The French Alps, and in particular the region close to Geneva, is perhaps the most under-rated golf destination in Europe. The affluent and cosmopolitan population of Geneva has long supported a wide range of top quality golf courses, but they are relatively unknown to holiday golfers. Consequently  the weekday green fees are extremely good value. 

The area has everything from the ultimately prestigious, like Evian and Crans, to the truly spectacular, such as Golf des Gets. All in all, it is some of the most enjoyable golf you'll ever experience. .

There are ten excellent courses within about an hour's drive from our central location in Les Gets - some at lower altitude which are open most of the year, and some which are snow covered from December to April. If your holiday is in May or late October you will probably be choosing from Evian, Bossey, Esery, Divonnes,Talloires and Giez, with Megeve being a possibility.

The most prestigious, which is also to say the most expensive, are all relatively close to Geneva, and are at a low enough altitude to be open most of the year. The top three are Bossey, an exclusive but relaxed Golf and Country Club within sight of Geneva, Esery, similar in quality and style but perhaps a little more friendly, and, at the top of most people's list, the Evian Masters Golf Club on the shore of Lac Leman (Lake Geneva). The Evian Masters, one of the top tournament of the European Ladies Tour is played in the third week of July, and if you wish we will get tickets and take you to this event - it's only an hour's drive from the chalets in Les Gets.

These three clubs, Bossey, Esery and Evian, plus the resort course at Divonne, are well up to the highest international standards, both on and off the course. The same is true for the Seve Ballesteros course at Crans-sur-Sierre in Switzerland, not included in this guide because it is significantly more than an hour away. 

Not far behind, in all respects, are Chamonix and Megeve. Both are beautiful, well established, courses by famous architects - Robert Trent Jones and Henry Cotton respectively. Chamonix, in particular, is not to be missed.

Next come our three favourite courses, Les Gets, Talloires and Giez, the latter two both close to Lac d'Annecy. Not so long established or prestigious perhaps, but all are well-designed, well maintained courses which are extremely enjoyable to play. They are all much more distinctly alpine in character, with stunning mountain views on nearly every hole, especially at Golf des Gets. With all three you will really understand the special appeal of golfing in the Alps, where it is the mountain that is dictating the layout of the course, and where the designer really has to use his imagination to strike a balance between the challenging and the fair. These three all have significant elevation changes on some holes, typically on a Par 3 where the green beckons from far below...

Finally we have the two ultimately alpine courses, Avoriaz and Flaine, at 1600 and 1900m respectively. On these two courses the golf itself is a little less serious than on the others, but it is still of a good standard. Primarily though, these two are courses that you can play for the sheer pleasure of being so high in the mountains.

Click on one of the links above for details and a picture of each course.

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