Rating 4.5/5
Review of Paris International Golf Club
The only Jack Nicklaus designed golf course in France, the Paris International Golf Club is a superb layout in beautifully manicured grounds, but which has sadly become completely privatised for 10 months of the year.*
For reasons of dwindling memberships and to realign the club’s priorities, the PIC, as the course is known locally, was privatised in 2012 after having been open to the public for many years. This is a massive shame as the course is fantastic, with two very different nines.
The front 9-holes are laid out in the plains and are relatively flat when compared to the up-and-down back nine. Yet one thing which is consistent throughout are the delightfully manicured fairways with their gentle undulations. Water comes into play numerous times on the front 9 and no more so than on the tricky 8th hole, a not too long Par 5, but where you must choose to either carry the water or lay up on your second shot.
The back nine throws up a completely different set of challenges, with sharp dog-legs and steep level changes weaving through the ancient woodland. The 13th hole is a superb Par 3, where golfers attack a narrow green across a large elegant lake. The signature hole is the 18th, a downhill left to right Par 5 with a finishing shot across the water to what appears to be an island green…don’t worry about the members watching you from the clubhouse terrace.
As for the stunning clubhouse, it is more like a country chateaux. There are turrets, large vaulted ceilings with wooden beams and a grand fireplace. There is even an indoor swimming pool and a jacuzzi for members and their guests to enjoy. The restaurant is superb and has a fantastic reputation amongst locals as well as for Parisian businesses looking to arrange lunches and seminars.
If you get the opportunity to play here, grab it with both hands, but if you don’t know a member, just wait until July and August when the club open its doors to visitors. This is a superb course and one of the better manicured examples of up-market golf in France.
Detail
- Designer: Jack Nicklaus
- 18 holes
- Par 72
- Length: 6,094 metres (6,664 yards)
- Slope ?
- Golf club website: http://www.paris-golf.com/
- Phone number: 01 34 69 90 00
- Private
- Address: 18, Route du Golf – F-95560 Baillet-en-France
