a French Golf course offers a winter version of its course

There were winter greens, now we will also talk about winter courses. The Ableiges Golf Course has become the first in France to adapt to the climate by offering such an approved course.

The main course of the Golf d'Ableiges, Les Etangs, is an 18-hole par 72, 6,138 meters long (slope of 139) located in the heart of the French Vexin Regional Natural Park. But as its name indicates, it has ponds in its lower part which made it very humid in winter, even impassable during this period. “ Suffice to say that the clients did not always come out happy, and never very clear, with their game », explains the golf director, Maxime Jaunez.

Fortunately, the golf course also has a 9-hole course (Le Vexin) which it has used to design a new composite course which will only be used in winter. Two par 4s integrating departures and greens from Le Vexin were notably created in order to be able to do without holes 13 and 14 from Les Etangs. The result? A new 18-hole, par 68 of 5,408 meters (slope of 130) approved by the French Golf Federation and available on the GPS Garmin.

An innovation that fulfills several objectives

For Maxime Jaunez, this innovation has several more or less obvious objectives:

– Adapt the playing conditions to the climatic conditions,

– Maintain the existing ecosystem (wetlands and ponds),

– Boost the golf offering during the winter with a course that is both fun, technical and approved,

– Maintain pleasant playing conditions without undertaking work with significant financial and ecological impacts,

– Respond to customer requests and expectations.

The course was inaugurated on November 1 after a test phase with players of all levels.

“We had planned dedicated signage throughout the course, new score cards and a communication plan to share this new feature with as many people as possible, explains Maxime Jaunez. A sporting challenge is also planned to establish gross and net records for this course.”

Word to the wise, to your clubs…

Photos © Golf d’Ableiges