Take to the greens !
Before or after your round of golf, lunch takes precedence over sport…
The little white ball reigns here supreme. But before, or after, your round of golf, lunchtime takes precedence over sport…
The setting is happily always the same : green as far as the eye can see, with trees, old stones (very often), a pond (occasionally) and this impression of serenity so special to one of the most ecological sports one could hope to find. The golfer has his own state of mind. He adopts the “Zen attitude” with delectation ; even the most overloaded businessmen leave their stress in the changing rooms for a couple of hours. After all, lunch is an essential break in the day. All golf-clubs have a restaurant or snack-bar closer to the club-house than the “greasy spoon” in town centres. The oldest golf-course on the Côte d’Azur is that of Mandelieu. It was in fact inaugurated way back in 1891. With its parasol pines and the Siagne river flowing across the land, the Cannes-Mandelieu golf-club offers undeniable charm. So it’s understandable that non-golfers are sometimes seen in its restaurant, sampling the delights of its cuisine. Now for the superlatives ! The highest accolade for the region’s most well-known address doubtless goes to the Golf Country Club of Cannes-Mougins.
Designed in 1976 by the architects Dye and Allis with the Parc de la Valmasque as a backcloth, this highly selective 18-hole club pays due attention to its players’ appetites. In typical “brasserie” style, from noon to 4 p.m., players and other guests savour a buffet of “hors-d’œuvres” and a choice of classic fare. In the same romantic spirit, (spring and the fall are fantastic here), the Opio-Valbonne and Victoria Golf Clubs prove that sport, culinary delights and tranquillity are a winning trio. Even if, as is the case for the latter, the “bastide” which became the club-house at Val Martin is only a few kilometres from the busy science park of Sophia Antipolis (guests are waiting to benefit next year from its new-look restaurant, currently under construction). The Château de la Bégude, whose golf-course in usually referred to as Opio-Valbonne, is a former post-house dating back to the 17th century, a blend of luxury and authenticity : here, gastronomy has a Provençal air, with “salade niçoise” but also homemade “foie gras de canard” and “crème brûlée” flavoured with lavender ! The same duality is perfectly maintained at the Golf de Saint-Donat : here you’re surrounded by white rocks and olive-trees. And it was the peerless Robert Trent Jones Junior (who also designed the Riviera Golf Club) who laid out the course. A pause is essential at its restaurant “La Closerie”. Here again, everything is concocted on the premises, from poached eggs to “foie gras” and “profiterolles”, not forgetting gourmet salads, carpaccio etc. Real serenity, as much on the greens as at the tables, with fresh air guaranteed, can be enjoyed at two addresses in the hill-country and another near Monaco. The Golf de la Grande Bastide at Châteauneuf-de-Grasse, the Grasse Country Club (which not only surveys the town, but also the Bay of Cannes) and the Golf de Monte Carlo (at an altitude of 810 metres, with a restaurant reserved solely for members). In all these clubs, luncheon service is available until 4 p.m., as these restaurants are above all rendez-vous for golfers. And we all know that golfers often settle down for lunch in the middle of the afternoon…
By Cécile Olivéro - Photos : press.
