Golf in France, the land of ooh-la-la

VERSAILLES, FRANCE—Last month, the European Tour announced that France had been awarded the 2018 Ryder Cup. It’s a big deal. The Ryder Cup is televised in more than 200 countries and pumps millions of dollars into the local economy. It’s also expected to kick start a whole new generation of French golfers and courses. (As part of the agreement, the French Golf Federation has promised to built 100 urban-based short courses and raise membership from the current 400,000 to 700,000 golfers.)

The Ryder Cup will be played at Le Golf National outside of Paris, a frequent site of the French Open. Le Golf National is home to two 18s and a nine-hole loop and it is the L’Albatros layout that will host the Cup. It is an inland links style course that is heavy on the mounds and carries over the water (green fee is 80 euros, or about $112). What sets it — and golf in general throughout France — apart is what I like to call the Ooh-la-la factor. Le Golf National is just around the corner from the stunning Palace of Versailles and just 30 kilometres from the Arc de Triomphe. In France, golf is always close to something spectacular.

For history and architecture, try one of the country’s chateau and golf experiences. There are about 20 sprinkled across France and include places like Chateau des Vigiers in the Perigord in the southwest corner of the country. It features a handsome four-star hotel with a history that stretches to the 16th century, plus a Donald Steel-designed course that weaves between the Chateau’s lush orchards and plum trees.

For sheer beauty, check out Golf de Sperone, which tickles the very edge of the rocks on the southern end of Corsica. Just a wedge shot away from the cliff top, medieval town of Bonifacio, much of the back nine plays directly above the sea, peering out to the languid Mediterranean and the Italian island of Sardinia.

My favourite place to play in France is in the Riviera, especially in and around the ancient villages that cling to the arid hills above Cannes and Nice, all connected by hairpin roads first built by the Romans. The town of Grasse is especially intoxicating. It is the world’s perfume capital and the place where Chanel No. 5 was first concocted and where the major scent houses offer public tours. The outskirts of the village are blanketed in fields of roses and lavender and the sweet essence sweeps out across the valley. I teed it up at the St. Donat Golf Club which is tucked just a couple kilometres south of Grasse. It is a 15-year-old, Robert Trent Jones Jr. design that rolls past the pines, a fast flowing river and a couple of man-made ponds. What makes the place though is the setting. St. Donat zigzags up and down a bowl and the horizon is dotted with stone homes that date to Napoleon’s regime. An 18th-century church is tucked among a small stand of trees behind the 10th tee (green fee is 78 euros, or $110).

French Country Home by London Architects | Modern House Designs

You could call this French country home a labor of love for London architects Greg Blee and Lee Halligan – one ultimately spanning almost 30 years. Blee’s parents purchased this countryside home in 1981. Originally built in 1822, this historic home with a mill and three additional structures on the property were in desperate need of some TLC, and with the help of family and friends, the Blees brought this rustic cabin home back to its full glory. In March 2010, Blee Halligan Architects completed the transformation of a 215-sq.-ft. cabin design on the property. This compact cottage was actually made off site, and transported in small pieces via Chunnel. Once on its idyllic site, the prefabricated cabin took shape as an eco friendly cottage, made of local natural materials and complete with solar panels. This passive solar home design really “works” with its natural surroundings.

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