2_4_DiscoverBenelux_Issue16_April2015_ALL_Q9_Scan Magazine 1 20/03/2015 20:38 Page 61
Discover Benelux | Special Theme | Golfing Glory
Sun, sea and spectacular golf – Even the most obsessive golfers take time to admire the views. TEXT: MARTIN PILKINGTON | PHOTOS: GOLF DOLCE FRÉGATE PROvENCE / DOMINIQUE ROUDY
Looking at the Dolce Frégate Provence golf course you’d think it hard to make improvements. The Mediterranean sparkles in view at its edge, the manicured turf is a gardener’s dream, and the Provençal climate makes it playable year round. But the owners keep adding to the experience. “We’ve just invested 210,000 euros on work on the course itself, and are adding another 30 rooms to our hotel facilities in the form of Bastides, two-bedroom minivillas,” says manager Philippe Grosset Grange: “We want it to be perfect for our members, and to live in the memory of golfers who play it a few times during a stay in the region with us or elsewhere.” In fact there are two courses, the compe-
tition-standard 18-hole par 72 version – due to host a major French national amateur event this October – and the 9-hole one for beginners and those practising their short game (perhaps under the wing of the Golf Academy here). “We’re very proud that the standard of the shorter course is as high as its big brother’s,” says Philippe. You shouldn’t have favourite children, but Philippe is certain one hole in particular will be etched in the minds of anyone who plays the main course: “Hole 10 is definitely our signature hole, it has a 180 degree view of the sea, and it’s spectacular,” he says: “Everyone takes photographs on the 10th tee.”
www.dolcefregate-golf-provence.com