Providence, France to house new golf course
A new golf course is set to open in the Provence region of France - just 45 minutes from the city of Marseille - this June.
The new layout, part of the Domaine de Manville country 'Palace Hotel', is the creation of golf architect Thierry Sprecher.
Sprecher - famed for letting natural terrain influence design - has sculpted more than 50 courses in 12 countries during his 30-year career. Patrick Saut - a successful businessmen - and his wife Edith were responsible for the creation of Domaine de Manville.
"We had lived away from our beloved Alpilles [in the mountains south of Avignon] yet we still dreamt of the olive groves, the vineyards, the countryside of pines and rock and the sound of the Provence wind," said Patrick.
"We knew we would come back one day."
British architect Martin Hawtree originally laid down nine holes in 1989, but that design has now been replaced.
The striking new layout features raised tee grounds, panoramic views and narrow fairways, with olive trees and natural streams acting as the course's defences.
The course opens in September 2014, but hotel guests will have exclusive access from June.
"We knew this was the place. Everything was here. The architecture, the local produce, the food," adds Patrick.
"All we had to do was work with it. This is our home, and we want our guests to feel it is their home, too."
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