Golfing around... Brussels

Minty Clinch tries out some courses in and around Brussels 1. RAVENSTEIN royal golf club of belgium Where is it? 12km south-east of Brussels What is it like? Seymour Dunn, the celebrated architect of Ireland’s Royal County Down course, provided the inspiration for the original 1905 green by command of its patron, King Leopold II. The monarch was particularly interested in trees, insisting that some of the species he was growing in his arboretum be incorporated into the new project. The design provided by Tom Simpson is largely unchanged today, while the trees have matured into splendid stands of oak, elm, blue cedar, birch and willow. These provide a lush forest character that underpins a nicely varied layout. With a few notable exceptions, the tee shots are more straightforward than the approaches to greens, which conceal more than they reveal. Martin Hawtree, another British stalwart on the continental scene, has lengthened some of the holes where space permits, but the course is still short by contemporary standards. The nine-hole New course, created by P Mackenzie Ross in 1951, is an easier alternative for high handicappers.

• Address Château de Ravenstein, Tervuren
• Contact Tel +32 2767 5801; ravenstein.be
• Price Old course €100. New course €60. No buggies.
• Club hire Not available
• Club hours Tuesday-Sunday 8am-7pm. Closed Mondays. Members and their guests only at weekends and public holidays.
• Minimum handicap Old course: 20 men, 24 women. New course 36. Certificates required.
• Facilities Old course, 18 holes (6,041m, par 72). New course, nine holes (1,937m, par 32). Covered driving range, practice area and putting green.
• After the golf The handsome clubhouse, an 18th-century château built on the site of the original 15th-century Manor House of Ravenstein, was donated by King Leopold in 1903. Opening hours are Tuesday-Friday 8am-9pm, weekends 8am-9.30pm; restaurant from 10am to about 7pm or 8pm.

2. RIGENEE GOLF CLUB Where is it? 35km south of Brussels What is it like? Wide open spaces dominate an almost treeless course that opened in 1982, but beware when the wind rips over the Brabant countryside. The terrain may be dead flat, but local designer Christophe Descampe has incorporated a variety of hazards to prevent players from getting complacent. By digging new ponds, establishing plantations and growing up the rough, he guarantees an ever-sterner challenge for the future. The par fives receive particular praise for their technical excellence and the large greens are well defended by intelligent bunkering, some of it in the form of link-style grass swales. Rigenée goes out of its way to make strangers welcome – a plus in a country where golf can be very private.

• Address Rue du Châtelet 62, Villers-La-Ville
• Contact Tel +32 7187 7765; rigenee.be
• Price Weekdays €47, weekends €74, before 10am €63. Buggies €32.
• Club hire €15 (various makes)
• Club hours Tuesday-Sunday 8am-7pm. Closed Mondays.
• Facilities Old course, 18 holes (6,106m, par 73). Covered driving range, practice area and putting green.
• Minimum handicap 30 men, 36 women
• After the golf The bar/restaurant, run by Alfonso and his son Lawrence, lists casserole of veal kidneys trifolati, and prawns “Tiger Woods” with rice and squid ink as its top specialities. Weekday lunch and dinner (March-October), weekend breakfast (from 9.30am), lunch and dinner year-round.

3. ROYAL WATERLOO Where is it? 25km south of Brussels What’s it like? No business traveller with golf networking to do need look beyond Waterloo, located on the edge of the historic battlefield half an hour’s drive from central Brussels. The two courses, La Marache and Le Lion, cover very different terrain within an expansive 150-hectare site. La Marache, created by Fred Hawtree in 1960 and brought up to contemporary standards in 2004 by his son, stretches over rolling countryside, with serious hills to climb, especially on the back nine. The 14th, 15th and 16th wind a tight path through woods, but “grip it and rip it” tee shots stand a fair chance on the other holes. The approach shot is more of a conundrum, the greens often so tightly ringed with bunkers that only precision shooting will hit the spot in regulation. Le Lion, which opened in 1985, is a better choice for the higher handicapper, not least because it is less crowded. Its contours are more forgiving, its fairways more open and its greens more accessible. The tenth hole takes golfers to the edge of the plains of Waterloo, offering a sighting of the Lion Mound for which the course is named.

• Address 50 Vieux Chemin de Wavre, Lasne
• Contact Tel +32 2633 1850; rwgc.be
• Price Le Marache: €100 weekdays. Le Lion/Le Bois-Héros courses: €90 weekdays. Buggy €35. Members only at weekends in high season.
• Club hire €25
• Club hours Summer 8am-2pm, winter 9am-6pm
• Minimum handicap Le Marache 24, Le Lion 28
• Facilities Two 18-hole courses, La Marache (6,371m, par 72), Le Lion (6,215m, par 72); one nine-hole course, Le Bois-Héros (2,143m, par 33). Covered and grass driving range, practice areas and putting greens.
• After the golf The clubhouse is welcoming and attractive, with a long terrace banked with flowers. The bar/restaurant promises – and delivers – quality Belgian cooking. L’Amusoir (tel +32 2354 8233) in nearby Waterloo offers similar quality, value and good cheer in the evenings.

4. GOLF CHATEAU DE LA TOURNETTE Where is it? 30km south of Brussels What’s it like? A relatively modern development on a 120-hectare site with high-status appeal for Brussels’ cosmopolitan elite. The focus is a 17th-century château, now a clubhouse and conference centre. There are two 18-hole courses, l’Americain and l’Anglais, each supposedly encapsulating appropriate national characteristics. L’Americain, the first to open in 1988, is hillier, tougher and more panoramic. The start is relatively mellow, despite the carnivorous Florida turtles that allegedly live in the water hazard between the fourth and fifth holes. You may well keep your powder dry at this point, but you’ll need luck – or great skill – to avoid submersion on the back nine, with the 15th providing a particularly savage challenge. L’Anglais, designed by Martin Hawtree and Peter Alliss, is an inland links concept. It has fairways bordered by artificial mounds, elevated amphitheatre greens and pot bunkers, but six ponds rather detract from the links illusion.

• Address 21-23 Chemin de Baudemont, Nivelles
• Contact Tel +32 6789 4266; tournette.com
• Price 18 holes: €60 Mon-Thurs, €70 Fri, €90 weekends
• Club hire €20 (Taylormade/King Cobra)
• Club hours Apr-Sept 8am-6pm, Oct-Mar 9am-5pm
• Minimum handicap 36
• Facilities Two 18-hole courses, l’Americain (6,198m, par 72), l’Anglais (6,103m, par 71); par-three executive nine-hole course, Orival (7,11m, par 27). Covered and grass driving range, practice area and putting green, golf academy.
• After the golf Gentlemen’s club-style bar/restaurant fitted out in dark wood (open 9am to about 12am) and terrace with teak furniture. Food ranges from unambitious dishes (spaghetti €10, porc mignon with rice €14) during the day, to international gourmet (tempura, foie gras) in the evening. There are also six conference rooms with banquet catering for up to 120 delegates.

Minty Clinch travelled with Norfolkline ferries from Dover to Dunkerque. There are departures about every two hours, with the crossing taking two hours. Tel +44 (0)844 847 5042; norfolkline.com