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Golf guide • France • Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Golf in Lyon: the bends of the Rhône by day, great tables by night

Lyon makes for a short, gourmet golf trip: half an hour from the centre, the Golf Club de Lyon has two 18-hole courses, Hugues Lambert's Les Sangliers beside the Rhône and Fred Hawtree's Les Brocards in the woods, both former hosts of the French Open. The Chassieu course rounds out the choice on the edge of the city. Golfers come as much for the food as for the golf, from April to June and in September and October.

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Lyon is not a golf destination in the way Scotland is: it is a great city of gastronomy that is lucky enough to have, thirty kilometres to the east, one of the most decorated clubs in France. The Golf Club de Lyon was founded in 1919 at Oullins, at the initiative of Mme Edmond Gillet, recently returned from the United States. Driven out by the route of the western bypass in the 1960s, it moved to Villette-d'Anthon, on the plain of the Ain and the Rhône, where it built two courses in turn.

Les Brocards, designed by Fred Hawtree, hosted the French Open as early as 1979; Les Sangliers, opened in 1991 among the Rhône's backwaters, followed suit in 2001, when José María Olazábal won there. Two courses of woods and water, flat and easy to walk, a quarter of an hour from the airport. Closer to the city, the hilly, unpretentious Chassieu course fits neatly into half a day.

The rest of the trip is spent at the table and on foot. The traboules of Vieux Lyon, the market hall at the Part-Dieu, a bouchon with checked tablecloths, dinner at Collonges at Bocuse: two to four nights are enough to play both courses at the Golf Club de Lyon and get a taste of the city. Those wanting more golf can head out to the lakes of the Dombes, some forty minutes to the north-east.

The courses

Green and pale sand bunker in front of a reed-fringed pond, a large oak and woods behind at dawn

Golf Club de Lyon, parcours des Sangliers

  • Architect: Hugues Lambert
  • Opened 1991
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Opened in 1991, Les Sangliers is the work of the French architect Hugues Lambert, who made the most of the bends of the Rhône: six holes run along the river and water comes into play on eight of them. A par 72 of 6,575 metres from the back tees, it winds between oak woods, backwaters and reed beds on almost flat ground. It is the club's championship course: the European Tour came here in 1994, then for the 2001 French Open, won by José María Olazábal. Demanding from the back tees, it remains playable for a good club golfer willing to aim for the middle of the greens.

Signature hole. The 5th, a par 5 of 515 metres from the black tees: a tee shot over water between the trees, a water hazard along the second shot and a raised green guarded by three bunkers.

Official website

Golf Club de Lyon, parcours des Brocards

  • Architect: Fred Hawtree
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

The first of the two courses at Villette-d'Anthon, designed by the Englishman Fred Hawtree in the early 1960s, Les Brocards is played through the woods: tees set in tree-lined corridors, doglegs shaped by rows of oaks and pines, and bunkers placed around 200 metres out on most of the par 4s. A par 72 of 6,105 metres, shorter and more intimate than Les Sangliers, it nonetheless hosted the 1979 French Open, won by Bernard Gallacher. Costantino Rocca shot a 63 here in 1993. A course of precision, ideal for a first day, that finishes on a par 3.

Signature hole. The 6th, the hardest hole on the card: a par 5 that doglegs right, driven from a wooded corridor, where the second or third shot still has to carry a strip of woodland.

Official website

Golf Bluegreen Grand Lyon Chassieu

  • Opened 1989
  • 18 holes
  • Par 70

A quarter of an hour from the centre, on the eastern side of the city, the Bluegreen Chassieu course opened in 1989. Its 18 holes, a par 70 of around 5,900 metres, are fairly hilly, with wide fairways and greens defended by numerous bunkers. It is not a destination course in itself, but a practical option for a late-afternoon round or a warm-up on the range before heading to Les Sangliers. A six-hole compact course lets you replay a few shots, and the course is open all year round.

Official website

Where to stay

Cour des Loges

Four Renaissance houses in Vieux Lyon, linked by a galleried inner courtyard, make up this five-star hotel, which reopened in May 2025 under the Radisson Collection banner. Take breakfast in the Grande Cour and dine at Le Comptoir, whose terrace on Place du Petit Collège escapes the crowds. Les Loges, chef Anthony Bonnet's Michelin-starred table, set in the Florentine courtyard beneath a seventeen-metre glass roof, opens for dinner only, Tuesday to Saturday.

Villa Florentine

On Fourvière hill, this former 17th-century convent, a member of Relais & Châteaux, reopened in 2026 after a complete renovation by Joséphine Fossey. Ask for a Deluxe Terrace room or the Junior Suite Vue Saint-Jean, and take an aperitif at Segreto, the house's hidden bar. A heated outdoor pool and private parking with valet service: the golf bags go in the car without tackling the narrow lanes of Vieux Lyon.

Where to dine

Paul Bocuse – L'Auberge du Pont de Collonges

At Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or, on the banks of the Saône some twenty minutes from the centre, the inn where Paul Bocuse was born and died held three stars from 1965 to 2019, a record. It has two today, and two Meilleurs Ouvriers de France, Gilles Reinhardt and Olivier Couvin, still serve the VGE truffle soup and sea bass en croûte. Open Wednesday to Sunday; smart dress is expected.

Daniel & Denise

Joseph Viola, Meilleur Ouvrier de France, took over this Rue de Créqui bouchon from Daniel Léron in 2004, then opened two more, in Saint-Jean and the Croix-Rousse, all three with a Bib Gourmand. Share the pâté en croûte with foie gras and sweetbreads, world champion in 2009, then order the pike quenelle with Nantua sauce. From Vieux Lyon, book Saint-Jean, on Rue Tramassac: closed Sunday and Monday.

Bouchon dining room with red and white checked tablecloths, a wooden counter, copper pans and carafes of red wine

Beyond golf

Vieux Lyon and its traboules

The historic site of Lyon has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998. Between Saint-Jean, Saint-Paul and Saint-Georges, the traboules, passageways that cut through buildings from one street to the next, open onto Renaissance courtyards with galleries and stair towers. Then climb to Fourvière by funicular or by the steps of the Jardin du Rosaire to take in the whole city at a glance.

Les Halles de Lyon-Paul Bocuse

Opened in 1971 at the Part-Dieu and renamed in the chef's honour in 2007, the market hall brings together some sixty traders: cheeses from La Mère Richard, charcuterie, Bresse poultry, oysters. Come on a Saturday late in the morning for a platter and a glass of white at the counter, before an afternoon tee time.

The Beaujolais des Pierres Dorées

Half an hour to the north-west, the villages of ochre limestone houses in the south of the Beaujolais, such as Oingt and Theizé, look down over the gamay vines. A rest day is easily planned around a tasting at an estate, a village lunch and the cru route further north, from Brouilly to Moulin-à-Vent.

Ochre, pink and yellow houses with grey shutters lined along a stone quay, a wooded hill behind at sunset

When to go

Spring, from April to June, and early autumn, from September to mid-October, are the best periods: mild temperatures, courses in good condition, golden light on the woods of Les Sangliers. Summer is hot, often above 30 °C in July and August, and best played early in the morning. Winter in Lyon is cool and often misty; the courses stay open, but the days are short and the fairways sometimes waterlogged.

Getting there

Lyon-Saint-Exupéry airport (LYS) is half an hour from the centre by car or by the Rhônexpress tram, and just a quarter of an hour from the Golf Club de Lyon. From Paris, the TGV reaches Part-Dieu in about two hours. A car remains essential for Villette-d'Anthon, about 35 minutes from the centre.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course near Lyon?

Les Sangliers at the Golf Club de Lyon, at Villette-d'Anthon, designed by Hugues Lambert along the Rhône. It hosted the 2001 French Open, won by José María Olazábal.

How many courses does the Golf Club de Lyon have?

Two 18-hole courses, both par 72: Les Brocards, designed by Fred Hawtree in the 1960s, and Les Sangliers, opened in 1991. Visitors are welcome on payment of a green fee.

How far is the Golf Club de Lyon from the city?

About 35 minutes by car from central Lyon and a quarter of an hour from Lyon-Saint-Exupéry airport.

When is the best time to play golf in Lyon?

From April to June and from September to mid-October. Summer is hot and best played early in the morning; winter is cool and misty, with courses open but often damp.

How many days do you need for a golf trip to Lyon?

Two to four nights: one course at the Golf Club de Lyon each day, and the rest of the time for Vieux Lyon, the market hall and a great restaurant.

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Your golf trip: Lyon

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