|
ONE such organisation is Formule Golf, a subsidiary of the French Water Board, which manages, among others, seven courses on the Brittany coast and 11 on the Vendee, the Atlantic coast.
These clubs have limited local membership and rely heavily for revenue on visitors and their use of clubhouse facilities such as the restaurants, which, without exception, offer admirable and inexpensive fare as well as good value green fees. Or there are all-inclusive packages offering golf and accommodation at selected hotels and inns. The value is astonishing for the quality.
Formule Golf has two clubs in the Western Loire region, both deserving of investigation. One is Golf de Nantes-Erdre, which is only 10 minutes from the Place Royale in the centre of Nantes. It would be an admirable starting point for your stay in the region.
The course, set in 50 hectares of parkland with three lakes as garnish, is an equable lay-out, as pretty as can be with a variety of flora to admire. The high water table brings lush fairways that stretch a course of 6,600 yards, par-71, from the back tees but there are options further forward for those past the first flush of youth. For those who decide to linger hereabouts there's a surfeit of attractions in terms of golf and accommodation relatively locally.
Firstly, you should tarry for 18 holes at L'Epinay, a course designed by Britain's Martin Hawtree. Its name derives from the chateau that is its centrepiece. It's no great distance at all: you'll find it at Carquefou just off the A11, the road to Angers.
L'Epinay is first class in every respect, a course whose technical demands are not reflected in a seemingly modest card of 6,370 yards. It's huge fun, the presentation is excellent and the facilities are first rate. Upon reflection, forget my remarks apropos 18 holes: take a long lunch and stay for 36!
Not too far away is Golf de Savenay, another property of Formule Golf, an outstanding course of some challenge designed by Michael Gabon in 1987.
Equidistant from Nantes and Saint-Nazaire on the RN165, Savenay runs close to 7,000 yards from the back tees, a par-73 that overlooks the River Loire and winds its way between lakes and woodlands on the edge of the Briere marshes.
We're talking serious golf here, and to complete an appealing picture the acclaimed Manoir du Rodoir, offering all the good things in a picture postcard setting, is close to hand and convenient for the other courses. It's a blissful prospect.
Unlike the centres of golf in Spain and Portugal, the French resorts are geographically widespread, although the more renowned are within sniffing distance of the sea, particularly in this region. Which brings me to introduce La Baule.
The course, designed by Peter Alliss and David Thomas, opened to great acclaim in 1976, with a third loop, designed by Marc Guignon being added seven years ago. The new loop is now being extended to 18 holes and with a superb practice facility designed by Jack Nicklaus you'll understand why La Baule is recognised as the premier golf resort in France. It is outstanding by any criteria, a total resort with every amenity.
And then there's the new Hotel du Golf International Le Saint-Denac. Located in the heart of the La Baule course and two minutes from the clubhouse, it is owned and managed by the esteemed Lucien Barriere group.
There are 145 rooms of unalloyed luxury whose guests enjoy free access to all the facilities; the casino and nightclub, the golf, tennis and bicycles to investigate the generously endowed estate. There's a shuttle coach to the golf club and into the town of La Baule, a famed beachside resort that is a year-round magnet for tourists from all over the world. It has most of the facilities of Cannes but without the commercialism and with rather more charm. The climate, too, is comparable.
The weather, indeed, is one of the aces up the local sleeve. The tropical plants and palm trees to be found at the gateway to the Loire Valley endorse claims by the natives that their climate is some way removed from that further north. It's a boon to golfers seeking an alternative winter holiday destination or simply a short break, which the new air service now allows.
The summers are a delight -- although France generally should be avoided in July and August when the natives holiday en masse -- but those who visit in late autumn or early spring would have it no other way. Prices are lower, the golf courses are under-populated and good accommodation is more accessible.
Golf aside, the scenery is worth any drive: a succession of well endowed villages with neatly trimmed hedges, flower pots in profusion and no signs of litter or graffiti. One suspects that vandals receive short shrift hereabouts, such is the obvious civic pride, and crime seems minimal.
Which succinctly describes the region known as the Western Loire Valley. One could drop anchor anywhere hereabouts and savour the rich variety of life that is the essence of France at its best.
Easy to see, then, why monarchs would fight to their last breath to claim it as their own.
******
Page [1], [2] - [previous page]
|
