Quality comes at a cost

At the Royal Mougins Golf 18-hole championship course, it’s surprisingly easy for guests to book a tee time on a weekday morning before it gets too hot, which is highly recommended.

A later – and often cheaper – tee time is possible, however, as the buggy is invariably included in the green fee price. However, the price is set high enough that the course is primarily played by club members and the lucky people who have invested in a vacation home located on the course.

In fact, it feels like the buildings are almost halfway in on holes 5, 8, 11, 12 and 15. So an off-center shot here can easily end up inside the cool drinks that you imagine have taken up permanent residence on the decking behind the hedges.

The 18 holes don’t play for less than 120 euros, so many will probably choose to play two other courses for the same money. But for something spectacular, Royal Mougins Golf Resort is a great option.

There is nothing missing

Upon arrival, it is immediately apparent that this is an extraordinary facility. It is large and the parking lot is divided into two areas for members and guests.

From the moment you enter the building, you realize that there are always staff in the reception, restaurant, changing rooms, shop and buggy garage. And everyone is on hand to help give guests the best possible experience. However, you have to hit the ball yourself, and caddies are – after all – not in play either.

On the other hand, it is recommended that you buy a “Plan du parcours”, as the signage on the course is surprisingly not very good. The course guide provides good information about the challenges on each hole. And thanks to the map, we managed to find our way from hole 4 to hole 5 without getting lost.

Difficult layout requires course management and good technique

Royal Mougins Golf is not one of the oldest courses. Designed by world-famous American architect Robert von Hagge, it opened in 1993.

The course architect, who passed away at the age of 83 in 2010, is famous for challenging the golfer in both thoughtfulness and talent, and has expressed it in these words: “Hazards are not intended as penalty areas, but as signage to guide the player.

If the player decides to challenge them, or if the player misreads the signs or makes bad golf shots, they become penalty areas. And at Royal Mougins, bravado is punished. At the same time, the fairways are criss-crossed with undulations everywhere, so you almost never hit the ball from a horizontal stance.

On the other hand, the par 71 course measures only 5,393 meters from the yellow tee. This reduces the difficulty of the course for most golfers who know how to play short and accurate with a well-considered club selection. If they succeed, it quickly becomes a pleasure to play a round of golf on this superb course.

Butterflies on hole 1

With a little nervous tension in your stomach, you stand on hole 1, a mere 295 meters long par 4 hole, and try to get your heart rate down before driving the ball into the left side of the fairway, which slopes down to the right.

I can’t reach the fairway bunker anyway, so it ends with a quite successful shot. From there, a manageable second shot to the green, so you might be able to move on with a good score. As soon as we step out onto the fairway, you can see and feel that the course is in a class of its own.

The green proves to be hospitable and cut to a good speed without being unmanageable for regular amateur golfers.

The signature hole

It’s always nice to get off to a good start. Both me and my playing partner reasonably managed to putt on hole 1 and confidently drove on to hole 2. We had been warned that hole 2 is special, but on the tee, we still lost our breath. However, we did enjoy the magnificent views down to the green and out into the Mougin Valley.

From the tee, the ball must be hit 143 meters into the air, while at the same time the hole has a 30 meter drop down to a green, which is defended by a lake in front and green bunkers on both sides at the back. After proper photography, we closed our eyes and sent both balls out into the hot southern French air, after which we marked the hole and drove on to hole 3. With 4 lost balls, it was a very special experience, and an almost premature highlight of the round.

You can see where to hit the ball

From hole 3, the course changes character to a more open parkland course. A couple of landscaped lakes and trimmed deciduous trees and cypresses between holes make it relatively easy to play forward on two par-5 holes of just 425 and 437 meters in length.

On hole 6 you should wisely lay up your 2nd shot in front of a crossing stream by the green if you’re not quite sure you have enough length, and at the 7th tee came the surprise of the day.

If you’ve played Swedish courses, you’ve also enjoyed the traditional sausages after hole 9. At Royal Mougins, there were no hot dogs at the small concession stand, but you could use the restroom and help yourself to cold drinks and snacks for a fee before heading out onto the narrow hole 7. The kiosk is located out on the course, as you actually play the rest of the front 9 and most of the back 9 far away from the clubhouse, and only come back with holes 17 and 18.

The challenges were lining up

The course kept offering new moments of excitement hole by hole, so it never became monotonous or boring. Holes 9 and 18 require a choice of direction on a two-tiered fairway, while a well-placed cross creek on hole 12 and a blind tee shot on hole 13 provide other headaches.

It’s also remarkable that the majority of the course’s holes are oriented north-south. That way, you always feel that there is a little bit of wind from the coast, which played with or against. Fortunately, it also cooled us down a bit at the end of the round when the midday heat picked up.

Behind holes 15 and 16 you get a glimpse of the well-designed practice facility. From here you head home with a manageable par-3 hole as the penultimate before being challenged by a very well-designed risk-reward 18th hole, where almost anything can happen.

Many of the better players will be able to reach the par-5 green in two shots, but there are as many ways to play the hole as there are golfers. And the penalty for missing the fairway is severe. A perfect finishing hole or replay hole in any tournament.

Hole 19 is not bad either

After spending a tidy sum playing Royal Mougins Golf’s enchanting course, you should take the time and money to enjoy a meal as well. This can be enjoyed in the shade on the terrace of Le Royal Gardens restaurant while enjoying the views of the course.

Both the food and service are top-notch, offering many French and international specialties that are tasty without being flashy gourmet dishes.

In other words, you can sit in your golf clothes without falling through on etiquette, and everything is done in a good and unpretentious atmosphere.

By Mikael Mortensen / 2021