Where is it? 70km east of Marseilles.
What’s it like? No serious golfer should miss out on Pete Dye’s impressive “golf sauvage” layout in the heart of the Var. American design, represented by six huge artificial lakes and creative bunkering around subtle greens, meets European terrain, with shots over vineyards and hard-contoured fairways, and multiple hazards which invite lost balls by the score. The arterial highway is a bit of a drawback at certain points, but this is an under-used course which deserves to be played twice – the €79 day rate is a genuine bargain.
Address Route de Cabasse, F-83170, Brignoles.
Contact details Tel: +33 494 69 63 63; barbaroux.com.
Price Weekdays/weekends, high season €65, day rate €79; twilight rate €48; green fee and lunch €78. Buggy €32.
Club hire €32.
Club hours 7am-7.30pm (summer).
Minimum handicap 36.
Facilities 18-hole course (par 72, 6,069m), driving range (covered/open-air, mats/grass), putting green.
After the golf Gourmet lunch (12-3.30pm) in the Terrasses du Golf restauraunt or simpler fare in the Brasserie Bar, which also serves breakfast from 7.30am. There is also a 24-room on-site hotel with swimming pool and tennis courts.
Golf Pass Provence This is a pass allowing access to an association of 16 partner courses: three green fees €120/€150, five green fees €200/€250 (low season January-March, high season April-October), €5 high-season supplement at Frégate, Pont Royal and Barbaroux (golfpass-provence.com).
GOLF DE PONT ROYAL EN PROVENCE
Where is it? 45km north-east of Marseilles.
What’s it like? Located half-way between Aix-en-Provence and Avignon, Seve Ballesteros’s first French design is schizophrenic: flat and watery at the start and finish, but with a steep section in the middle. The lakes and lush greenery around the clubhouse might suggest an easy stroll, but appearances can be deceptive. After completing the first five holes, four of them affected by a river, and passing the entry gate, players climb through olive groves and cypress trees to an arid plateau with spectacular views over the Trevaresse massif. After the turn, trees kick in big time, especially at the gorge-led 11th, the most dramatic of the par threes. Strategy is key, with all technical aspects thoroughly tested. Seve would have met the challenge in his prime but the rest of us may not be so lucky.
Address 13370 Mallemort.
Contact details Tel +33 490 57 40 79; [email protected]; golf-pontroyal.com.
Price Weekdays/weekends, high season (May to October) €70; low season €55. Buggy €36. Closed Wednesday in low season.
Club hire €30.
Club hours Pro shop, 7am-8pm (summer), 7.30pm (winter).
Minimum handicap 36.
Facilities 18-hole course (par 72, 6,303m), covered and open-air driving range (mats/grass), putting green.
After the golf The Provençal clubhouse is a corporate hybrid, an integral part of an extensive Pierre et Vacances development which also includes the convenient Hotel du Golf and a rapidly expanding range of real-estate opportunities. The bar/restaurant, with extensive patio area, opens at 9am and closes when the last person leaves.
GOLF DES LAVANDES
Where is it? 140km north of Marseilles (90 minutes from the international airport).
What’s it like? No visit to the Luberon would be complete without a sight of the lavender fields which define the region. So that no one misses the point, the fragrant plants are laid out in large beds at strategic points along the fairways and near the clubhouse, a magnificent spectacle in the flowering season (July to August at an altitude of 600m). Otherwise this is golf at its most natural, laid out over scrubby hills and cliffs among stands of pines. Don’t expect sophistication, but scoring is fairly easy on a short course, so enjoy the moment and the setting.
Address 57 route de Chaffaut, 04000 Digne-les-Bains.
Contact details Tel +33 492 30 58 00; [email protected]; golfdignelalavande.com.
Price Weekdays/weekends, high season €52; mid-season €44; low season three-day courses with lodging, €195-€255. Buggy €20-€30.
Club hire €12.
Club hours 7.45am-7.45pm.
Minimum handicap None.
Facilities 18-hole course (par 72, 5,556m), five-hole compact training course, and large practice area.
After the golf Lunch at the Lou Lavando restaurant which serves provençal cooking; €13-€25 (12-3.30pm). Stay at La Bonne Etape (tel +33 492 64 00 09, bonneetape.com). Relais et Châteaux hotel with exceptional food and welcome, at Château Arnoux (25km).
GOLF DE LUBERON
Where is it? 90km north-east of Marseilles.
What’s it like? In contrast to Pont Royal, Luberon is the essence of French rustic golf. When the Berrut family sold their vineyards in the late 1980s to pay off their debts, they turned their 120-hectare farm into a very rural golf course. Two decades later it is still a hands-on operation run by Philippe and Michelle Berrut, with their 18-year-old daughter, Charlotte, advertising the success of their weekly youth programme by playing off five. This course is not long, but it defends itself very effectively, with cambered fairways, blind shots and daunting carries over gorges. The terrain is arid and the presentation simple, but there’s rarely a house in sight, and at 380m above sea level the clear air enhances the Luberon countryside.
Address La Grande Gardette, 04860 Pierrevert.
Contact details Tel +33 492 72 17 19; [email protected]; golfduluberon.com.
Price Weekdays/weekends, high season (April to mid-November) €54; low season €46. Green fee and lunch €68/€61. Buggy €30.
Club hire €15 (Calloway).
Club hours All year, 8am til dusk.
Minimum handicap None.
Facilities 18-hole course (par 72, 5,623m), 5-hole pitch-and-putt course, practice range, pitching and putting area.
After the golf The patio, with its tinkling fountain, makes a relaxing 19th outside the unpretentious white clubhouse. It offers breakfast from 8am and a well-priced delicious lunch from Michelle Berrut’s kitchen (12-4pm).
GOLF DOLCE FREGATE
Where is it? 68km east of Marseilles.
What’s it like? A well-established favourite with British visitors since it opened in 1992, Frégate is both technical and spectacular. It is also beautifully presented but don’t expect tranquility in a very commercial resort. Set in rolling terrain with majestic views over the Mediterranean, the course throws the average golfer down the gauntlet with sloping fairways and intractable rough – and that’s without the rocks which come into play in unexpected places. Although there are some blind shots, elevated tee boxes frequently ensure that what you see is what you get. When the mistral blows, it’s a whole new story, and not necessarily one with a happy ending.
Address Route de Bandol, RD 559, F-83270 Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer.
Contact details Tel +33 494 29 38 00; [email protected].
Price High season (mid-March to mid-November) €70; low season €55. Buggy with GPS €36.
Club hire €29.
Club hours Pro shop 7am-8pm (summer).
Minimum handicap 36.
Facilities 18-hole course (par 72, 6,303m), 9-hole course (par 29, 1,700m), covered and open-air driving range (mats only), practice area; EGF Academy (tel +33 825 826 089).
After the golf Brasserie-Grill La Restanque (tel +33 494 29 38 18) serves cold buffets, grills and regional dishes including cassoulet and paella. There is also a 133-room hotel on site. (For more information call +33 494 29 39 39.)
