Golf started in Scotland then spread to England and India – but France was the first place in continental Europe to take to the game and is now one of Europe’s biggest golfing countries with 700 courses.
Often seen as exclusive, golf can in fact be affordable in France – and one of its pluses is that you can, with a little luck, go on playing it all through life. For an English-speaker, its vocabulary is also very familiar, from les green fees to le tee, le driver or le bunker.
Pau, in the south-west, is the oldest course. Scottish officers from a regiment of Wellington’s army are said to have been the first to play at the spot during the Napoleonic wars before returning in later years. A British community grew up in the area and the club was officially founded in 1865.
Numbers of courses grew slowly before an explosion in the 1970-80s and today there are 700,000 golfers in France.
Golfers typically take out an annual club membership or pay ‘green fees’ as a visitor. ‘Golf pass’ schemes, aimed at holiday golfers, offer a pack of green fees to be used at several courses in an area, such as Provence or the Somme Bay (ffgolf.org/Clubs/Cartographie-des-Golf-Pass). The executive director of the Fédération Française de Golf, Christophe Muniesa, said Le Touquet in Hauts-de-France is one of the most prized areas for golf tourists as well as Normandy, the south-west and the Riviera.
In theory, you need a licence to play in France, however this is not required for tourists or for beginners. Golf can be practised at levels from purely leisure to intensely competitive but benefits include the fact it is a gentle activity that can be enjoyed for long periods even by older people and a chance to enjoy the outdoors. “Players cite wellbeing, the open air and the sociable nature of the game,” Mr Muniesa said.
Getting started
The best way to try it is to visit a local club for lessons with a golf pro (teacher). They often offer a package of a set number of lessons to cover the essential techniques and etiquette. Mr Muniesa said around three-quarters of courses are of a public or commercial kind, offering formules découverte (discovery packages) for those wanting to have a taste of the sport. Clubs also often offer journées découverte – taster days – often as part of a programme called ‘Go for golf’ (for more information about ways to get started see ffgolf.org/Debuter).
“Lessons often start with practice on the driving range, but more and more these days they will quickly take you onto the course – or often at first a short course or ‘pitch and putt’. Players today want to get on with playing the game as soon as possible.
In the past you spent six months of weekly lessons on the driving range, which was a bit like making someone learn swimming on a stool next to the pool…”
Clubs usually provide equipment for learners, however players will quickly want to buy their own clubs and basic sets can be found in chains like Decathlon for about €100.
Licences
A licence from the FFGolf is not obligatory immediately, but it is usual to obtain one once you start to play regularly and, especially if you will compete at all (including club competitions), which is required to obtain a handicap (now called an ‘index’ in France). Insurance is included with it.
You can obtain a golf licence as an ‘independent’ player (not a member of a specific club) at ffgolf.org/Licence for an annual fee of €53 (or less for young adults and children). If you join a club you should order one through them, which will also allow you to take part in competitions.
Green fees and membership
Membership (abonnement) is a yearly fee, to play at a club as often as you wish. Average cost is €1,200, but it varies from €700-3,500.
Green fees may be one-off or there may be options to buy a pack. Each one is for a round. They vary, depending on prestige and season, from around €10 to €120, with the average €40 – making French courses good value compared to many in the UK or Spain.
Many clubs have partnerships with another club or clubs so you can play at them for free or at reduced fees. Among clubs which are part of a chain (of up to around 40 or 50), such as Bluegreen or Ugolf there is also the possibility of paying a higher abonnement to have access to all of them.
Carte verte
This is a certification of having passed a test in competency, which may be taken whether or not you have an index (more prestigious courses may require one or both). It certifies you are capable of playing autonomously with reasonable skill, following essential etiquette and not taking too long on each hole.
Etiquette
Essential pointers include: to replace or fill in your divots, smooth over the sand in bunkers, and repair ball impact marks on the green; do not stand in another player’s field of vision or distract them; place the flag gently on the green, away from the hole; if a shot looks dangerous to others, shout balle!
The image here was drawn by artist Perry Taylor.For more of his work see www.perrytaylor.fr
