Golf in the southern sun of France

The French Riviera is an ideal place for golfers. There are more than 30 courses, distinguished by their architecture, history and nearby attractions. We will tell you about the most interesting of them.

The oldest course on the Riviera, the Old Golf Course at Cannes Mandelieu, is located in Mandelieu-la-Napoule, a step away from the Croisette. It opened in 1891, 4,000 pine trees grow on its territory and the Siane River flows, so several transitions between holes are carried out by boat.

The main attraction of Mandelieu-la-Napoule is the medieval castle of Château-la-Napoule, restored almost from the foundations by Henry and Mary Clews, an American married couple of artists, sculptors and philanthropists, in the roaring twenties. The works of Henry Clews now adorn the museum of the chateau, and Mary laid out gardens on the territory, the beauty of which is striking to this day.

The 18-hole Opio-Valbonne Golf Resort is located 20 minutes from Grasse and Cannes and half an hour from Nice. Its territory is decorated with centuries-old trees and an ancient aqueduct. The infrastructure is complemented by the Château de la Bégude hotel with 41 rooms, a brasserie, a brewery, a spa and a swimming pool, a tennis court and a petanque court.

The 18-hole Golf de la Grande Bastide, five minutes from Grasse, is located at the foot of a hill. On the slopes and above it rises the medieval village of Châteauneuf-Grasse. Having climbed to the very top, from a height of 420 m you will see the Italian Alps and the Esterel massif.

The estate, where the Terre Blanche Hotel Spa Golf Resort (The Leading Hotels of the World) is now located, belonged to the French aristocrat Charles Bouge at the end of the 18th century. Then it was acquired by Sean Connery, and then by the German billionaire, entrepreneur and keen golfer Dietmar Hopp, who transformed it into a high-class complex for connoisseurs of golf, wellness, nature and good cuisine.

Terre Blanche is also convenient for those who would like to discover the main attractions of the region: visit the perfume factories and museums of Grasse, the porcelain production in Fayence, go to the vineyards, see the lavender fields or the Verdon Gorge, relax on the beaches of Cannes or Saint-Tropez. The road from the international airport in Nice takes 45 minutes.

On the territory of Terre Blanche there are two championship 18-hole golf courses, a training center and an academy for golfers. There is also a five-star hotel for the whole family with rooms and villas, a restaurant with a Michelin star, a grill restaurant by the infinity pool, an extensive wine cellar, two tennis courts. The two-story spa center features an indoor swimming pool and aquafitness, a laconium, a sauna, a steam room, an outdoor hydromassage pool, and much more.