Morfontaine at the top of the rankings.

[Doug Hodgson]

Thanks for posting those great photos John.

But I disagree with your opinion on the trees at Fontainebleau. It's been years since I played there, and I can't recall the details, but my lasting impression was that the course would be immeasruably improved by taking out a thousand or so trees. They narrowed the course and took away all kinds of lines of play that were the architect's intent. With the right tree management, it would definitely contend with Morfontaine at the top of the rankings.

I would tend to agree.  I have played at both courses and I was very impressed with the layout at Fontainebleau, the movement in the land and beautiful forest.  But it did feel like a good cleanup and updating could do wonders.  Beautiful forest courses can develop a too cluttered look...sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees

[John Mayhugh]

Steve,
I could have worded my post better. I said that for the most part, trees didn't impact play.  That was my experience there (or at least how I remembered things). Would the course be improved by tree removal? Absolutely. My impression was that tree removal would offer more aesthetic benefit than it would on how the holes played.

I've added a few more pictures below. In some of these, it's obvious how removing trees would improve the look of the course and likely turf health as well.

 DSC09994 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
DSC09982 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
DSC09937 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
DSC09926 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
DSC09922 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 

[Peter Flory]

Very unique looking course.  The rock outcroppings are great. 

[John Mayhugh]

 Golf de Chantilly Vineuil
Mostly Simpson, Chantilly Vineuil is in a spectacular location near the Chateau de Chantilly
chDSC09508 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
and the famous racecourse (behind the statue which is unrelated to racing).
chDSC09501 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
 
Deep cross bunkers are a prominent feature on many holes.
DSC00325 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
 
Some memorable green complexes.
chDSC00294 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
 
chDSC00370 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
 
And, as you should now expect, another fine clubhouse.
chDSC00376 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
 

[Doug Hodgson]

Chantilly is a magical place....truly great golf course, one of the classic chateaux of France, which houses the Musée Condé, chock full of great artistic masterpieces.  The town itself is worth a visit...stop in at one of the cafés for lunch with a 25cl of rosé...Life doesn't get any better than a day at Chantilly!

[John Mayhugh]

Chantilly is a magical place....truly great golf course, one of the classic chateaux of France, which houses the Musée Condé, chock full of great artistic masterpieces.  The town itself is worth a visit...stop in at one of the cafés for lunch with a 25cl of rosé...Life doesn't get any better than a day at Chantilly!

My biggest regret of the trip was too much golf. I really needed a day or two free in Chantilly.

[John Mayhugh]

 Golf de Morfontaine
A day here was the highlight of the trip. About an hour north of Paris, Morfontaine could easily be at home among the English heathland courses. It’s also a lot easier to find (thanks to gps) than reputed.
 
mDSC00036 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
 
 
The main course is a delight, if a bit of a surprise. I expected to see more quirk, but instead the overall presentation is understated. Few fairway bunkers to provide definition. The greens are tamer and more subtle than on the Valliere 9, yet still very challenging to figure out. There’s no fussiness maintenance wise, and the holes flow naturally across the property.
 
mDSC00091 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
The famous “frog.”
mDSC00135 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
 
 
The Valliere 9 was a blast to play, with some of the most audacious greens I have seen. If you want a compelling argument for slower green speeds, here you go.
 
mvDSC00185 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
mvDSC00167 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
mv5DSC00208 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
 
Combined with an incredible lunch, this has to be one of the best days out in golf.
 

[Steve Okula]

John, when were those photos taken?

[John Mayhugh]

John, when were those photos taken?

Summer 2014. Some notable changes since then?

[Steve Okula]

Yes, everything is a lot drier now, since the north of France has been through a historic drought since mid-June. You wouldn't know it from looking at le Golf National, with their state-of-the-art irrigation and abundant water supply, but nearly all the other courses in the area have suffered to varying degrees.

[Doug Hodgson]

What a great place Morfontaine is!  You know you are in the heart of civilization when you arrive in the morning and the one guy hitting balls on the range has his golden sitting there watching...then he and his father and their dog are sitting at the table next to you on the patio at lunchtime and you have an interesting conversation with them in French as you enjoy your confit de canard, and there's an old gentleman over in the corner reading the paper with his two dogs resting at his feet....

[jeffwarne]

Had the pleasure of playing Chantlly and Morfontaine last week.(stayed 2 nights next door to that Chateau John pictured)


Great pictures and thoughts.


The Valliere 9 was spectacular(move over Sacred 9). We skipped the lunch in favor of beverages and the extra 9 followed by-beverages.

[John Mayhugh]

Doug,The dog-friendly nature of Morfontaine didn't escape my notice. Very unpretentious.

Jeff,How fast was Morfontaine playing?

You missed out on a bit of excitement in Chantilly. Horse walks into a bar....
https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/229873/horse-uninjured-after-trip-through-chantilly-bar

[jeffwarne]

John,
Morfontaine was relatively firm and fast but they have irrigation.
You could see that there had been some reseeding from the summer drought/heat.
Chantilly had lost a bit more grass in spots.
The roughs were very dry and wispy at both places-other than the heather.


The greens at Morfontaine were by far the fastest greens I have played anywhere in Europe and were lightning.


I found the greens on the Valleire far more interesting as they far slopier/tiltier and were of course slower to allow this.
There were many putts/chips/bunker shots you had to aim 45 degrees out to die it near the hole.


Both courses were in ideal condition(i.e. not uniform green) and dry in spots and certainly weren't soft anywhere, but I'd guess without irrigation they'd be suffering to regrow the lost grass of the summer.
The bunkers were interesting that many had flat bottoms with minimal sand or were even downsloped towards the greens in the spots where balls rolled to rest-bringing one closer to the high sharp lips and requiring very good adaptable skill and/or a low bounce L wedge.


Morfontaine was low key with a small intimate clubhouse and a pro shop the size of a closet. Simple.


The only negative were the constant arrival of choppers from Paris marring the sanctity of the place.
Poor decision on their part to allow that (hopefully just this week)in such a serene perfect environment.

[John Mayhugh]

I can't imagine helicopters flying into Morfontaine. My experience there was idyllic.

[John Mayhugh]

 As good as Paris golf was, we also wanted to see some linksland. So we headed north to the Pas-de-Calais. On the way, we took a detour to see the Lochnagar Crater. Created by British Royal Engineers, who tunnelled under a German position to lay mines, the size of the crater is hard to believe. Approximately 330 feet across and 100 feet deep.
 
ssDSC09889 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
 
Along the way, you see many WWI Somme battlefield cemeteries like this one. Sobering.
ssDSC09913 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 
ssDSC09912 by john mayhugh, on Flickr
 

[David Davis]

John,


Thanks for posting, nice photos!


I'm also in the camp that believes Fontainebleau could give Morfontaine a solid run for it's money if more like 5000 trees where removed. You have to imagine that not unlike something like Pine Valley it was far more open back in the day. The routing there is wonderful and with proper loving it would be just that much better.


St. Germain is also really great given the gentle land they have. A brilliant routing from Colt.


I'm less enamored with Chantilly but it's a course I'd like to get back to. The finish was strong but the rest just doesnt stick out for me. Solid but not great. The last time I played was right before a big tournament and I would say the set up was unnecisarly penal. The fairways were wonderfully firm and fast which was great but the rough was so crazy that an inch off the fairway was gone forever. As extreme as I've ever seen anywhere. I may like it more under different circumstances.


Morfontaine is also my favorite in Europe and the Valliere 9 is the best 9 holer I've ever played. I struggle using that one and the Sacred 9 as much as I like it in the same sentence. Though the 5th there (Sacred 9) is as strong as they come.


I imagine you are getting to Hardelot and Le Touquet both of which are nice courses.


FWIW we have Chantilly as #2 though I personally have it closer to 5 on my France list. Les Bordes is another that was long rated #1 in France and Europe by many. Not something I've ever agreed with. But with Hanse now developing a new course there that will be uber private I'll bet with that property it ends up being something great and an almost sure standout in France.


I've personally never been down to see Doak's course - at least not yet.

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