Group photo at Golf de Fontainebleau
Dating from 1909 the course as we know it now was largely the work of Tom Simpson, and is set in Fontainebleau forest, near the town.
Tom Simpson came to fame with a body of work that includes some of the best in France in Chantilly and Morfontaine, the funky Cruden Bay in Scotland, and work on Muirfield, Royal Lytham & St Annes and Ballybunion amongst others...
Fontainebleau's narrow fairways are bordered by pines, silver birches, wild cherries, beeches and centenary oaks. Also dense outcrops of broom, lilacs, ferns and other thick undergrowth make straying from the straight and narrow a real headache...
Located in what was the ancient imperial hunting ground, you have to shoot straight to hit the targets at Fontainebleau.
The terrain is unexpectantly undulating with a number of very elevated tees. And the sand base makes the course playable year round. The biggest surprise for me was the rocky outcrops that came in to play a number of times during the round- most obviously on the par 5, 12th "signature" hole.
Other than the rocks the course has the look and feel of some of the famous London heathland courses- particularly Swinley Forest. The course is in great shape, but not highly manicured - it just has a comfortable class to it...
Fontainebleau is not a long course, but it is extremely tight, and you pay the penalty for straying. And the greens are not large collectively , so you need to reasonably accurate...
I loved this course - I loved the heathland feel, the soft colours of the myriad of shrubs and trees and undergrowth surrounding you, and the challenge of the course itself.
There are many highlights to the round at Fontainebleau...
The extremely elevated tee shots on 3, 9 and 13 were a thrill.
The long tee shot on 15 out of the longest, narrowest "chute" I can remember was a real challenge
And I loved the run of holes from 14 through to 17 which to me were the cream of a pretty nice crop.
Golf de Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau is also a very nice town to stay a few days- we loved the relaxed french atmosphere, with fine dining options or plenty of streetside cafes...
And the palace at Fontainebleau with it's magnificent and extensive gardens is worth the trip on it's own merit- we thought it more impressive than Versailles!
Fontainebleau Palace
If you ever get the chance to play Golf de Fontainebleau, jump at it!
It is just a lovely place to play golf, or to hang out.
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