Golf de Morfontaine

Played 06-Aug-2025

I have had the privilege of playing some very special courses, and the most special have a defining characteristic that just overpowers you on the day you play:

The Old Course carries an element of historical significance that cannot be rivalled
Old Head offers a visual sensory overload
Carnoustie and Royal St. George’s whisper of legendary Open battles

However, in terms of defining special as an all encompassing feeling of wonderment from start to finish, a day at Golf de Morfontaine is the most special golfing experience I have had the pleasure of having life to date. It is a place where “start” is not actually defined by the first tee, but rather the start of the journey to what feels like an enigmatic place within a short taxi ride of Charles de Gaulle airport outside Paris. Or due to my persistent desire to avoid planes at any cost, an evening ride on the Eurostar the night prior, with a stay at the Gare du Nord airport.

Due to the lack of exposure this course has (only a few grainy youtube videos give an idea of what it is like), there is a level of anticipation in the day(s) leading up to playing that is hard to match in an era of infinite internet content. The majority of the top courses in the world we are now able to experience in various formats via TV or golf simulators to the point where playing them is more of a juxtaposition of reality and virtual reality. Morfontaine is different however, a throwback to a day before the internet, with the holes acting like an aristocratic pass the parcel, with each one offering another layer of gifts to the player, allowing you to slowly uncover the complete gem over a 4 hour stroll in the forests outside Paris.

The best word to describe everything about Morfontaine is that it is understated. Nothing about it shouts because it has absolutely no need to. The drive up to the clubhouse isn’t one that culminates in a giant fountain, clubhouse or a parking lot full of supercars. It is a windy single lane road through a majestic forest with only glimpses of an elegant ivy coloured building at the end that size wise would probably compare more to the caddy shacks of the large private US courses. Inside you find only a handful of souls, which you feel are acting more as protectors of the clubhouse rather than employees, along with a shop that is best described as a midsized cloakroom. Inside the austere locker room you wouldn’t know that you are in the mecca of French aristocracy unless you noticed the various last names of the members on the locker doors. But it is the understated nature which creates the essence of elegance. The clubhouse does not need grandeur because it is already unquestionably beautiful, and magnitude would spoil that.

But it is the lack of people that provides the quintessential feature of Golf at Morfontaine: the solitude. It is hard to describe in words how private it really feels. I have visited various establishments that cater to the upper crust of society, but never have I experienced a place that is this private, where you can go hours without coming across another soul. On a beautiful summer day, on arrival there were only 2 other cars in the car park. On the range there was just a hint of a greenkeeper floating in between the trees in the distance. In the clubhouse there was just the periodic sound of the caretakers loafers on the foyer floor. On the course itself, with the exception of a one-ball that we let play through (he politely declined our invitation to join our three-ball, assumingly after making a judgement on our wayward tee shots on that particular hole), we did not come across another breathing human being the entire round. I was astounded that there was a kitchen that produce an absolutely fantastic lunch, I have no idea how you stock for a place with such infrequent customers.

From a golfing perspective, you could argue there is no signature hole or holes. And generally to me that would be a negative because I do enjoy when golf architects try to ride the thin line between feature and gimmick. However, here it absolutely is not a criticism, but just a simple reflection that there isn’t a weak hole on the course. It is just a continuous level of golfing excellence that creates a consistency in the golfing experience that I have not experienced before. Most great courses are great because they have some amazing holes, but Morfontaine manages to be a great course by just having 18 great holes that blend into one great experience, and that is very rare. Having signature holes would actually spoil the consistency that makes it so great overall. The other thing the course does brilliantly that is hard to pull off in practice, is that it creates visual stimulation without making the course unplayable/overly difficult. Generally, visual intensity is hard to do without adding something in the way of hazards, but when you play Morfontaine you find yourself immersed in your surroundings, but at the same time not having to struggle for 4 hours, which for a 10 handicap like me is very appreciated. You can tell that the course doesn’t need to be set up for pro tournaments, but rather is there for the daily enjoyment of its members (despite the evidence that none of them actually exist…). Ultimately, it’s a course where if you can keep the ball in play, it doesn’t beat you up. To me, it just struck an absolutely perfect balance of consistency, condition, visual stimulation and golfing enjoyment.

The single negative is that unlike a lot of the courses on the British Isles where I know I will likely be back again at some point, leaving Morfontaine offers no such comforting thoughts, and therefore the drive the other way down the single lane driveway towards Charles de Gaulle (the return unfortunately had to be a plane to get back for kid bedtimes) is a bittersweet one, of amazing memories interspersed with glimmers of melancholy.