Standing on the 14th tee box at the majestic Golf Mont d’Arbois, perched nearly 4400 feet above Megève, France’s most idyllic, postcard ski town, I pick a landing spot on the par 3 green 150 yards in the distance, and slowly sweep my 7-iron back. As I gently coil the club behind my head, and prepare to launch my golf ball over a gondola cable about 80 yards in front of me, I’m shaken by a voice imploring me to pull out of my backswing and abort!
“Mike, wait, wait, wait,” says Matt Azzolin, the club’s general manager, who is giving our group a tour of the world’s oldest, and perhaps most stunning mountain golf course.
“There is a gondola coming, and if you hit it, I’ll be obliged to ask you to leave the course. It’s one of our local rules, you can’t hit the gondolas, that’s definitely a no-no! But if you hit the cable when the gondola is gone, you get a free second shot, that’s also one of our local rules. So just wait til the gondola has passed, and you’re free to swing away,” he adds with a grin.
There’s something magical about golfing where you ski, and skiing where you golf – especially for people who think about golfing and skiing, 24-7-365. And being one of these people, I have to say, playing 18 holes on slopes you’ve skied on previously is a truly special experience for anyone who is as passionate about golf as they are about skiing.
My desire to go golfing and skiing in Megève was born in March of 2023, when a local friend, who knew I was a golf junkie, told me I was actually skiing on the Mont d’Arbois golf course as we shredded our way down to the Mont d’Arbois gondola station on perfect spring corn snow.
So when I decided to cook up a little golf trip into the Alps with my great friend and golf mentor Neil Collingswood this summer, I thought it would make perfect sense to reacquaint myself with the slopes I’d skied on 18 months earlier, and added Megève to our golf itinerary.
Neil, it should be noted, who lives and works at sea level on eastern Scotland’s famed “Golf Coast” is not a skier by any means, and he’s definitely not planning on strapping on downhill boards anytime soon. However, he is a fabulous golfer, and when he’s not bombing drives and draining birdie putts in North Berwick (his home town), he’s often busy reviewing golf courses in his native Scotland. So, despite Mr. Collingswood’s lack of familiarity with alpine environments, I thought it would be fun to introduce him to some high altitude ball striking at some of Europe’s highest and most scenic golf courses – so I asked him to join me on a four-stop “Best of the Alps” golf tour through Italy, France, and Switzerland.
All the golf courses we played were located at resorts who are members of the Best of the Alps group, a conglomeration of 10 of Europe’s most prestigious ski and golf mountain destinations. Each one had its own distinct vibe, and we quickly discovered that not all mountain golf courses are the same, and we mean that in a good way! Here then is a quick peek at where we golfed, dined, slept, and bowled – yes we went bowling when we weren’t playing golf!
GOLFING IN MEGÈVE
Golfing on a ski hill can be challenging if you’re not familiar with the terrain and it’s your first time on the course. Fortunately for myself and Neil, we got to play with Matthieu (Matt) Azzolin who besides being GM of the Golf Mont d’Arbois golf course, is also a former French National Team World Cup/European Cup freestyle skier who knows his way around steep mountain sides whether he’s zipping through moguls in winter, or crushing golf shots in summer.
In terms of scale, the 18 hole, par 72, Golf Mont d’Arbois – originally developed in the 1920s by Noémie de Rothschild before it was revamped in the 1960s – is grand. This is a big, beautiful golf course landscaped in classic French garden style on an almost flat, slightly sloped high mountain plateau with majestic fairways and perfectly manicured greens. Oh, and the views here are jaw dropping, with panoramic mountain vistas from Col de Véry to the Mont Joly range on clear days.
The conditions of the fairways and greens on this course are immaculate, and part of the reason why is because Azzolin keeps an eye on the track 12 months a year.
“I’m a ski instructor here in Megève in the winter, and so I can see myself when the snow melts, and we have to be careful about the golf course when we’re grooming the slopes,” Azzolin tells me on the 3rd hole pointing to some of the alpine and cross country trails that crisscross Golf Mont d’Arbois’ fairways.
“We’re also very proud of how much attention we pay to sustainability and ecological conservation, we don’t use chemicals on our course, everything is natural. With regard to water use, I have a friend who runs a golf course in the southern part of France and last season they used 50 million US gallons (190K cubic meters) of water to irrigate their track, we only used about 2 million US gallons (7.5K cubic) meters here at Mont d’Arbois,” Azzolin adds.
I absolutely adored playing at Golf Mont d’Arbois, and will surely be thinking hard about playing it again, especially when I’m back in Megève skiing on the fairways I’m now so familiar with! But what did Neil Collingswood think about Golf du Mont d’Arbois, was he as impressed as I was?
MR. COLLINGSWOOD’S GOLF COURSE REVIEW
“Golf Mont d’Arbois is a gem of an 18 hole golf course situated on the ski slopes of Megève. The current 18 hole layout was designed by Sir Henry Cotton, a three-time British Open champion, and Teto Parodi in the 1960s. I’d also give a nod to mother nature here who has played a part in this fantastic layout. Sloping fairways lined by well spaced conifers is the theme.
All 18 holes zigzag their way across the slope of the stunningly picturesque mountain side and I very much liked the fact that the designers have avoided the temptation to create par threes playing directly up, or down, the slope. I also love the fact that the apparently generous fairways slope left to right (or right to left depending on direction) requiring tee shots need to be more accurate than they visually appear. However the course is never unfair. The gentle gradient of the slopes always reward a well positioned tee shot, so calculating distances can be worthwhile to see if a driver off the tee is really required. All 18 holes are unique in design despite following the overall design code. Water features, doglegs and natural undulations provide each hole’s uniqueness and challenge level in equal proportion.
It’s a peaceful track too, birdsong and cow bells are often your only company and that suits the style of game here. The occasional overhead gondola, ferrying people up and down the mountain, may cause you to pause your game for a moment but never break the peace.
Like many French courses, Mont d’Arbois golf integrates the course to be part of the natural environment and they maintain it this way. No chemicals are used and pollinators are encouraged by sections of wild flowers and stacks of felled wood. All in all this beautiful course is a remarkable achievement especially when considering the limited time available to the greenkeeping staff between the snowfalls and the self imposed natural bio-friendly approach to course maintenance. Bravo!
Finally a special mention to hole number 1 which, on paper, is a short, dogleg risk and reward par 4 measuring just under 250 yards. Yet above all others this hole will have players scratching their heads like dogs with allergies as they wonder how to approach it. Out of bounds left and trees seeming to create a barrier across the center of the fairway provide a Rubik-esc conundrum. The reality is, there is more risk than reward in “going for it” through the gap in the trees on the left. Bunkers await short left and center and there is every risk of over shooting the green if you manage to land beyond the bunkers. The ideal shot might just be a simple, or lightly drawn, 130-140 yard fairway finder between the two lines of trees. Great fun working it out though!”
DINING IN MEGÈVE
Dining in France is a dream, but dining in the Haute Savoie region of France is pure heaven, as we quickly found out during two days in Megève. Over that time, we sampled a host of mouth watering local Savoyard specialties, French classics, Italian dishes that felt like they were straight outta Napoli, and even a cheeseburger with a Haute Savoie twist. Here are some of the highlights and places you should add to your dining itinerarfy when you’re in Megève.
LA FERME DU GOLF
Our first meal in Megève was a phenomenal sunny lunch on the terrasse of La Ferme du Golf, the chic, boutique, chalet-style mountain Savoyard farmhouse hotel – which like Golf Mont d’Arbois – is owned and operated by the Edmond de Rothschild Heritage. We stayed at this beautiful hotel on the slopes of the Mont d’Arbois directly across the golf course, but more on that later! First let’s run through the amazing food we devoured right after checking in.
Neil’s selection was an incredibly enticing pasta dish called “Tagliatelles à la crème de Brie noir” (Brie cheese sauce on tagliatelle pasta) which I jealously eyeballed until my lunch selection arrived. I ordered a scrumptious, made-to-order cheeseburger topped with Reblochon – a celestial, soft washed-rind, smear-ripened cheese that is not available in the United States because it is unpasteurized and aged less than 60 days. My cheeseburger was to-die-for delicious, and was a no-brainer when it was time to order, since I’d had one before while on a ski trip in nearby Chamonix.
For dessert…a fresh-off-the-blueberry-bush “Tartelette aux Myrtilles” from “Delices du Megève”, a local artisan patissier who thankfully supplies La Ferme du Golf with these fab little blueberry tarts!
LE REFUGE DU CALVAIRE
Situated on Megève’s famed Chemin du Calvaire, an idyllic walking path dotted with 15 chapels and oratories depicting the stations of the Ways of the Cross leading to Jerusalem’s Golgotha (the site outside Jerusalem’s walls where Christians believe Christ was crucified) – Le Refuge du Calvaire is only reachable by foot (or bicycle) and definitely worth every stride up or down to this wonderful mountain bistro (it was 10 mins walking uphill from town, and 15 mins downhill from directly outside our hotel).
With a chic, rustic indoor dining area, and a charming panoramic outdoor terrasse, La Refuge du Calvaire is a haute cuisine hidden gem with an outstanding menu of local Savoyard delicacies and French classics created by Chef Stephane Socquet, who is now one of my favorite kitchen generals.
Highlights of our meal included a scrumptious “Salad Mégevane” (mixed salads, runny egg, country bacon crisps, tomatoes, reblochon candies with wild garlic) that was paired perfectly with a 2023 Domaine Grisard Jean-Pierre & Fils pinot noir. An unforgettable “tartinade” tray with salmon, crab, and “caviar d’aubergine” dips that were incredible – especially the aubergine caviar that I quickly turned into eggplant dip sliders, and would walk barefoot through the Sahara Desert to taste again. And finally “Dorade” (Gilt-head bream) a highly esteemed saltwater fish, served with tarragon and rice.
The topper of all toppers at Le Refuge du Calvaire was Chef Socquet’s “Crème caramel, beignet de pommes” which Neil and I both agreed was THE BEST Crème caramel we both had ever tasted. When we complimented Chef Socquet, he confessed that the recipe was from a very famous London restaurant he worked at in another life. Talented…and humble, we’ll definitely be paying Chef Socquet and La Refuge du Calvaire next time we’re in Megève!
COSA PAPA
Walking into Cosa Papa, one of Megève’s most vibrant and colorful dining establishments, is like walking into a pizzeria in Naples…pure, unfettered, glittering, dolce vita Italian style, high up in the French Alps.
The food at Cosa Papa is beyond delicious, but before you start, indulge in a vintage tropical cocktail. I ordered “Tropic Tiki” (Bacardi Rum Cuatro, Passoã liqueur, passionfruit purée, coconut purée, pineapple juice and vanilla syrup) which reminded me of the drinks I used to coif at Montreal’s famed “Kon-Tiki” restaurant in the old Sheraton Hotel eons ago.
The pizzas at Cosa Papa are authentic, Neapolitan style, thin crust pies and highly delectable. The pastas are outstanding, and they even turned my “Escaplope de Veau Milanaise” into a true “Milanese” by adding fresh pasta to my order! Dessert was a treat too, a homemade, heaping helping of Tiramisu that tasted like Mama it herself!
After dessert, if you’re really into having a blast, slink over to Cosa Papa’s three bowling lanes on the other side of the restaurant for the time of your life…but more on that later on…keep reading.
ACCOMMODATION IN MEGÈVE
As mentioned earlier, we chose La Ferme du Golf as our hotel in Megève initially because of its proximity (right across the street) to Golf Mont d’Arbois. We soon discovered that the beautiful chalet-style building we were staying at was once a family farmhouse, and one of the oldest buildings in Mont d’Arbois.
Acquired by Ariane and Benjamin de Rothschild in 2006, this intimate 3-star hotel has 18 impeccably, and individually decorated “mountain chic” rooms with wood paneling, and elegant furniture accented with soft, sensuous fabrics. I stayed in room No. 6, known as “Chateau des Laurets” which made me feel like I was living in a plush cocoon, perched high above Megève. My room also had a gorgeous balcony with a panoramic view of the town below and the French Alps on the horizon which we used every night for wine, whisky and cigars (you are allowed to smoke on the balcony).
La Ferme du Golf’s breakfast buffet, and made-to-order egg dishes, were an excellent way to start our days while staying and playing in Megève, and as mentioned earlier, lunches here were also quite remarkable!
What stood out most however, was how friendly the staff at this hotel are. As its a more intimate establishment, La Ferme du Golf’s hosts are very keen to make each guest feels like they’re staying in their own home. Whether you have a question about Megève, or are wondering if you can move your dessert and coffee into the hotel’s very inviting lounge area, La Ferme du Golf’s hosts are always there for you…oh and did I mention the hotel is also pet friendly? We absolutely adored our stay at La Ferme du Golf and would highly recommend it if you’re going to spend some time chasing eagles and birdies at Golf Mont d’Arbois.
OTHER FUN STUFF TO DO IN MEGÈVE
If you’re not a golfer and are visiting Megève in summer, fear not, there are other wonderful activities to indulge yourself in. Besides the fact that the town is full of designer shops, fabulous restaurants and cafés, and the Palais Megève (the largest leisure complex in the Alps)…there are tons of other outdoor and indoor activities at your disposal, and on your doorstep.
Cycling, mountain biking, paragliding, swimming, spas, a four-season outdoor toboggan ride, numerous food, wine, and music festivals, tennis, dance, horseback riding, wall climbing, hiking, and even “cani-hiking” (with your dog) are all there for you to experience…but one activity I would warn you not to miss is bowling at Cosa Papa.
With three, very high-end bowling lanes lit up like a glitzy 1970s disco, with a soundtrack right out of Studio 54, it is absolutely impossible NOT to have the time of your life, with a pre or post-dinner pin-smashing sesh, at this very unique restaurant. I will never visit Megève without going back to Cosa Papa because life is too short not to drink exotic vintage Polynesian cocktails, scarf down authentic Italian pizzas and pastas, and fling 12-pound bowling balls down glossy wooden floors after an amazing day out on the golf course!
MORE INFO ON MEGÈVE:
Megève is part of the prestigious Best of the Alps group of luxury European ski & golf resorts. To find out more about Megève go to: www.bestofthealps.com or www.megeve-tourisme.fr .
18-Hole Golf Mont d’Arbois is open to the general public from mid May to early November. Green fees range from 65 Euros to 98 Euros for 18 holes of play. For more info, click here.
Megève has a wide assortment of hotels for every budget. For our stay we chose the very golfer-friendly, 3-star, La Ferme du Golf, perched high above Megève on the slopes of the Mont d’Arbois, right across the street from the Mont d’Arbois golf course. For more info go to www.fermedugolf.com
Getting to Megève: Megève is easily accessible via bus, train, car and is only a hour away from Geneva Airport, and two hours away from Lyon Airport. For more more info on how to get to Megève click here.
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