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Southern France - Terre Blanche (contd.)
Terre Blanche: A Blissful Beauty
THE first course to open was Le Chateau, which might best be described as a wolf in sheep's clothing. It has wide fairways, equally expansive greens and a series of lakes that influence several holes and add to the wow factor. In the vernacular: it's an eye-popper.
Your first impression will be that anything so visually enticing must be equally receptive and to some extent your initial appraisal will be proved correct. But there's much more to this one that meets the eye.
David Thomas has used major trees as natural hazards so accuracy off the tee is as vital as length of shot. Examples: both the first and tenth holes are dog-legged with a spreading tree on the elbow and with a strategic bunker in close proximity. Be short or off-line with the tee shot and the tree will block the line and, at the first hole, with a lake awaiting the over-ambitious approach. A couple of other holes offer a similar challenge. And that’s only one trick in the architect’s repertoire. Just wait until you give the putter its first airing of the day. The greens are as tricky as a sack full of monkeys on steroids. He’s a devil is our David.
Laid largely in a valley, this course is less undulating than its neighbour but lush fairways will shrink most tee shots and the fairway woods and long irons will have a solid work-out. The lay-up is a sound option on several holes so bring your short game on-song too. It’s a strategic course par excellence and unless you’re playing out of your skin you’d best use the forward tees. This is no place for bravura. That’s experience speaking…
Le Chateau has a symphonic tempo and great variety and movement that demands sound course management. You’ll have to stop and think on every shot but that will simply give you an extra few seconds to admire the eye-popping scenery!
Play it and you’ll appreciate why it was voted Best New Course in France on its opening in 2004.
The other course, named Le Riou, opened a year after its neighbour and is quite different in style and character. It is even more visually distracting, with waterfalls, gurgling streams and swathes of flowering shrubbery enhanced by the unique light.
Set on the heavily undulating higher ground, it has a series of elevated tees and greens winding between what must be a million trees in a thousand shades of green. It’s rather like playing in a vast garden. Playing alone (how else would I better 80?) I frequently found myself stopping dead in my tracks, simply drinking in the sights. I’ve never seen a more beautiful course.
All the fairways bend to some degree, in fact several are sharp dog-legs. The first hole gives a hint of what’s in store: it’s a right angle dog-leg to an elevated green that’s out of sight from the elevated tee. Two beacon bunkers at the bottom of the hill show the way, though: just miss the one on the right and you’ve found the perfect position, to avoid the major tree on the right of the up-slope. A three wood followed by a six iron did the trick for me, and that’s the essence of the course. It's not overly long: it just seems that way!
It is much tighter than the usual David Thomas design, although the greens are as expansive as you’d expect of him if somewhat smaller than those of Le Chateau. They’re also of Pencross A4, like their neighbour, with a strong grain that demands care and imagination. You won't be holing too many twenty footers on either course. If you find yourself in two minds all I can say is that you've mis-counted!
The one shot holes are a joy, there are some demanding par fours – the 17th is a jewel, perhaps the finest hole on the estate -- and of the par fives the 18th is as good a finishing hole as you’ll find.
The card says Le Riou is shorter than Le Chateau but it doesn’t seem so: the elevated greens and tees see to that. It’s quite a muscular challenge in places, but that could be the consequence of anno domini!
Take a moment or two to savour the unfolding scenery; stop and smell the flowers and admire a masterpiece of golf architecture. Play both courses with lunch in between and you’ll never know a finer day’s golf. Heaven may be like this but the greens won’t be so good!
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