Beginning of the 1920s. Baroness Noémie de Rothschild made the Mont d'Arbois estate, on the heights of Megève, a privileged vacation spot and set up three holes to "swing" with friends. In 1964 his son, Baron Edmond, entrusted the course of an 18-hole course to the English golfer Henry Cotton. Which shapes terraced fairways with the false air of French gardens, a shame for a subject of his Majesty.

Baroness Noémie de Rothschild

The advantage of such a design, which naturally follows the slopes, is that it makes the club ride in the hands less taxing than on other mountain courses. Because at Mont d'Arbois, the cart is almost a superfluous luxury; we go up and down one level between a few holes, the rest being played on a gentle slope from the tee to the green. "It's a golf course in quotes" easy to walk ", confirms its director, Matthieu Azzolin. Between hole n ° 1, at an altitude of 1300 m, and the 14 at 1370 m, there is only 70 meters of vertical drop. And then, the view is fantastic… ”

Difficult to contradict the boss. And to remain indifferent to the surrounding environment, which stretches from Mont Joly to the Aravis alpine chain via the Col de Véry. The steep and rocky facade of the Aiguilles Croches, which serves as the backdrop to the green of 16, casually looks intimidating and could serve as the backdrop for a western. For a little bit, we could almost feel the fresh breath of the beast on our neck, at the start of the 17th, before drawing… the driver. Because that's the other particularity of this challenging course. The narrow doglegs where prudence and above all precision remain essential alternate with wide fairways on a more or less pronounced slope, where the summer gunners can take out the heavy artillery.

© FCrudo / Swing-Féminin

But before taking himself for the Lucky Luke of Haute-Savoie and facing a duel with the par 4s of 15 and 16, the local Amen Corner where so many scorecards have fallen on the field of honor, it will be necessary first of all to get your teeth into it from the start of the course with a rather surprising first hole, if not the most golfing on the planet. This very short par 4 of 230 meters (white balls) roughly left dogleg and strewn with trees that you have to fly over fairly quickly - it is better not to drag too much on the runway before taking off - can be apprehended in two ways. The most classic, by playing two small irons, or even two wedges for fine single-digit triggers. The hotheads will cut to the shortest by flying over the out of bounds ... and the baroness's chalet, mussed below the green. An option that seems to be successful. "It is not uncommon for our gardeners to pick up balls in the baroness's pool", confides the director of Mont d'Arbois, a smirk.

Frank Crudo

https://montdarbois.edmondderothschildheritage.com/en/golfs/golfing-at-altitude/

The Chalets du Mont d'Arbois, nobility obliges