Golf de Granville, Colt/Allison 1912, France

[Jeff_Lewis]

So, there's a 100 year old seaside links built by Colt on the French coast that I JUST heard about? Has anybody ever played it? The course website has a video narrated in French, but it certainly looks like the real mccoy.

[Christoph Meister]

Ulrich Mayring told me that he has played the course and posted pictures on:

http://maps.google.de/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=de&msa=0&msid=102084761972341736971.00046c230f10abc248a6f&ll=49.525208,10.854492&spn=19.773531,39.506836&t=h&z=5

Maybe Ulrich can tell us more.....

There are doubts though that Colt and or Alison were there in 1912 - 1922 seems more probable as the French Continental Golf Guide from 1931 is giving 1922 as the date when the golf course was established...please find enclosed a few scans from that book regarding Granville.

[Frank Pont]

Walked the course a couple of years ago, see pics:

http://www.golfarchitecturepictures.com/Web%20Galleries/France/Granville/index.html

Really liked the course, very old fashioned Colt stuf with rough bunkers. Big issue is the fact that the dirt road you see in Christoph's old map going to the beach has become a asfalt road, and therefore holes 4,5 and 13-16 were changed (Hawtree did the work, which is clear from the different green styles). Also the ugly factory smack in the middle of many views doesn't help....

Beautiful links land is available around the property to make this again a great links, but the club doesn't have the finances as far as I have been told.....

[Ulrich Mayring]

I wrote in my review that it is probably the links in France. Very old-fashioned and great fun to play. The views are somewhat awful at times, what with industrial buildings surrounding the course, but on the other hand it is far away from tourism and crowds. Not a championship test, it feels a bit like Royal North Devon. Perhaps not quite as quirky, but it has no filler holes and is a true links throughout.

Ulrich

[Thomas Dai]

Found this on YouTube.
Seems like a lot of good looking stuff - [size=78%]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QLd9j6BBv-E[/size]
Atb

[David_Tepper]

Thomas D. -

Thanks for the link to the video. Sure looks like a very worthwhile golf course & club.

DT

[Tom_Doak]

I am looking forward to playing this course next summer before our event at St. Emilion.  Masa has been singing its praises for some time now.

[Joey Chase]

I played Granville last fall along with Dinard Golf Club with a detour visit of Mont Saint-Michel.  It is a treat to play and has many fun greens and rolling fairways.  If it were on the coast in Great Britain, it would get much more praise.  It has a cool little clubhouse that was quite welcoming. There is also a smaller nine hole course we didn't have time to play, unfortunately.  I would highly recommend a visit to any pure links lovers.

[Tony_Muldoon]

 A very cool course with quite a few fun holes. There isn’t a huge amount of elevation change but there’s enough and there are nice ripples.  For some reason, it reminds me of the land at Goswick.
 
 I believe it was the 7^th which at less than 300 years features an offset fairway and a gathering green – always fun when you only need 2 shots.  Also recall a Par 4 where it was smart to play to the outside of the dogleg – not that common on a links.  The Par 3’s are predictably good.
 
 
 Of the new greens, the short par 5 14^th has a really cool saddleback which is not at all typically Hawtree and it’s the most extreme green on the course.  (although I thought I read someone else has been involved?)
 
Reluctant to rate on one visit however a 7 is there in the ground but the conditioning must be mentioned.  Played in July 2016 and with the grass burnt off, we were playing a pretty rough surface with a lot of weeds.   This was very natural but wouldn’t be to everyone’s taste. It also highlighted how used to good conditioning we have become. When you try to run the ball along the ground with a  5 iron,  despite the firm and dry conditions the roll out was not so predictable.
 
Friendly place with a nice restaurant and from memory the green fee was pretty keen too. I’d happily go back.   It’s been a while but I think its at least the equal of Chiberta.

[Tom_Doak]

If it were on the coast in Great Britain, it would get much more praise.

This seems backwards to me.  Morfontaine, for example, is a great course but would probably be lost in the shuffle if it was southwest of London -- being in France sets it apart for lots of people.


So, is Granville overlooked in France because it's in a spot not many golfers get to?  Or do French golfers just not appreciate links golf as much as Brits do?

[Steve Okula]

Reluctant to rate on one visit however a 7 is there in the ground but the conditioning must be mentioned.  Played in July 2016 and with the grass burnt off, we were playing a pretty rough surface with a lot of weeds.   This was very natural but wouldn’t be to everyone’s taste. It also highlighted how used to good conditioning we have become. When you try to run the ball along the ground with a  5 iron,  despite the firm and dry conditions the roll out was not so predictable.
 

Granville sits in an environmentally sensitive area, and the local authorities limit their fertilizer, chemical, and water inputs to the extreme, which has a telling effect on the conditioning.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Reluctant to rate on one visit however a 7 is there in the ground but the conditioning must be mentioned.  Played in July 2016 and with the grass burnt off, we were playing a pretty rough surface with a lot of weeds.   This was very natural but wouldn’t be to everyone’s taste. It also highlighted how used to good conditioning we have become. When you try to run the ball along the ground with a  5 iron,  despite the firm and dry conditions the roll out was not so predictable.
 

Granville sits in an environmentally sensitive area, and the local authorities limit their fertilizer, chemical, and water inputs to the extreme, which has a telling effect on the conditioning.

Thanks Steve, we suspected as much. 

I’ve seen the abandoned links course at Bembridge, which is now maintained by rabbits, and the two experiences have made me appreciate that the game we discuss to day is not the same as played prior to – choose a date – say 1900/1914/1939, what with all the advances in maintenance.  The experience is eye opening, especially as of course, the greens do get modern treatment.

This may well be one of those courses that are better in winter.  This used to be said of Rye, which was in good nick this August, better than any other summer I’ve played there. And they’ve had irrigation for a few years now.  Dawlish Warren would still fit this description.


My experience of French Golf is they like their courses green and I’m sure a lot of players would not consider this one, even if it’s in a holiday area. Hence the keen green fee.

[Stuart Hallett]

Steve summed it up pretty well. But I also have to mention a traditionally tight budget.
No fairway irrigation dictates the look and feel (maybe that's how it should be, the locals don't mind). Summers are surprisingly dry in this part and burning out in summer really makes this course fragile in places. Weed invasion can be a problem as spraying is a big "non non" ! They combat this with cultural methods and overseeding. [size=78%] [/size]


They rely on green fees and allow buggies which is worrying at the best of times.


The course was transformed in the 90's but plenty of good stuff intact. Some of you may have noticed some ugly pines and a fence between DR and 9th fairway. That will be solved this winter. The last of the pines on the 18 hole course after 10+ years of trying, little by little.

[Joey Chase]

If it were on the coast in Great Britain, it would get much more praise.

This seems backwards to me.  Morfontaine, for example, is a great course but would probably be lost in the shuffle if it was southwest of London -- being in France sets it apart for lots of people.


So, is Granville overlooked in France because it's in a spot not many golfers get to?  Or do French golfers just not appreciate links golf as much as Brits do?

Speaking for myself, what sets Morfontaine apart is the spectacular Valliere course and its wild greens.  I like to think that would keep it from getting lost in the shuffle among others around London.

I do think Granville is overlooked because of its location by visiting golfers. Paris is 4 hours away, Bordeaux is 5.5 hours to the south.  Most tourists coming to the area come to see the spectacular coast and Mont St.-Michel.

Links golf doesn't seem to resonate with my golfing friends in France.  On our visit we played Dinard Golf with a friend that lives in the spectacular seaside town of St. Malo and had never even heard of Granville although it's a little over an hour away.  I do think many french golfers pass on it because tastes are different to those espoused here.  On my one visit to Morfontaine, we had also played Les Aisses and Les Bordes.  The three Frenchman I played with all preferred Les Bordes and Les Aisses to Morfontaine. 

Many of my French friends will say that their favorite course in the country is Terre Blanche in the south, and they cite conditioning as being the best in the country.   They would tell me I need to see it and say the practice facilities are second to none.  When golfing in Paris, I was told by many that Le Golf National was the must play.  I am not trying to speak for an entire country of golfers but these are my experiences there. 

It is a wonder there aren't more links along the coast as there is plenty of amazing looking terrain.

[jeffwarne]

Joey,
Tell us about Dinard golf please!

[David_Tepper]

Another interesting video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dziiUqNH-Pk

http://dinardgolf.com/english/photos/

[Joey Chase]

Joey,
Tell us about Dinard golf please!

Dinard is unique to say the least.  To start, they have a cool old art deco clubhouse.  It has the distinction of being one of the oldest courses on the continent.  The opening holes play away from the water and are quite pedestrian.  My memory of the holes is vague but I think it is at the 5th or 6th that the golf gets interesting with a hole that plays from an elevated tee to a very broken fairway with deep bunkers and a spectacular view.  The course has a feeling of having been there a while and possesses fairly basic putting surfaces(certainly in comparison to those at Granville) .  There are several other holes that enjoy amazing views of the broken coastline.  I remember tees being played off of WWII pillbox bunkers (#13 or 14th?).  The course isn't quite as much fun to play as Granville as it isn't a true links but is near the sea at every turn and a good walk along the coast.  There is a good meal to be had everywhere you go, which could be said anywhere in France but particularly true in this area... for seafood lovers.

I wouldn't recommend seeking this course out unless you were planning a trip to the area to see some of the other courses and also the fantastic seaside culture unique to this part of France.  When my wife and I arrived in the area, I was taken by the almost British feel of the area, not only in scenery but also in the building construction.  If you ever wanted a good mix of culture and golf, St. Malo and Dinard is a great combo. 

[Joey Chase]

Another interesting video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dziiUqNH-Pk

http://dinardgolf.com/english/photos/

Thanks David, I would love to tee it up with you again!

[Andy Shulman]

I played Granville in June 2017 on a trip to the Normandy region.  It's about midway between Mont St. Michel and the D-Day beaches.  Interestingly, the course is not in the town of Granville, but in neighboring Breville-sur-Mer.


Conditioning when I played was better than described by others.  [size=78%]It didn't remind me of any other links course I've played, probably because it didn't feel like I was on or near the ocean at the start or - other than at the 6th tee, which has a lovely view - for most of the round.  [/size][/size]For me, the par-3 10th stood out, as it requires a precise shot to a somewhat intimidating raised green with a steep falloff all the way around.  Also, t[/size][size=78%]he two holes - #14 and #15 - on the other side of the road seem a bit out of character with the rest of the course, although #14 does have that nifty saddleback green.  [/size]


Glad I played it, but not one many of us would plan a trip around.

[Thomas Dai]

Club locations -


Granville - http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php?action=post;topic=42750.0;last_msg=1556393 - a short ferry journey from Jersey, that's Jersey the UK Channel Isles, sails into Granville. Jersey has Royal Jersey GC and La Moye GC, both worth a play.


Dinard - https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@48.6311048,-2.1358176,1833m/data=!3m1!1e3 - ferry's from both Jersey (short) the UK (much longer) sail into St Malo, which is the other side of the bay to the town of Dinard.


atb

[Tony_Muldoon]

There’s more to life than Golf and it’s a fine area to visit.  We used to holiday in a house near Caen before I played.  The Bayeux Tapestry, The German War Cemetery (for another viewpoint) and the WWW11 history make fascinating days out.   The Mont St Michel experience is now part of Disneyland, but still a must see.
 
Normandy is famed for rich butter, creamy sauces and Calvados. And Crepes. Different cuisine to say Provencal/Mediterranean but delicious. This thread has dredged up a long suppressed memory. Nearly 40 years ago I visited a friend studying in Caen. At the university café we had the special of the day, it consisted of a strange grey/white substance not dissimilar to Cauliflower Cheese and we thought the name was poetic. Without thinking further, we ate it up and later I caught the train back to Paris.  It was several months (pre text, email etc.) before we met up again. We had eaten Horse Brains and my friend only discovered this when the students staged a protest the next day and the authorities agreed never to repeat this!
 
Back to golf I’ve also heard good things about Pleneuf-val-Andre another old clifftop course?

[Adam Lawrence]

I've played Val Andre, while on a holiday in Brittany with the outlaws a good ten or twelve years ago. It was pretty boring. My impression is that the course was originally built as nine holes and another nine were added later. Mostly fairly flat and dull, with a few holes down the coast on rather better ground. Even those weren't anything special except for the views.

[Tony_Muldoon]

I've played Val Andre, while on a holiday in Brittany with the outlaws a good ten or twelve years ago. It was pretty boring. My impression is that the course was originally built as nine holes and another nine were added later. Mostly fairly flat and dull, with a few holes down the coast on rather better ground. Even those weren't anything special except for the views.

So I didn't hear it from you then!

[Patrick Kiser]

I was just there in October while touring the region.  I didn't have the time to play, but stopped by to take a quick look in between Pont L'Eveque and Calvados tastings...


It's a "gentle" H.S. Colt from what I could tell.  The 9 holer was added at a later time.


I picked up the club's historical and it has some good background and content.  I'll see if I can post a few things when time permits.


The bunkering is out of character of course, but that's not unusual.  It does look like they kept the positioning intact.  I don't recall ever seeing riveted bunkering by H.S. colt, but they clearly applied it here.  I'm guessing it's a maintenance thing.


Elsewhere, the aerodrome next door really changed things up and from what little we can tell from the routing ... some of the best holes might have been in that area.


What actually blew me away was the land to the west of the course.  Good lord does it look fantastic!


More to follow.


Cool aerial tour:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLd9j6BBv-E

[Adam Lawrence]

The bunkering is out of character of course, but that's not unusual.  It does look like they kept the positioning intact.  I don't recall ever seeing riveted bunkering by H.S. colt, but they clearly applied it here.  I'm guessing it's a maintenance thing.

There are a bunch of Colt courses that have revetted bunkers now -- most of his links such as Muirfield, Hoylake et al.