Our comparison uses published, named rankings (Top100GolfCourses, GOLF Magazine) and cross-checks them with our open data on 686 golf courses. We publish no player reviews and no ratings of our own. Our method.
The ranking of the best courses in France, golf terms, the length of a course and five quizzes to test yourself. And to play: 686 golf courses across the 13 regions, from French Ministry of Sports and OpenStreetMap open data.
We do not make our own ranking. Here is the one published by Top100GolfCourses, a British site that ranks courses country by country, as we consulted it on 1 October 2026:
This ranking covers courses, not clubs: Les Bordes appears twice. The ten courses therefore belong to nine golf clubs.
A second ranking confirms the top of the list. GOLF Magazine places Morfontaine 38th in the world in its 2025-2026 edition. Top100GolfCourses ranks it 45th in the world and first in continental Europe.
Several of these clubs are private. Morfontaine only welcomes guests invited by one of its 450 members. Before you travel, check with the club that green fees are open to visitors.
Sources: Top100GolfCourses, France ranking and Morfontaine page, consulted on 1 October 2026 (the ranking shows no edition date); GOLF Magazine, Top 100 Courses in the World 2025-2026, Morfontaine page.
Number of golf courses with 9 holes or more in our database, last updated on 2026-10-01. See every golf course in France.
Our reviews are based on spec sheets and on buyer ratings published by retailers, never on a rating of our own.
Five putters from five brands, ranked from buyer ratings at Decathlon and Amazon France, collected on 1 October 2026. We did not have them in hand: the video explains the ranking rule, then how to choose for your stroke.
In France, people say "un parcours" or, more often, "un golf". The Rules of Golf call it the course: the whole playing area inside the boundaries set by the club. The course has five areas:
A full course has 18 holes. Many golf clubs also have a 9-hole course. The name changes with the terrain:
In French, "club" means both the association that runs the golf course and the stick that hits the ball. The club-house is the reception building.
Sources: Rules of Golf, R&A and USGA, 2023 edition, definition of the course; Top100GolfCourses, Morfontaine page, consulted on 1 October 2026.
Here are the words you will hear from your first round. When the French word differs, we give it in brackets: you will see it on scorecards and club notices.
Sources: French Golf Federation (ffgolf), "Le terrain de jeu" and "Comment ça marche, les classements au golf" (8 May 2026), consulted on 1 October 2026; Wikipedia, "Vocabulaire du golf" and "Slope rating", consulted on 1 October 2026.
An 18-hole course measures about 6 km and takes about 4 hours to play. A 9-hole course measures about 2.5 km. These are the figures given by the French Golf Federation.
Most 18-hole courses have a par of 70 to 72. The par of a hole depends on its length. The World Handicap System guidelines, for men:
For women, a par 3 goes up to 200 m and a par 5 from 340 to 550 m.
French courses give distances in metres: 100 m is about 109 yards.
The length also depends on the tee you play from. The French federation recommends a tee based on the length of your drive: white beyond 200 m, yellow from 180 to 200 m, blue from 160 to 180 m, red from 140 to 160 m, orange from 120 to 140 m, purple below that.
Two real examples: Morfontaine measures 6,001 m for a par of 70. The Old Course at St Andrews measures 7,305 yards, about 6,680 m, for a par of 72.
Short courses: a 9-hole compact course takes about 2 hours, with mostly par 3s. A pitch & putt has only par 3s of 90 m at most.
Sources: French Golf Federation, "Le terrain de jeu", consulted on 1 October 2026; National Club Golfer, World Handicap System par guidelines, 9 October 2024; Le Grand Club, ffgolf tee recommendations, 31 March 2025; Top100GolfCourses and Wikipedia, consulted on 1 October 2026.
The Old Course at St Andrews, in Scotland. Golf has been played there since the early 15th century, and it is known as the oldest golf course in the world.
The small stone Swilcan Bridge crosses the burn of the same name, between the 1st and 18th fairways. The course belongs to the public, under the care of a trust: visitors book their tee time.
In France, four golf clubs carry a comparable history:
Find the oldest courses in France on our page Golf courses in France.
Sources: Wikipedia, "Old Course at St Andrews" and "Golf de Chantilly", consulted on 1 October 2026; Data ES, French Ministry of Sports, extract of 1 October 2026; Pau Golf Club, club website, consulted on 1 October 2026; Top100GolfCourses, Morfontaine page; Le Golf National, Ryder Cup 2018 page, consulted on 1 October 2026.
10 questions, with the explanation for each answer. Open "See the answer" after each one.
In stroke play, who plays first on the next tee?
Answer C. This is called the honour: the best score on the previous hole tees off first (Rule 6.4). In a friendly round, "ready golf" is encouraged to save time.
Away from the tee, which player plays first?
Answer A. The ball farthest from the hole is played first (Rule 6.4). In stroke play, playing out of turn carries no penalty.
How long do the Rules recommend you take to play a stroke, once it is your turn?
Answer D. Rule 5.6 recommends playing in 40 seconds at most, and usually less. Prepare your shot while the others play.
Your ball stops on the green of another hole. What do you do?
Answer B. Playing from a wrong green is not allowed: relief is required and free (Rule 13.1f). It protects the green for other players.
After rain, your ball is embedded in its own pitch mark on the fairway.
Answer B. A ball embedded in the general area gives you free relief (Rule 16.3).
Your ball lies in a temporary puddle on the fairway.
Answer C. A temporary puddle is "temporary water": you can take free relief (Rule 16.1). It is not a penalty area.
While searching for your ball in the rough, you move it with your foot by accident.
Answer A. Since 2019, moving your ball by accident during a search costs nothing. You replace it on its original spot (Rule 7.4).
Your ball enters a penalty area marked with red stakes. What option does a red area add to a yellow one?
Answer D. Both areas let you replay from your previous spot or drop back on the line from the flagstick. A red area adds lateral relief within two club-lengths, with one penalty stroke (Rule 17.1).
Your ball bounces and hits your own bag by accident.
Answer A. Since 2019, a ball that hits the player or their equipment by accident carries no penalty (Rule 11.1).
In Stableford scoring, how many points is a par worth?
Answer B. In Stableford, a bogey is worth 1 point, a par 2 points, a birdie 3 points (Rule 21.1).
10 questions, with the explanation for each answer. Open "See the answer" after each one.
What do you call a hole played one stroke under par?
Answer D. Birdie: one under par. Eagle: two under. Albatross: three under. Bogey: one over.
You play a par 5 in 3 strokes. What is your score on this hole?
Answer A. 3 strokes on a par 5 is two under par: an eagle.
How many strokes under par is an albatross?
Answer C. The albatross, three under par, mostly happens on a par 5 played in 2 strokes. It is one of the rarest scores in golf.
You play a par 4 in 6 strokes. What is this score called?
Answer B. 6 strokes on a par 4 is two over par: a double bogey.
What is the fairway?
Answer D. The fairway links the tee to the green. The long grass along it is the rough, the short surface around the hole is the green.
What is a divot?
Answer C. A divot is the piece of turf taken out by an iron shot. You replace it or fill the hole with the sand provided. A ball mark on the green is repaired with a pitch-mark repairer.
What does the slope of a course measure?
Answer A. Slope compares how hard the course is for an average player and for a scratch player, with a handicap of 0. It runs from 55 to 155; 113 is a standard difficulty.
In France, what handicap index does a new player get in competition?
Answer B. The first index is 54, given after a first ranking competition. It then drops with your results (ffgolf, 8 May 2026).
What is a "hole in one"?
Answer C. A hole in one almost always happens on a par 3. On a par 3, it is also an eagle.
In a French golf club, what does the word "practice" mean?
Answer D. The practice is where you warm up and work on your shots: the driving range. The reception building is the club-house.
10 questions, with the explanation for each answer. Open "See the answer" after each one.
In which country is the Old Course at St Andrews?
Answer B. The Old Course is in St Andrews, on the east coast of Scotland. Golf has been played there since the early 15th century.
How many Opens has the Old Course hosted?
Answer D. 30 Opens, more than any other course. The last one was played in 2022.
In which year did the Old Course move to 18 holes, the format that became the standard?
Answer A. On 4 October 1764, short holes were combined and the course moved to 18 holes. 1552 is the year local people were granted the right to play.
Which body, born in St Andrews in 1754, writes the Rules of Golf outside the United States and Mexico today?
Answer C. The "Society of St Andrews Golfers", founded in 1754, became the R&A. It writes the Rules with the USGA.
What does the most photographed little stone bridge on the Old Course cross?
Answer A. The Swilcan Bridge crosses the burn of the same name, between the 1st and 18th fairways. The Barry Burn runs through Carnoustie.
How many double greens, shared by two holes, does the Old Course have?
Answer B. Seven double greens and four single greens: holes 1, 9, 17 and 18.
Who redesigned the Morfontaine course in the late 1920s?
Answer D. Tom Simpson redesigned Morfontaine, today number one in France for Top100GolfCourses. He also reworked Chantilly in 1920.
Before it became a golf course in 1913, what was the Morfontaine site?
Answer C. The Duc de Guiche turned his polo ground into a golf course in 1913. The redesigned 18 holes opened in 1927.
How many French Opens did Chantilly host between 1913 and 1990?
Answer B. Chantilly, founded in 1909, hosted 11 editions of the French Open between 1913 and 1990.
Who was the last winner of an Open played on the Old Course, in 2022?
Answer A. Cameron Smith won the 150th Open in 2022 with 268 strokes, 20 under par.
10 questions, with the explanation for each answer. Open "See the answer" after each one.
At which golf club was the 2018 Ryder Cup played?
Answer C. The 2018 Ryder Cup was played on the Albatros course of Le Golf National, in Guyancourt (Yvelines). It was the first in France.
What was the final score of the 2018 Ryder Cup?
Answer B. Europe won 17.5 to 10.5. More than 270,000 spectators came, according to Le Golf National.
In which year was the French Open created?
Answer D. Created in 1906, it is the oldest national championship in continental Europe. Le Golf National hosted it for the first time in 1991.
According to Data ES, the French Ministry of Sports register, which is the oldest golf course in France?
Answer A. Data ES gives 1856 for Pau, located in Billère. Next come Biarritz le Phare (1888), Compiègne (1896) and Dieppe Pourville (1897).
Which golfer won the Olympic gold medal at Le Golf National in 2024?
Answer C. Lydia Ko won the women's gold at Paris 2024. In the men's event, Scottie Scheffler won and France's Victor Perez finished 4th.
Which region has the most golf courses with 9 holes or more in our database, as of 1 October 2026?
Answer D. Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes has 94 golf courses in our database, ahead of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (92) and Île-de-France (81).
In which département is Morfontaine, the number one course in France for Top100GolfCourses?
Answer B. Morfontaine is in Mortefontaine, in the Oise, a few kilometres from Chantilly.
How many clubs does the French Golf Federation announce?
Answer A. The ffgolf announces 716 clubs. As of 1 October 2026, our database keeps 686 golf courses with 9 holes or more listed in a public database.
In which year was the French Open first played at Le Golf National?
Answer D. Le Golf National, opened in 1990 according to Data ES, hosted the French Open for the first time in 1991.
How many 18-hole courses does Chantilly have?
Answer C. Chantilly has two 18-hole courses: the Vineuil, reworked by Tom Simpson in 1920, and a second one completed in 1990 by Donald Steel.
10 questions, with the explanation for each answer. Open "See the answer" after each one.
What is the putter for?
Answer A. The putter rolls the ball towards the hole.
Which club do you reach for first to get the ball out of a greenside bunker?
Answer C. The sand wedge has a wide sole that glides through the sand without digging in. Hence its name.
What is the driver mainly for?
Answer B. The driver is the longest club with the least loft, putter aside. It is used mainly from the tee on par 4s and par 5s.
Between a 5-iron and a 9-iron, which one sends the ball higher and shorter?
Answer D. The higher the number, the more loft on the face: the ball flies higher and lands shorter.
Which club often replaces the long irons, which are harder to play?
Answer B. The hybrid combines the head of a wood and the length of an iron. It often replaces the 3 and 4-irons.
Where are you allowed to put your ball on a tee?
Answer A. A tee is only allowed in the teeing area (Rule 6.2). Elsewhere, the ball is played from the ground.
What minimum diameter do the Rules set for a golf ball?
Answer C. The ball measures at least 42.67 mm across and weighs at most 45.93 g, under the R&A and USGA equipment rules.
What is a pitch-mark repairer for?
Answer D. The repairer lifts the turf pushed down by the impact of a ball. You mark the spot of a lifted ball with a ball marker or a coin.
Is a rangefinder allowed on the course?
Answer A. Rule 4.3 allows devices that measure distance, unless the committee bans them with a local rule.
Which clubs do you most often use on a pitch & putt course?
Answer B. Pitch & putt holes measure 90 m at most: a pitching wedge and a putter are enough in most cases.
Free guide, 12 pages, open access, in French
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