By feverishly placing your tee on hole n ° 1, the moment is unique. Necessarily. With a touch of imagination, you almost feel on your shoulders the gaze languished by the weight of the years of Paul Tavernier. The painter from the famous Barbizon school has added his personal touch to the Norman-style clubhouse which has proudly stood for over a century at the start of one of our most renowned golf courses. In the background behind the green, we can see the seal of this case sculpted in the heart of the Fontainebleau forest: these typical rocks (a) that the sea would have carried, like an offering, there are nearly a million years.

Traced by Julien Chantepie in 1909, redesigned in 1920 by Tom Simpson, lengthened and modified in 1963 by Fred Hawtree, Fontainebleau is like a grand cru that you can savor with a sandwich, for lack of a glass, in your hand. It is one of the most beautiful golf courses in Europe (ranked 5th on the continent by Golf World) which sparkles almost within driving distance of one of the most beautiful castles in our beautiful country (read below). A fresco, where the narrow fairways, the subtly sloping greens and the forest of pines, birches, cherry trees, beeches and oaks exhibit a shimmering green. Which contrast deliciously with the purple of the lilacs in spring and the purple of the heather at the dawn of autumn. Without forgetting the pale yellow, unless it is ecru, of the 103 bunkers which spice up a course of 6200 meters which knows how to defend itself. In Fontainebleau, there are no water obstacles, but thick thickets of heather, lilac, ferns and broom that should be avoided. "It's anything but monotonous golf, we play it once and we remember all the holes", confides Jean-Paul Panié, "President of the club for five years, but a player for sixty years", he specifies, a smirk.

Breathtaking 3 and 13

The departure of 3 offers one of the most incredible views of France. It feels like immersed in a painting by Albert Bierstadt, this romantic painter of the 5th century renowned for magnifying grandiose natural landscapes. Heavy hitters can even reach the green of this par 4 in two. As long as you stay within the framework ... The bogey on the long par 6 of 3 is almost a relief while the par 7 of 2 is the twin brother of the splendid 168, at least in terms of length (162 and 5 meters ). The short par 12 of XNUMX is the other highlight of the course, with its characteristic rocks which defend the fore-green and whose impromptu ricochets can cool the most daring… or give a smile to the lucky ones. It is even said that they were once the source of a quarrel between two players - one calling the other a cheater - which ended with a pistol duel as a final explanation.

As you head towards the start of the 13th, you will be overwhelmed by the exceptional panorama and the green fairway embraced by a forest as far as the eye can see. You are almost visually flirting with 20/20 here if it weren't for that unwanted guest in the distance, a “pompidolian” style building that looks like hair on soup. The three putts await you on the diabolical green of 14 before a new challenge on the tough par 4 of 15 and its second blind hole which has false airs of another famous n ° 15, that of Cruden Bay to the north. -est of Scotland. In Fontainebleau, Amen Corner is located on the last three holes where anything is possible: 16 turns to port and demands precision and… precision all along, the green being surrounded by bunkers; 17 is a short par 4 which encourages you to take out the big artillery ... at your own risk: the 18 is a long par 4 protected by deep bunkers and a double plateau green, potentially synonymous with a double ... bogey. But let's be clear: in front of such a course, the score seems ridiculous.

Frank Crudo

WHAT TO VISIT?

2 minutes from the golf course by car, the Château de Fontainebleau has welcomed most of the kings of France since François 1er, but also Napoleon and Napoleon III. In addition to its famous horseshoe-shaped staircase, this historic monument, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, houses a museum dedicated to the Emperor, a period theater and magnificent French-style gardens designed around the pond with Carp and the Grand Canal.

https://www.chateaudefontainebleau.fr/