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Golf guide • France • Auvergne

Golf in Clermont-Ferrand: playing at the foot of the Puy de Dôme

Clermont-Ferrand, in the heart of the Auvergne, is played first and foremost at the Golf des Volcans, an 18-hole par 72 by Lucien Roux at Orcines, at the foot of the Puy de Dôme, which hosted the Challenge Tour's Open des Volcans from 1992 to 2007. The Royat-Charade nine-hole and the Val d'Auzon compact course round out a short trip that combines upland golf, the UNESCO-listed Chaîne des Puys and fine dining. The season runs from May to October.

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Clermont-Ferrand is a dark city in the literal sense: its cathedral, its mansions and many of its façades are built of Volvic stone, a grey lava quarried a few kilometres away. To the west, the Chaîne des Puys lines up eighty dormant volcanoes over some thirty kilometres, and the Puy de Dôme, at 1,465 metres, towers over them all. Golf here is played on this edge of the plateau, between 800 and 900 metres above sea level, twenty minutes from Place de Jaude.

The region is not a mass-market golf destination, and that is its appeal. The benchmark course is the Golf des Volcans at Orcines, where Martin Kaymer won the Open des Volcans in 2006, two years before winning on the European Tour. Around it, the offer is more modest: a historic nine-hole at Royat, an 18-hole compact course south of the city and, about fifty minutes away, the old Vichy course designed by Arnaud Massy.

Three or four nights are enough. Play Les Bruyères twice, keep a morning for riding the rack railway up the Puy de Dôme and an afternoon for the old town, between the Romanesque basilica of Notre-Dame-du-Port and the Montferrand quarter. Evenings are spent at the table: the city and its surroundings have several Michelin-starred restaurants, including a two-star at Durtol, on the road to the golf course.

The courses

Green with a yellow flag surrounded by heather and russet bracken, birches and volcanic hills

Golf des Volcans, parcours Les Bruyères

  • Architect: Lucien Roux
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

The Orcines club was founded in 1984 with nine holes; today it has thirty-six, including Les Bruyères, an 18-hole par 72 of 6,495 metres from the black tees. Lucien Roux laid it out among pines, birches and heather, on rolling ground that involves a few climbs on foot, with the outline of the Puy de Dôme as a backdrop. The fairways are generous, but the multi-tiered greens make the difference. For sixteen years, from 1992 to 2007, it hosted the Challenge Tour's Open des Volcans. The nine-hole Les Fougères and the Pariou compact course complete the offer.

Official website

Golf de Royat-Charade

  • 9 holes

Above Royat, at 840 metres and ten minutes from Place de Jaude, Royat-Charade is one of the oldest golf courses in the Auvergne, with a history going back to 1930. Its nine holes are played twice from different tees on the way out and back, which makes it a genuine eighteen. The ground is steep, the greens highly regarded, and the view stretches over Clermont, the Limagne plain and the Monts du Forez, with the Puy de Dôme close by. Ideal for the end of the day.

Golf du Val d'Auzon

  • Opened 2011
  • 18 holes
  • Par 54

Opened in 2011 at Le Crest, south of Clermont, the Val d'Auzon is a compact course: eighteen par 3s of 40 to 125 metres, par 54, set in a protected natural area beside the Auzon. It is not a championship course, but an excellent place to work on the short game, a two-hour round between two visits or an introduction for a beginner partner. The covered, floodlit driving range and the market cooking at Le Bistronome, open at lunchtime, make it a pleasant stop ten minutes from Saint-Saturnin.

Official website

Sporting Club de Vichy

  • Architect: Arnaud Massy
  • 18 holes
  • Par 70

For a second major course, head to Vichy, about fifty minutes north by motorway. The Sporting Club at Bellerive-sur-Allier, on the left bank of the river, was laid out in the early 20th century by Arnaud Massy, the first Frenchman to win the Open Championship, in 1907. This flat, tree-lined par 70 plays the old-fashioned way, towards raised, well-defended greens. A fine day out combined with a stroll through the spa town and its covered galleries.

Official website

Where to stay

Hôtel Princesse Flore

In Royat, the spa town adjoining Clermont, this five-star hotel occupies a late 19th-century building. Thirty-seven rooms and suites, two restaurants, including La Flèche d'Argent in the evening, and a rooftop bar open from June to September, with views over the city. The Royatonic thermal centre is next door, and both the Golf des Volcans and Royat-Charade are a quarter of an hour's drive away: the most practical base for golf.

Château Royal de Saint-Saturnin

Built in the 13th century by the La Tour d'Auvergne family, this lava-stone château overlooks the village of Saint-Saturnin, some twenty kilometres south of Clermont. Its five rooms and suites are open all year round. Breakfast is served in the vaulted dining room by the fireplace, and the library and the four-hectare park are reserved for guests. There is no lift and there are plenty of steps. The Val d'Auzon is ten minutes away.

Medieval château in dark lava stone, a round tower and tiled roofs, a garden of clipped box

Where to dine

Le Pré - Xavier Beaudiment

Holding two Michelin stars, Xavier Beaudiment's restaurant is at Durtol, on the road to Orcines and the golf course. Every morning the chef forages many of the wild plants he cooks, and his menus follow the day rather than the season. The house opens only from Thursday to Sunday: book lunch on the way back from a morning round at the Volcans, or one of the five rooms to stay the night.

L'Alambic

Since 1996, on rue Sainte-Claire in the Saint-Alyre quarter, L'Alambic has served Auvergne cooking in a bistro setting left just as it was: pounti, green Puy lentil salad, Gerzat-style pansette, truffade. Order the aligot, stretched before your eyes and served with sausage, then the cheeses matured by the Nivesse cheese shop. Closed on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesday lunchtimes; the house prefers bookings by phone.

Auberge de la Baraque

A former 19th-century coaching inn at Orcines, a few minutes from the Golf des Volcans, the auberge holds a Bib Gourmand. Géraldine Laubrières cooks a traditionally inspired menu, beef cheek with gentian or wild boar royale. Save room for the soufflé, whose flavour changes with the season. Open Thursday to Sunday; the last lunch guests are seated at 1.30 pm, so do not linger on the 18th.

Beyond golf

The Puy de Dôme and the Chaîne des Puys

The Chaîne des Puys and the Limagne Fault have been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2018. The Panoramique des Dômes, a rack railway, climbs in a quarter of an hour to the summit of the Puy de Dôme, at 1,465 metres, from where you can see the line of volcanoes and, on a clear day, the Sancy. The Chemin des Muletiers lets you make the ascent on foot in just under an hour.

The city of lava

The black Gothic cathedral of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption is built of Volvic stone. A few streets away, the Romanesque basilica of Notre-Dame-du-Port is World Heritage-listed as part of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela. Allow time, too, for a stroll through the old town of Montferrand, joined to Clermont in 1630, and its Renaissance mansions.

L'Aventure Michelin

Clermont-Ferrand has been the home of Michelin since 1889. The L'Aventure Michelin museum, on Rue du Clos-Four, traces the company's history, from the detachable tyre to the red and green guides, with Bibendum as the common thread. A visit of an hour and a half, ideal for a rainy afternoon.

Cobbled lane lined with houses of black lava stone, wrought-iron balconies and a Gothic spire

When to go

The season runs from May to October. At 800 or 900 metres, summers stay pleasant when the plain heats up, with frequent late-afternoon storms. September and early October are the finest months: dry air, crisp light and the first russet tones on the birches. The Golf des Volcans stays open all year, but winter brings frost and sometimes snow, and spring arrives late on the plateau.

Getting there

Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne airport (CFE), at Aulnat, is a quarter of an hour from the centre, with flights from Paris and a few European cities. From Paris-Bercy, the direct train takes about three and a half hours. By road, the A71 reaches Paris in four hours and Lyon in two. Allow twenty minutes from the centre to the Golf des Volcans.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course near Clermont-Ferrand?

Les Bruyères at the Golf des Volcans, Orcines: an 18-hole par 72 designed by Lucien Roux at the foot of the Puy de Dôme, which hosted the Challenge Tour's Open des Volcans from 1992 to 2007.

How many golf courses are there around Clermont-Ferrand?

Within thirty minutes: the Golf des Volcans (18 and 9 holes, plus a compact course), the Royat-Charade nine-hole and the Val d'Auzon compact course of eighteen par 3s. The 18-hole Sporting Club de Vichy is about fifty minutes away.

When is the best time to play golf in the Auvergne?

From May to October. The courses of the Chaîne des Puys are at altitude: summers there stay temperate, but winter brings frost and snow.

How many days do you need for a golf trip to Clermont-Ferrand?

Three to four nights: two rounds at the Volcans, one at Royat-Charade or Vichy, and half a day for the Puy de Dôme.

How do you get to Clermont-Ferrand for a golf trip?

By air to Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne airport, a quarter of an hour from the centre, or by direct train from Paris-Bercy in about three and a half hours.

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