Evian Resort Golf Club

At 6,693 yards off the back tees and playing to a par of 72, The Champions Course is not a monster by modern standards. What stands out is how well it uses the hillside terrain. The layout shifts constantly in elevation, angle and character, so no two holes feel the same. One moment you are driving downhill with the lake spread out ahead of you, the next you are hitting a long iron uphill into a green that slopes sharply away, with the Alps filling the skyline behind the flag.

The par threes are where the course really shows its teeth. The second plays severely downhill, making club selection genuinely tricky as the wind moves unpredictably between the trees. The fifth guards its green with water to the front and right, demanding a committed carry rather than a hopeful poke. The sixteenth is a short downhill par three with a bowl-shaped green that looks straightforward from the tee and can catch you out if you get too casual with club selection.

The par fives give you the birdie chances you need to stay in contention. The ninth can be reached in two with a solid drive, and the closing eighteenth brings you to a two-tiered green at the end of a hole that has decided more than one Major. The greens throughout are contoured and quick, rewarding players who read them properly and punishing anyone who drifts to the wrong side of the hole.

The minimum handicap index is 35, so the course is open to a wide range of amateur players. But this is a layout that asks you to think on every shot, and one that will play differently each time depending on the wind coming off the lake. If you want to know what it feels like to compete on a genuine Major venue, this is as close as most of us will get.

Added to the Evian Resort Golf Club's offering in 2020, The Lake Course sits within the Academy site and was designed by architect Dave Sampson. At 885 metres (968 yards) across six par threes, it is a very different proposition to the Champions Course, but it is not a pushover.

Sampson has made clever use of the terrain and the elevated setting, positioning tee boxes to suit all ability levels while keeping the greens firm, true and technically demanding. The views of Lake Geneva from this course are, if anything, even more immediate than those from the main layout, and the whole loop can be completed in under 90 minutes. That makes it an ideal warm-up, a quick evening round or a genuinely enjoyable standalone experience for beginners or those travelling with non-golfers.

Sitting within the Academy complex, it also means you can move seamlessly between a coaching session, a stint on the driving range and a competitive round on the Lake Course in a single visit. For golfers who want to sharpen their game while still playing in this setting, it is a useful and well-thought-out addition to the resort's offering.

The Academy at Evian Resort Golf Club is a serious coaching and practice environment, built around a partnership with Callaway as a High Performance Partner. The range is equipped with modern launch monitor technology and video analysis systems, and instruction is available from the resident team of PGA professionals at all levels, from beginner group sessions through to individual performance coaching.

Guests staying at Le Manoir receive unlimited range access with balls included, which makes it easy to work on something specific between rounds at no extra cost.

Evian Resort Golf Club is for golfers who want more than just a good course. The Champions Course is a legitimate Major venue with over a century of history, a setting that is hard to match anywhere in European golf and a layout that will challenge and reward you in equal measure. The Lake Course adds flexibility and variety. The accommodation, dining and leisure options across the wider resort are among the best you will find at any golf destination in France.

It works particularly well for couples, smaller groups and golfers who want championship golf without giving up the comfort of a full resort set-up. If you are building a France golf holiday and want something that will genuinely stay with you, this is where to start.