It is a real pleasure to putt on the greens of the Amiens course. The feeling of playing billiards on a golf course, unless it is the other way around. "For two years, we have made great efforts, particularly financial, to improve the quality of our greens", confirms Antoine Monfort, the director. Last July, on the occasion of the Amiens Pro-Am, the participants almost had the impression of playing in Picardy… a PGA circuit tournament on ultra-fast greens.

Designed in 1925, the Amiens golf course became an 18-hole course in its current configuration in 1977. Ten minutes from the cathedral, it is a charming promenade with clubs in hand to which this nineties-year-old is always on hand, especially since 'it has continued to refine itself with age. “We have pruned a lot of trees. The course is now half as wooded as before on certain holes, it lets the sun's rays pass much more often. ", Stresses Antoine Monfort.

The baguenaude starts with a straight, downhill par 5, which allows heavy hitters to hit the green in half. In summer, the dry fairways are extremely rolling and almost give the course the appearance of "inland" links. The end of the first leg and in particular the 6-7-8 trio is a first milestone. No. 6 is a long par 4 (408 meters for whites and 364 meters for yellows) which offers a nice panorama of the Querrieu forest. The n ° 7 is surrounded by flowering cherry trees in spring and the n ° 8 is a small par 4 pretty in right dogleg, protected by a water obstacle upstream of the green.

On the way back, you can see from the green of 10 the Perret tower and Amiens cathedral. Hole n ° 12 is a new par 3 designed in 2006. Short, it is nonetheless devious with its large bunkers, its double plateau on the green and the wind, often askew here. The n ° 13 is one of the signature holes of the course: long par 4, it leads back to the pyramid-shaped clubhouse. Everything is possible, the best or the worst, on the 14 and its green protected by a large bunker which winds around itself. But also on the 15, a right dogleg par 5 with a large cherry tree in the background, which serves as a benchmark for your second shot (in the best case). Finally, hole 18, which leads back to the clubhouse, is the ultimate challenge and a beautiful postcard: this long par 4 (hcp 2) surrounded by thieving hawthorns ends on a green that does not let itself be done, with a water hazard all the way to the left and slopes worthy of the Augusta Masters, depending on where the flag is placed.

Located in Picardy, a particularly bloody theater of the 14-18 war, the Amiens golf course is also a place steeped in history, built on a former German munitions depot. The cavities dug in particular on the fairway of 14 are the scars of shell explosion, dating back a century. "We discovered a shell again this year “, Confides the president of the club, Michel Van Poperinghe. From hole 16, we can see the monument of the Villers-Bretonneux National Memorial, dedicated to the Australian dead on the Western Front during the Great War.

Halfway between the magnificent courses of the Opal Coast and the Paris region, the 18-hole Amiens is the ideal opportunity to make a stopover, or even to spend a tourist, historical and quality golfing weekend. .

Frank Crudo

WHAT TO VISIT? Less than two hours from Paris, Amiens is a charming city crossed by the canals of the Somme and nicknamed "little Bruges". His hortillonnonnages, magnificent floating gardens used for market gardening, are a must. Just like the famous Cathedral (the largest in France), listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and which offers - on certain dates - a sound and light show after dark.

http://www.hortillonnages-amiens.fr/

http://www.cathedrale-amiens.fr/Actualites/Chroma

OR SLEEP ?  Less than 10 minutes from the golf course and the city center of Amiens, the Quality Hotel in Poulainville opened at the start of the year. This ultramodern 4 * hotel is distinguished by exceptional soundproofing, blackout curtains, a discreet elevator and silent air conditioning. Concerned about the environment, the establishment uses a battery-powered elevator, produces honey (soon to be served for breakfast) on the roof and has economizers in the rooms, which are cleaned with ozonated water which eliminates 95% of toxic products. The icing on the cake, a small spa is located in the basement and treatments and massages will be offered soon. In short, the ideal place for a good night's sleep before or after your round of golf.

https://www.quality-hotel-amiens.fr/