Morfontaine- Valliere, hole 9 & clubhouse
History
In 1913 the Duke of Guiche organised a 6 hole course for the pleasure of his friends and himself in a park in Valliere.
The project was obviously a success!
In time the Duke engaged Tom Simpson to redesign the course and extend it to nine holes.
It became known as the Valliere course
The Duke went on to formalise the Golf Club in 1927.
He again then engaged Tom Simpson- this time to design the new 18 hole hole course known as Le Grand Parcours.
Some changes have taken place to the two courses since, with a new hole introduced and hole sequences changing..
Course
Located in thick forest north of Paris, Morfontaine traverses some undulating heathland seemingly perfect for golf.
Tom Simpson did a grand job in routing both courses at Morfontaine, as the holes look very natural in their settings
The nine hole Valliere course predates the 18 hole course, but shares many of the characteristics of the Grand Parcours
The green complexes and associated bunkering are again outstanding.
In my opinion three holes- the par 3's at holes 2 and 4, and the short par 5 are as good as anything on the main course
Valliere is one of the best nine hole courses in golf !
Notable holes include:
- hole 2, a short downhill par 3 to a green framed by trees
Morfontaine- Valliere, hole 2 green
- hole 4, another downhill par 3 to a green surrounded by bunkers
Morfontaine- Valliere, hole 4
Morfontaine- Valliere, hole 4 green
- hole 5, a short turning par 5 where a succession of bunkers complicates the journey..
It is a perfect example of how the bunkering ‘makes’ the hole, taking a turning tree lined fairway and adding a number of fairway and greenside bunkers to have the golfer thinking twice about his approach...
Morfontaine- Valliere, hole 5 approach
Morfontaine- Valliere, hole 5 approach2
Golf de Morfontaine is a private members course.
Visitors can only gain access playing with a member.
If you ever get the opportunity, grab it with both hands - and make sure you play the Valliere nine holer!!
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