Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche (Bleu)

The exclusive Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche club lies in beautiful, lightly forested countryside to the west of Paris, where it vies for golfing excellence with other top tracks like St Germain, Joyenval and Saint-Cloud.

The two 18-hole courses here – Rouge with its two 9-hole loops and the out-and-back Bleu – may only have been in use for around half a century but collectively they’ve given Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche the reputation as one of the best tournament venues in France.

It’s a very strong competitive pedigree, actually as within six years of opening, the club had hosted the French Open in 1965 and 1969 as well as the Canada Cup (now World Cup) in 1963. Where the club really made its name, though, was in staging the prestigious Trophée Lancôme invitational tournament between 1970 and 2003.

Slightly less demanding than the Rouge course from the championship markers, the Bleu is actually rated tougher to play from the regular mens and ladies tees so if you are ever given the opportunity to play here with a member, don’t expect a relaxing walk in the park on this classic Hawtree layout.

Keeping pace with modern golf developments, Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche has recently re-laid its greens to USGA specification.