Simply oozing wonderful French rustic charm
The moment you drive under the archway formed by two ancient cedar trees at the end of the drive, you can’t help feeling intrigued as to what lies ahead. Golf de Baugé simply oozes that wonderful French rustic charm. A ruin of what was once perhaps the old manor house stands poised overlooking the practice green. A reflection of more prosperous bygone days when this land was rich in castles, forests and farms. The atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming with members greeting you with a friendly smile and a “Bonjour!”
The course at Baugé is set in the heart of the Baugeois Forest on land once occupied by two ancient farms. It is located in the Loire Valley, just south of Le Mans, between Angers and Tours. The elongated clubhouse with grey slate roof is typical of the buildings in this region and has been converted from one of the original 18th century farm buildings. The old barns of a second farm can still be seen on the hill to the right of the 6th hole.
At just under 6,000 metres from the back tees, it’s not a long course, by any means. At 72, the par seems kind too. Level fours for your round and you’ll be home and dry. Throw into the equation the fact that there are four par fives, and most golfers will be betting on a handicap reduction before even setting foot on the course.
Baugé will both charm and challenge you
Even the Director of Golf, Pascal Fournier, a handy golfer himself off 5.3, admits that the average golfer off the yellow tees takes only about a 7-iron for the second shot at most of the par fours. Sounds a breeze, n’est-ce-pas? Yet never judge a book by its cover. Don’t be fooled by the quirky ruin at the entrance; the simple cosy bar with open fireplace; or the rather basic changing rooms in the clubhouse, the course will both charm you and challenge you.
Golf de Baugé is one of those rare courses where nearly every hole is memorable. And that’s good news for the ever-increasing population of silver-haired golfers round the world.
An early start time of 9.06 am didn’t leave much time for practice on the covered driving-range, but why break the habit of a lifetime? After coffee and a few putts, we were off. We, as ‘real golfers’ by our own admission, prefer to pace the course, so we chose not to hire a buggy, naturally. A good old-fashioned trolley would be perfectly adequate for a leisurely game with our holiday golf sets, we decided unanimously.
The first tee lies next to the ruins of the old chapel – another delightful relic of the past just like the “chateau”, which you’ll incidentally walk over en-route. The original foundations lie buried under the practice green. All absolutely fascinating, but there was a golf match to be played. After a final discussion over the format of play, we teed off. Our friends are fanatic tennis players who hit a golf ball once in a while, but who have not played any serious golf since their university days. So the day was sure to be an adventure. As everyone was enthusiastic to play their own ball, we decided on a simple four-ball format. Although we did agree that we would take stock of time, energy and balls after nine holes!
The 3rd hole (par 4, 315m) presented the first challenge with its narrow fairway made visibly smaller due to water running along the left-hand side and out of bounds beckoning to the right. The 5th created some amusement as our playing partners misjudged their approach shots and plopped into an almighty sand bunker, which wraps in horse-shoe fashion round the front of the green. They ended up on top of one of the grassy ‘islands’.
“Very pretty holes here – every hole is memorable!”
A surprise short hike up a “goat” hill followed. Now this was really back to my childhood golf days at Lewes in Sussex. The trick on the 6th hole is to play the ball well up the hill to the right so as to allow for the ball to roll back across the slope and, with a bit of luck, end up on the fairway. In the summer, the fairways are dry in places so there is a lot of roll. Once past the old farm buildings on the right, which are now used by the greenkeepers, the hole opens up, eventually going down to a level green under the shade of the trees.
By the time we reached the 9th, the chocolate bars and bananas had all been eaten and energy levels were getting low. We decided to wave through the players behind us and head for the clubhouse with a cheeky request. As it was pretty quiet on the course, perhaps we could stop and have lunch on the terrace and resume play later? “Bien sûr”, came the reply. “Pas de problème”. And so it was that we tucked into some really crisp and tasty classic baguette sandwiches (L’Italien et Jambon Beurre) each propped full with fresh ingredients. An hour and a glass of wine later, we were revitalised and, with a revised two-ball Texas Scramble matchplay format for the back nine, our very competitive game resumed play.
We had really enjoyed the front nine and now, for some reason, we expected the back nine to be completely different – flatter and less interesting. Like chalk and cheese. We were, however, in for a real treat. Golf at Baugé is all cheese! Yes, even more undulating and even more interesting.
Arrival at the 13th tee (167m, par 3) will leave you breathless – not with exhaustion but because of the unexpected view to the green far below. This is one of their signature holes. For the next half hour you’ll meander through the valley where the water and wildlife can be a distraction and keep you from making your par. Keep an eye out for the red posts – you’ll see them left, right and everywhere! Especially at the 14th (369m, par 4, stroke index 1) which we voted, “the tightest hole on the course”. Take a moment here to look out for some amazingly beautiful dragonflies and other water insects as you walk over the tiny bridge to the next hole.
We all loved the 15th. Our match was poised on a knife-edge, so a par 5 was timely, especially one with an inviting wide fairway where you could open the shoulders and let rip from the tee. It was matchplay after all: do or die! After a well-hit drive, centre of fairway just before the water, it’s very tempting to go for the green in two. Yet hitting over the full length of the lake onto an undulating green well-defended by sandbunkers, including a sneaky one hidden over the back on the left where there is even more water, is risky business. Play it as a par 5, and don’t let the mere 168 metres to the front edge of the green seduce you. Playing to the right of the water into the corner is the place to be.
Time for a leafy walk through the trees to the 16th. If your legs are lagging behind a little right now, and the 19th hole is calling, this a good time to nibble on one of those energy bars. You’ll need a sugar boost for the next hole because the nature trail delivers to you an amazing par 4. At just 262 metres, it’s not long, but it is challenging. One of our friends summed it up rather amusingly over a glass of wine on the terrace later: “Just so that you remember the course, they stick you up a vertical hill at the 16th!”
Space and freedom to be creative….
Seriously though, the course is exciting to play. It offers an interesting and fair test of golf. Even the “vertically challenging 16th”, where a great drive from the red tees will see you almost plugged into the lower slopes. It’s a good idea to do a double-check of the pin position from the tee, by the way. After a good drive, the only way is up. Take your time. Don’t talk. Save your breath – you’ll be needing it! If you, and your match, are still alive after this hole, it’s good to know that a refreshingly flat and straight-forward 172-metre long, par 3, awaits you above. This is where our well-fought match finally came to an end with Team Holland as winners by a whisker.
Now that the clubhouse is in sight, take a moment to admire the huge hollow oak tree to the right of the 18th fairway en-route to the green. With a bit of luck, you’ll have just sent your ball flying to the heart of the green with a 7-iron from where you’ll hole out for birdie. This is precisely what our playing partners did for sweet revenge and to win the bye. The perfect end to a perfect day.
Enjoy the golfing life!
Wendy Hoad
© Photography by Golfing Inspirations.
Check out the Image Gallery for more photographs of Golf de Baugé. You can also read more about our golfing experience in “Flash Summary” and “Visitor’s Book”. Green fees: You are advised to check rates and availability with the club beforehand as prices may vary.
Contact info:
Golf de Baugé, Route de Tours – 49150 Baugé, France
Opened: 1994
Architect: Alain Prat
Length of course: Yellow tees: 5561 metres; Red tees: 4671 metres