Golf de Saint-Germain

The verdict

Saint-Germain is Harry Colt at his most refined, and that is high praise. The English architect, the man behind Sunningdale's New course and so much of the heathland canon, laid it out in 1922 on gently rolling parkland in the forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, a short drive from central Paris. A par 72 of about 6,331 yards, it is all about the questions Colt loved to ask, with clever angles, visually deceptive lines and greens that demand the approach from the correct side.

The bunkering is the signature, around 116 of them placed not to fill space but to define the strategy of every hole, framing the line and punishing the lazy shot. It has hosted the French Open more than once and remains a benchmark for classic course design near the capital. For a Paris golf trip it sits naturally alongside the other great clubs to the west of the city. See our best of France ranking and the golf in France guide.

The holes worth the trip

Saint-Germain plays through a calm avenue of forest, and the genius is in how much variety Colt found on ground that looks gentle at first glance. The fairways roll just enough to feed the ball toward or away from trouble, and the bunkering is set with the precision of an architect who knew exactly where a good player wants to be and put a hazard there.

The greens are where the round is won and lost. They are subtly contoured and angled to the line of approach, so the player who drives to the correct side of the fairway has a far easier shot than the one who simply hits it long. The deceptive lines Colt built in mean the eye is constantly asked to trust the strategy rather than the obvious play, and the course rewards thought on every tee.

It is a walkable, civilized round of real depth, the kind of design that looks benign and proves anything but. For students of architecture it is a clinic in how Harry Colt turns modest land into a course that has tested the best players in France for a century.

Where to stay nearby

Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a handsome, leafy town with its own royal chateau and easy rail links into the heart of Paris, which makes it an ideal base for a golf trip that mixes great courses with the city. Stay here and you are minutes from the first tee and a short ride from the Louvre.

For a fuller Paris golf break, pair Saint-Germain with the resort golf at Le Golf National and a round at Saint Nom la Breteche or Saint Cloud nearby. See our golf in France guide for the full picture.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Saint-Germain and Paris.