Chantilly Vineuil: 2026 Access and Booking Update
In the forest north of Paris, the Vineuil course at Golf de Chantilly is widely held to be Tom Simpson's finest work in France and one of the great courses of continental Europe, a multiple host of the French Open. Here is where access and play stand in 2026, and how to fold a round into a Paris golf trip.
The news: a Tom Simpson masterpiece, playable midweek
The story for 2026 is that Chantilly remains the standout golf experience within easy reach of Paris and a course that golf architecture lovers cross borders to play. Golf de Chantilly was founded in 1909, and Tom Simpson extended the Vineuil course to a full 18 holes in 1920, the work that established it as one of the most admired inland courses in Europe and a regular fixture near the top of continental rankings.
It is a private club, but like many of the grand European clubs it offers visitor access to golfers who plan ahead, typically on weekdays and with proof of handicap or a member introduction. That makes Vineuil a realistic round for a travelling golfer rather than a closed door, and its proximity to Paris makes it one of the most convenient great courses on the continent to reach.
The course: Simpson strategy in the forest
The Vineuil course plays to a par of 71 over roughly 6,400 meters, routed through the forest of Chantilly with broad, gently moving fairways and Simpson's trademark strategic bunkering. It is a thinking golfer's course, where the line off the tee and the angle into the green matter far more than raw distance, and where Simpson's genius for tempting the bold while protecting par is on full display.
The setting adds to the sense of occasion. The course sits in the same swathe of forest and parkland as the Chateau de Chantilly and its famous racecourse, a grand corner of the Oise that feels a world away from the city despite the short drive. The quiet, mature woodland framing every hole gives the round a calm, classical character that has kept Vineuil on the must play list for the best part of a century.
How to play it in 2026
Chantilly sits in Vineuil-Saint-Firmin, around forty minutes north of central Paris and close to Charles de Gaulle airport, which makes it one of the easiest world class courses in Europe to add to a city trip. For 2026 the club continues to offer visitor access by arrangement, most readily on weekdays, with handicap proof generally expected as at most clubs of this standing.
The booking notes are simple. Contact the club well ahead to arrange a weekday tee time, as visitor access is managed around member play. Green fees at the leading Paris area clubs move with season and day, so treat any figure as indicative for 2026 and always confirm directly before booking. The course plays well from spring through autumn, with early summer and September offering the most reliable conditions in the Ile de France.
Our take
Our take is that Chantilly Vineuil is the obvious anchor for any golf trip built around Paris and one of the most rewarding architectural experiences in European golf. It does not have the seaside drama of the great links or the manicured gloss of a modern resort, and that is the point: this is classical, strategic, inland golf of the highest order, the kind that gets better the more you study it.
For 2026, pair a round at Vineuil with the wider Paris and Ile de France golf scene and a few days in the city, and you have a cultured, low effort golf escape. Read our France 2026 season outlook, book your weekday round ahead, and enjoy Simpson at his best.
Plan your Paris golf trip
From Chantilly Vineuil to the wider Paris and Ile de France golf scene, tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge builds and costs the trip, with no obligation.
Questions
Who designed the Chantilly Vineuil course?
Golf de Chantilly was founded in 1909, and the architect Tom Simpson extended the Vineuil course to a full 18 holes in 1920. It plays to a par of 71 over roughly 6,400 meters and is widely regarded as one of the finest inland courses in Europe.
Can visitors play Chantilly Vineuil in 2026?
Yes, by arrangement. Golf de Chantilly is a private club that offers visitor access in 2026, most readily on weekdays and with proof of handicap or a member introduction. Contact the club well ahead to arrange a tee time and confirm green fees directly before booking.
Has Chantilly hosted the French Open?
Yes. Golf de Chantilly first hosted the Open de France in 1913, just four years after the club was founded, and has staged the French Open and other major amateur and professional championships several times over its history.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts, designers, opening dates, access rules and indicative green fees verified June 2026 from club, tour and golf travel sources; conditions, access and fees change through the season, so always confirm directly before booking. Last reviewed June 2026.