Three golf courses in the Centre-Val de Loire

The great outdoor sport par excellence, golf has the particularity of seeing its playing field change with its surroundings. In the Valley of the Kings, where Renaissance castles dot the meanders of the Loire, golf in the Loire Valley belongs to a true land of golfing tradition.

Three outstanding courses

Established in 1973 at Ballan-Miré, the Golf de Touraine is an emblematic course set in a hilly, wooded landscape. We owe its snail-shaped 18-hole layout — technical and tricky, dotted with natural water hazards — to Briton Michael Fenn. Built in 1988 on the site of the Château d’Ardrée, the Golf Bluegreen Tours Ardrée is another 18-hole gem, designed by Olivier Brizon over 70 hectares. Finally, the Château de Cheverny — which inspired Hergé’s Marlinspike Hall — hosts an 18-hole course by Olivier Van Der Vynckt, laid out around the Rousselière pond.

The 19th hole is played at Loire Valley Lodges

Golf is a matter of the mind, a story of body and spirit. And that is just as well, because Loire Valley Lodges knows how to care for both. The Duporterie forest — 300 private hectares in Indre-et-Loire — offers a powerful immersion thanks to its perched lodges. A golf break in the Loire Valley comes in two options of 2 or 3 days, and golf in the Loire Valley has rarely felt so restorative.

The setting is ideal for the tradition of the 19th hole — the one not played on a course but celebrated as a moment of utter relaxation. Private hot tub, spa, gourmet meal: why choose when you can have it all?