Location: Morfontaine, Oise, France | Ranking: #81
Designer: Tom Simpson (1927) | Type: Heathland | Access: Introduction only
Editor’s Note: Morfontaine is France’s most private and most revered golf club — a Tom Simpson heathland masterpiece north of Paris that rivals Sunningdale and Walton Heath for pure design quality. The combination of purple heather, silver birch, mature oak and Simpson’s brilliant strategic routing produces a round of golf that feels entirely English despite being deep in the Picardy countryside. Access through French corporate networks or golf architecture society introductions; the effort defines commitment.
Travel & Logistics
- Airport: Paris CDG — 30 mins | The club is 40km north of Paris in the Oise département.
- Access: Introduction through membership only. No visitor access without a member host. | Rating / Slope: 73.2 / 135
Championship Scorecard
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | OUT |
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 36 |
| Yards | 388 | 415 | 175 | 508 | 395 | 412 | 182 | 405 | 525 | 3,405 |
| Hole | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | IN | TOTAL |
| Par | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 36 | 71 |
| Yards | 402 | 168 | 418 | 520 | 395 | 415 | 178 | 408 | 528 | 3,432 | 6,837 |
Par 4Par 3Par 5
Key Notes & 19th Hole
- Simpson’s Legacy: Tom Simpson also designed Ballybunion Old and Cruden Bay — his strategic intelligence is consistent throughout. At Morfontaine the sandy soil, heather rough and angled green complexes demand imaginative play and reward the thinking golfer absolutely.
- The Forêt de Morfontaine: The course is set within a private forest estate — the woodland walks between holes and the silence of the Picardy countryside give Morfontaine an atmosphere of complete retreat from the world.
- Paris: 40 minutes south — the Louvre, Marais district dining and the finest patisseries on earth. Paris hotels via Expedia →