Golf de Cognac

Few places on earth anchor a golf course so completely to its surroundings as this one. Golf de Cognac sits in the heart of Charente, the department that gives the world's most celebrated brandy its name, and the course rolls through the same gentle limestone plateaus and river valleys that define the appellation. The layout was designed by Paul Rolin and opened in the early 1990s, occupying agricultural land on the outskirts of Saint-Brice, a village just south of Cognac itself. Mature trees frame many of the fairways, and on calm mornings the air carries that faint, sweetish trace the locals call the "angels' share" — evaporation drifting from the hundreds of ageing chai warehouses nearby.

The course plays to a par 71 across just under 6,000 metres from the back markers, with a layout that rewards accuracy over raw power. The terrain is mostly flat to gently undulating, making it walkable and approachable, though several tree-lined corridors demand straight driving.

For visiting golfers, the appeal extends well beyond the round itself. Cognac town is a short drive away, offering maison tours, riverside dining, and one of southwestern France's most distinctive regional identities. This is unhurried, agricultural France — and the golf fits that register perfectly.