MERIBEL MOTTARET GOLF

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Meribel golf club is one of the most spectacular and beautiful golf courses you are ever likely to play.  It is a full length 18 hole par 70 course.  It is open from June to September depending upon the weather.  It offers an excellent challenge of golf and can comfortably satisfy a good golf holiday.  
It is a public course and no membership is required to play here just turn up, book a tee off time and away you go.
The course varies in altitude from about 1600m up to 1800m.  Many of the holes are flanked by tall pine trees giving the course a sense of grandeur.  There are spectacular views of the mountains above Meribel as well the valley below.  The first nine holes run below Meribel Altiport down towards Meribel Villages and then back up again.  The front nine are lined by trees and are fairly "hilly".  The second nine holes run up from Altiport.  They are slightly more open than the front nine but are also quite hilly in places.  

Location
The course is located around Meribel Altiport.  From Meribel centre drive up towards Altiport, as you are coming up to Altiport just before you get to the main part you pass under a pedestrian bridge.  There is a fairly concealed entrance to the course on the right hand side.  The turning is easy to miss, but is about 50 metres before the Marie Blanche restaurant which in turn is just before the end of the airstrip. 

The season

Parts of many of the holes are actually part of the ski pistes.  As the snow melts at the end of April and May the grass recovers incredibly quickly and the course is opened sometime in early June.  During the early part of the season the greens are understandably not particularly good as the grass is recovering.  However as the season progresses the grass is very lush and by the end of the season the greens are absolutely perfect. 

The facilities

There is a small clubhouse which is reached by taking a small right turn just before the Marie Blanche restaurant.  There is a car park just below the club house.  The club house has a changing room with showers.  There is also a small bar area.

Golf carts may be hired to help assist with the hilly terrain, as there is frequently a short but steep walk from one hole to the next.

Practice area
Just by the club house there is also a practice driving range and putting green

Competitions
The club has several competitions which I understand are open to the public.

Green fees for 2000.  Prices in French Francs.

Low season   (< 7 July & > 26 Aug)
    9 Holes 1 Day 2 Day 7 Days
Adults Week day 130 190 340 1030
Week end 160 230   415
< 20 
or > 70		 Week day   130 235 710
Week end   160 290  
Family     340    
    415    

High season   ( 7 July > between < 26 Aug)
    9 Holes 1 Day 2 Day 7 Days
Adults Week day        
Week end 190 280 505 1400
< 20 
or > 70		 Week day     235 710
Week end   190 340 950
Family     505    
         
Card for the course
  Metres Yards Par Standard scratch
White tees 5381  5885  70

68.1
Yellow tees 5103 5581 70 66.9
Blue tees 4633 5067 70 64.6
Red tees 4463 4881 70 63.7

 Hole by hole guide
The first hole runs next to the short airstrip and a well struck slice could comfortably reach a landing plane!  There is also a lake half way down the fairway that requires a drive rather than an iron off the tee to be carried from the white tees.   Plus there are plenty of trees down the left so don't hook your drive either.  So there is a lot to think about on the first, though at 304metres downhill it can be a fairly straight forward hole if you drive the green.

The second hole is a fairly short par three at 150metres, however the green is well protected by bunkers and anything wider than the bunkers can be another lost ball in the trees again. 

The third hole is probably my favourite hole, at 556 metres (608yards) it is a long par five but with the green at least 100 metres below the tee and in the thin air it is eminently reachable in two (though reaching the ladies tee has been an effort in the past).  There are thick trees all down the right hand side, it is a long dog leg and then the green is again protected by some fairly substantial bunkers.

The fourth hole is the low point on the course.  It is a 324 metre par four that rises gently from tee to green. Again it is a dog leg that is flanked by trees though this time the green is exposed with only two fairly harmless greenside bunkers. 

The fifth hole is a good birdie opportunity at just 252metres.  However any drive hit right will fall dramatically down the mountain leaving (assuming you find your ball) a fairly substantial shot to get back in play.
The sixth hole a 327 metre par 4, is another dog leg with trees and slopes to cope with.  But with some steady shots is another birdie chance.

The seventh hole sits quietly in the thick of the forest, to the extent that the spectacular views are temporarily obscured.  The green is generous of size for a par three and so this should be a straight forward par, though anything loose off the tee will shortly be followed by a healthy thwack of ball on wood.

The eighth hole is stroke index three but plays much tougher than the ninth which is stroke index one.  It is another par five dog leg but this time a three iron is all that can be taken off the tee unless you can draw a very accurate drive.  The hole turns left but the dog leg can not be cut as trees rise up the slope of the mountain all down the left hand side.  Anything hit right will then fall away down the mountain leaving you in real trouble.  The second shot is fairly open, but the final approach is a steep climb to a blind green.

The ninth hole is the longest par four at 407 metres, however the tee is well above what is generously wide fairway whilst anything pushed right has a good chance of bouncing off the mountain side down onto the fairway.  The difficulty of this hole is in the approach.  The small green is raised up quite steeply from the fairway.  You have to land and stop the ball on the green and if you don't there is a ring of bunkers around the base of the green. Even after cracking off a 270 metre drive it is very easy to make double bogey here. 

The tenth hole ... flanked by thick trees on the left, up hill all the way to the green

The eleventh hole ...,dogleg up hill, last half of hole is flanked by trees

The twelfth hole ...wide open hole

The thirteenth hole ...the white tees require crampons to reach but then leave a potentially huge drive down towards the green. 

The fourteenth hole ... walk up to the tee and the highest point on the course, the hole is straight down the "blanchet" green run.  

The fifteenth hole ... good long par four 

The sixteenth hole ...straight forward par three

The seventeenth hole ...continues down the "blanchet" green run

The eighteenth hole ... fantastic tee position hit out of the trees down the piste and at 291metres (318 yards) the green is reachable (altitude, downhill, if you're Tiger Woods etc.,.)
The nineteenth hole ...

Other courses

Courchevel

There is par three nine hole course located around the Altiport area of Courchevel.  This is a good course if you are just taking up the game.

Annecy

The course is located half way along the east side of the lake.  It is set in woodland and is immaculately sculptured into the hill by the lake.  It is a beautiful course though it is a shame that there are not views of the lake from the course.  That said it is still a beautiful course that offers an excellent challenge of golf (I managed to put several balls in the trees here).

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© William Gurney. Last updated 12 May 2005
will@mottaret.com