Golfnotes

Terre Blanche at Fayence (France)
to become the French Fancourt ?
by René Bourone

Fancourt sounds pretty good to golftrotters as we have been in the early players of Montagu and Outeniqua, the two first of the four actual courses at the 2004 Best Golf Resort in the World as awarded by IAGTO’s members in December 2003.

And we are still proud to have had the honour to play the first of the two courses of the newborn great resort, Terre Blanche at Fayence in South of France which has been initiated by the same successful owner, the German billionaire Dietmar Hopp. But the first to think about golf in this part of Provence, near Fayence at about thirty minutes drive from Cannes, was Sir Sean Connery who is, out of an indestructible 007, a good golfer, member of such renown golf clubs as Valderama. He bought the land in 1979 but sold it twenty years later without realizing his dream. Even that, the project remains for some local people the “James Bond’s golf course”. In a way, it is so perfect that it could have been part of a virtual Bond’s scenery “Kill the ball”!…
Let’s say, all ingredients, environment, management and golf, are first class.

Far from hust and bust of the cities, the environment is from the best genuine Provence nature, on the wooded back slopes of the Esterel massif, in front of the pre-alpine mountains where some typical villages with their pink tiles roofs are tightly gathered around an old church or castel; their names sing like cicadas: Fayence, Tourettes, Callian, Montauroux… Sparkling Cannes is at 30’ and the St-Tropez beaches at 45’ as well as the Nice Airport linked to over 100 international destinations. At about one hour drive, Monte-Carlo offers a yearlong programme of performances at the Casino de Paris or the Sporting Club on the East side while Aix-en-Provence presents a yearly international opera festival on the West side.

Located on 665 acres of that untamed nature, Terre Blanche is a five star resort under For Seasons management. The Toronto based Canadian company is considered as the world's leading operator of resorts and luxury hotels (like George V in Paris) and currently manages 62 properties in 29 countries. Terre Blanche is its first resort in Europe and offers 115 suites in very elegant and comfortable Provençal style villas with fine gastronomy, fitness, spa, relaxation…or seminars and conferences for groups up to 280. The hotel is already open and residents can enjoy the Southern French climate around the wonderful overflowing pool. They can also make their choice of menu between three different restaurants: from alfresco on the terrace of the club-house to fine innovative menus prepared by the former Tour d’Argent and Moulin de Mougins chef, Philippe Jourdin at the elegant Faventia while Tousco Grill will offer T-bones, mixed grills…

Terre Blanche Resort aerial view

Villas hotel

Suite living

and bed room
Fine original cuisine

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