Golf Club de Chamonix

The verdict

There are prettier holes in golf, but few prettier walks. Golf de Chamonix sits on the flat of the valley at Les Praz, a thousand meters above the sea and hemmed in on every side by the high peaks of the Mont Blanc massif. Robert Trent Jones Sr. gave the eighteen its modern shape, a par 72 of about 6,077 yards threaded between the Arve river, mature pines and the glacial backdrop.

It is a holiday course in the best sense, walkable, generous and playable for the visiting golfer, the thin alpine air adding a few yards to every drive. You do not come here for the toughest test in France; you come for the 17th, where the green sits below the north face of Mont Blanc and the cascade of the Bossons glacier, one of the most photographed shots in European golf. Pair it with the cable cars and the mountain restaurants and it is a round you will not forget.

The holes worth the trip

Chamonix plays on the level despite its altitude, the fairways laid out on the valley floor with the Arve river and irrigation channels in play and mature pines lining the corridors. It is a fair, walkable test where the main defense is staying out of the trees and the water rather than fighting brutal length.

The thin air at a thousand meters sends the ball a little further, which makes club selection a pleasant guessing game, and the greens are honest and receptive in the short summer season. The variety is good, with a strong set of par 3s and several reachable par 5s that tempt the holiday golfer into a go at the green.

The signature comes late. The 17th turns the player to face the north face of Mont Blanc and the seracs of the Bossons glacier tumbling down behind the green, a setting that ranks with any closing stretch in the Alps. Photograph it, enjoy it, and finish in front of the chalet clubhouse with the peaks all around.

Where to stay nearby

Chamonix town is the obvious base, a world famous mountain resort a few minutes from the first tee with everything from grand hotels to chalet guesthouses, alpine restaurants and the cable cars up to the Aiguille du Midi. Les Praz itself, beside the course, is a quieter village option with the Flegere lift on the doorstep.

It is a destination where golf is one pleasure among many. Build the round into a summer in the Alps of hiking, cable cars and long lunches with a view, or fold Chamonix into a wider Haute-Savoie and Geneva trip. Few golf settings on earth come with this much to do off the course.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Golf Club de Chamonix.