Sir John Key has made a hole-in-one during the Chasing the Fox Super Six golf day at Royal Auckland and Grange Golf Club. Video / Mitch Powell
Rich in customs, cuisines, architecture and language, no two countries in Europe are alike. Add in some fine scenery, and interesting off-course attractions and you have a perfectly packaged golf trip, writes Andrew Marshall.
FRANCE – Normandy
Normandy’s Pays d’Auge region is where some of France’s best cheeses such as Camembert are made, alongside highly-prized drinks such as the fiery apple brandy, Calvados. It is also blessed with some fine golf courses, and for the gourmet golfer, an excellent base is the L’Hôtel du Golf Deauville, an elegant 1926 golf hotel situated on the slopes of Mount Canisy near the coastal town of Deauville.
Only a chip shot away is Golf Barriere Deauville, a lovely 18-hole parkland track alongside another 9 holes with a more woodland character. Another excellent 27 holes (connected to the hotel) are 15 km south at Pont L’Eveque, famous for the Normandy cheese of the same name.
Barriere Golf Saint-Julien’s 18-hole course called Le Vallon, is hilly in sections and winds through lush Normandy pastureland. If you have time, call by the clubhouse restaurant for some fine French cuisine before tackling the 9-hole Le Bocage course.
Barriere Golf Saint-Julien’s 18-hole course winds through lush Normandy pastureland. Photo / Paul Marshall
Completing a trio of 27-hole layouts close to Deauville is Golf Amiraute, a championship course in a magical site among 15ha of lakes. The aptly named Art Course is a modern design, with huge fairways, large greens, plenty of water and a novel hazard - contemporary sculptures. West of Deauville is Golf Omaha Beach, a 36-hole golf complex located on the coast at Port-en-Bessin, only a few kilometres from the D-Day Landing Beaches of 1944.
Omaha Beach Golf is a 36-hole complex located on the coast at Port-en-Bessin.
Photo / Omaha Beach Golf
Away from the courses: There are plenty of opportunities to learn about, taste and purchase some of the local produce. Well worth a visit is Manoir d’Apreval, a family-owned estate in the coastal village of Pennedepie (10 km east of Deauville), which produces fine Calvados, cider and the refreshing aperitif pommeau.
For a closer insight into cheese-making, visit Fromagerie Graindorge, a cheese producer in Livarot that offers free tours and tastings.
Neufchatel is a soft, slightly crumbly, mould-ripened cheese and one of the oldest cheeses in France. Photo / Paul Marshall
LITHUANIA – Vilnius
A newly emerging golf destination is Lithuania and its beautiful capital, Vilnius, in Northern Europe along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea. A 20km drive northwest of the city amid scenic lakes and sprawling forest is the Vilnius Grand Resort boasting well-appointed rooms, renowned spa facilities and the V Golf Club - an 18-hole USGA standards layout that weaves its way among beautiful lakes, through spectacular birch and pine forests interspersed with wetland areas and wildflower meadows.
The V Golf Club weaves its way among beautiful lakes. Photo / Vilnius Grand Resort & Spa
Situated 45km west of the Vilnius Grand Resort is the Capitals Golf Club, routed through rolling countryside, where three large natural lakes come into play on nine of the 18holes.
A 20km drive northeast of the Vilnius Grand Resort is the third course of the region – the Europos Centro Golfo Klubbas. In 1989, a group of scientists from the French National Geographic Institute announced that the geographical centre of Europe was 26km to the north of Vilnius, or to be exact, a short chip shot from the 7th tee, where a column of white granite rimmed by a crown of stars marks the spot.
Away from the courses: Explore the narrow cobbled streets of Unesco World Heritage-listed Vilnius, whose old town includes more than 1000 protected monuments of Baroque, Gothic, Renaissance and Neo-Classical architecture. To the south of Vilnius is the former Lithuanian capital of Trakai and its centrepiece attraction - a wonderfully restored red-brick fairytale castle atop a tiny island.
An accordion player in front of Trakai's famous Island Castle in Lithuania. Photo / Paul Marshall
PORTUGAL – Oeste Region
For the travelling golfer looking for something different to the popular Algarve region, the Oeste region north of Lisbon is an interesting option. On an isolated hill swept by cool breezes, the Hotel Real D’Obidos in the medieval castle town of Obidos makes an excellent base to sample a quartet of challenging courses all within a 30-minute drive.
The medieval town of Obidos. Photo / Paul Marshall
Star billing must arguably go to the wild and wonderful Praia D’El Rey - a marvellous combination of a pine tree-lined front nine and a links-style back nine that follows the coast with spectacular views over the Atlantic Ocean and the Berlenga Islands beyond. Another worthwhile course is the Golden Eagle, which meanders its way through a wonderful natural landscape of gentle rolling hills and lush Portuguese flora.
Praia D’El Rey has a collection of great seaside links holes, with windswept dunes and coastal views. Photo / Paul Marshall
Dolce CampoReal has become one of Portugal’s most exciting golf and leisure developments featuring an 18-hole layout by acclaimed golf architect Donald Steel. Etched into dramatic rolling hills, vineyards and steep wooded valleys, the course has several uphill and downhill drives that make for an exciting round.
Bom Sucesso is another Donald Steel design and like all quality courses, the finishing hole is particularly memorable - a downhill par-4 with a stream cutting across the fairway and water guarding the green.
Away from the courses: From numerous archaeological and historical sites to sparkling Atlantic beaches, enchanting coastal villages, excellent seafood and fine wines, there’s plenty to keep you occupied. Explore the charming fortified town of Obidos with its picturesque cobblestone streets encircled by 12th-century castle walls. To the west is the charming seaside town of Peniche, renowned for its excellent fish restaurants, most notably the family-run Estelas.
SPAIN – Mallorca
The largest of the Balearic Islands continues to attract millions of visitors every year in search of sand, sea and sunshine, and the good news for golfers is that there are more than 20 quality courses, with several close to the capital, Palma.
One of the best addresses in town is the Castillo Hotel Son Vida - a gorgeous 13th-century castle hotel situated high above the Bay of Palma. Only a few minutes’ drive away is Son Muntaner golf course, which meanders lazily through an undulating Mediterranean landscape and features well-conditioned fairways and greens, with numerous water hazards and elevated tees.
Three other courses are linked to the hotel, including the original home of golf in the Balearics, Son Vida designed by F. W. Hawtree in 1964. The hilly and challenging layout of Son Quint with marvellous views over the Bay of Palma and the Executive 9-hole course, complete one of Europe’s best golf complexes.
Mallorca’s must-play course is undoubtedly Golf Son Gual. What was once 156has of flat, nondescript agricultural land near Palma airport has been transformed by course designer Thomas Himmel.
Now it is a polished layout that showcases gently rolling hills, 1000 mature olive trees, pockets of vineyards, water features and dozens of Augusta-like bunkers - all overlooked by an early 20th-century Mallorcan manor house.
In the stunning Bay of Alcudia on Mallorca’s north coast is Club de Golf Alcanada, a top-notch Robert Trent jnr. design offering fabulous sea views from 16 of its 18 holes.
Son Gual championship course designed by Thomas Himmel. Photo / Paul Marshall
Away from the courses: How about the historic capital of Palma and its majestic cathedral, the picturesque mountain village of Deia, ancient castles, fantastic caves, and the spectacular Serra de Tramuntana mountain range? There’s also sampling the island’s rich gastronomy by joining the locals on a tapas crawl (Ruta Martiana) around Palma’s Plaça d’en Coll, and shopping for local produce at Palma’s Olivar market.
Using beautiful Stockholm, “the city that floats on water” as a base, there are about 50 courses of a consistently high standard within an hour’s drive.
Travelling to them is all part of the Swedish golf experience and it won’t take you long to leave the capital behind, where homes with their distinctive yellow, musk and red facades contrast vividly against the rocky outcrops and conifer and birch woodland.
The pick of the golf courses is Bro Hof Slott’s Stadium Course, and from the moment you drive through the gates and glimpse the white hilltop castle, manicured fairways and glistening Lake Malaren, you know you have arrived at a special place.
Bro Hof’s other layout, the equally well-conditioned Castle Course is a mix of forest and open country with a distinctive heathland feel.
The pick of Sweden's golf courses is Bro Hof Slott’s Stadium Course. Photo / Lennart Hyse
Two Stockholm venues that offer 36-holes of testing golf are Vidbynas Golf Club’s South & North Courses, where each layout takes advantage of natural lakes, native grasses and rock outcroppings; and Golf Star Kungsangen’s Kings & Queens Courses featuring several tight, tree-lined, dog-legging par-4s and 5s.
Another highly-regarded course among locals is Haninge Golfklubb, in a panoramic setting with its 15th-century castle and clubhouse, Arsta Slott, where you can enjoy a beer or meal after playing 27-holes of forest/parkland style golf.
Golfers relax near the 18th green at Vidbynas Golf Club. Photo / Paul Marshall
Away from the courses: Wander the network of picturesque streets and lanes of medieval Gamla Stan (the old town), the oldest part of the city and a treasure-trove of 17th-century Swedish architecture. Another essential attraction is the superb Vasa Museum, built around the Royal Warship Vasa, the oldest identified and most complete ship in the world.
Staying with the nautical theme, the ferry terminal in front of the Grand Hotel is a launch pad for boat trips to the islands of the archipelago, 24,000 of them scattered across the water for 70km in the direction of Finland.
