Golf de Saint Martin de Crau

Saint-Martin-de-Crau sits at the edge of the Crau plain, one of the most distinctive landscapes in southern France — a vast, stony alluvial expanse stretching between the Alpilles and the Camargue that feels unlike anywhere else in Provence. This short course occupies terrain shaped by centuries of shepherd culture and the relentless Mistral wind, which funnels down the Rhône valley and makes club selection a constant recalculation, even on a layout of this length.

At par 31, this is an executive or short course format, best suited to beginners building their game, experienced players looking for a quick round, or anyone wanting to sharpen their short-iron and wedge play. Courses of this type in the Bouches-du-Rhône region tend to feature compact, walkable designs where the Mediterranean light and garrigue vegetation — scrub oak, wild rosemary, dry grasses — give the surroundings more character than the distances might suggest.

The greater Arles and Salon-de-Provence area offers a genuinely unhurried version of Provençal golf, far from the glamour of the Côte d'Azur, with a sense of playing in a working agricultural landscape rather than a manicured resort bubble.