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Golf guide • France • Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône)

Golf in Salon-de-Provence: Seve's signature between the Alpilles and the Crau

Salon-de-Provence, between the Alpilles, the Crau plain and the Étang de Berre, is the base for three eighteen-hole courses: Pont Royal at Mallemort, the only layout by Severiano Ballesteros in France, twenty-five minutes away, Golf Ouest Provence Miramas twenty minutes away, and Château l'Arc, facing the Sainte-Victoire, three-quarters of an hour away. Golfers come for golf among pines and garrigue, a town on a human scale and serious tables, ideally in spring and autumn.

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Salon has neither the fame of Aix nor that of Avignon, and that is what makes it a good base. The old centre is easily explored on foot beneath the Château de l'Empéri, from the Porte de l'Horloge, completed in 1664, to the Fontaine Moussue, which limestone and moss have turned into a large green mushroom. Nostradamus lived here from 1547 until his death in 1566, and the Patrouille de France, the French air force display team, is based at the town's air base.

The golf is all within a short radius. To the north-east, at Mallemort near the Durance, Pont Royal, designed by Severiano Ballesteros, is the course that justifies the trip. To the south-west, Miramas offers a simpler, unfussy layout among pines. For a third day, Château l'Arc, at Fuveau, is worth the forty-five-minute drive for its views of the Sainte-Victoire.

Three to five nights are enough: one course a day, early in the morning, then lunch in the shade and the afternoon for the Alpilles, a soap works or the vineyards of the Coteaux d'Aix. In the evening, you return to Salon, where a Michelin-starred table fills the role of the great local house, or you sleep at the Abbaye de Sainte-Croix, above the town, facing the plain.

The courses

Green with a flag beside a reed-fringed pond, a plane tree, pines and olive trees behind

Golf International de Pont Royal, parcours Ballesteros

  • Architect: Severiano Ballesteros
  • Opened 1992
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Opened in September 1992 by Seve himself, alongside Marie-Laure de Lorenzi, Pont Royal remains the only course designed by Ballesteros in France. The layout runs through Aleppo pine woods, garrigue and lakes, with the Luberon and the Alpilles on the horizon, and alternates short holes to be placed with long par 5s to be attacked. From 1994 to 2023, it hosted Challenge Tour and Alps Tour events. The 2nd, a par 3 lined with three-hundred-year-old plane trees and defended by a lake, sets the tone. It suits good players as well as mid-handicappers willing to play strategy rather than strength.

Signature hole. The 11th, the Grand Canyon, is a par 3 of 196 metres from the back tees that crosses a ravine at the foot of a cliff, with the Alpilles behind; depending on the wind, the club off the tee ranges from a 7-iron to a driver.

Official website

Golf Ouest Provence Miramas

  • Architect: Serge Giraud
  • Opened 1994
  • 18 holes
  • Par 71

Some twenty minutes south-west of Salon, Golf Ouest Provence Miramas was designed by Serge Giraud and opened in 1994. This par 71 of just over 5,500 metres plays in two parts: a fairly flat front nine, punctuated by water hazards from the very first hole, a par 3 ringed by the lake, then a more wooded, hillier back nine among pines and hills. A club open to all, with a simple atmosphere and reasonable green fees: this is the course for a relaxed morning or a group of mixed abilities.

Official website

Château l'Arc Golf Club

  • Architect: Robert Trent Jones II
  • Opened 1985
  • 18 holes
  • Par 70

The furthest of the three, about forty-five minutes from Salon, near Aix-en-Provence. Robert Trent Jones II laid out this par 70 of 5,817 metres in 1985 around a château built in 1620 by the d'Agoult family, on an estate of more than a hundred hectares. The fairways wind between pines and garrigue, and the Montagne Sainte-Victoire, painted by Cézanne, keeps you company for much of the round. Short but technical, it asks for precision more than length and pairs well with an afternoon in Aix.

Signature hole. The 1st, a long par 5 of 546 metres from the white tees, opens facing the Sainte-Victoire and a series of bunkers: a start that immediately gives the measure of the place.

Official website

Where to stay

Garrigae Abbaye de Sainte-Croix

In the hills above Salon, this 12th-century abbey and its Romanesque chapel overlook twenty hectares of garrigue and the plain below. The twenty-five rooms keep their vaults, exposed stone and old terracotta tiles. Book above the classic category: every other room has a private garden or terrace. In the evening, ask for a table at the edge of the terrace at La Table de l'Abbaye, which seems to hang over the valley.

Moulin de Vernègues Hôtel & Spa

The historic birthplace of the Pont Royal estate, this former mill turned bastide stands beside the 2nd hole of the Ballesteros course; the stag that serves as the club's emblem comes from a sculpture found in its old chapel. Ask for a Supérieure Terrasse room and take your aperitif at the bar, under the plane trees, facing the fountain. Spa, pool, two restaurants, and the first tee is a short walk away.

Former abbey in honey-coloured stone with arcades and a pool, overlooking a wooded valley at sunset

Where to dine

Villa Salone

In a grand house in the centre of Salon, Michelin-starred chef Alexandre Lechêne serves surprise menus rooted in the Alpilles, the Camargue and the Crau, with wild herbs at their heart. After a morning at Miramas, book lunch instead at Atelier Salone, the house bistro, with its daily slate served on the shaded patio, and leave room for the soufflé.

Le Bistrot du Paradou

In Paradou, at the foot of the Alpilles and about forty minutes from Salon, this former coaching inn with blue shutters is an institution of the Vallée des Baux. There is no menu to choose from: one set meal, with starter, dish of the day, a generous cheese board and dessert, wine included. Come on a Friday, aïoli day, for your day off golf. Bookings by telephone only; the house has no website.

Beyond golf

The Empéri and the town of Nostradamus

The Château de l'Empéri, built between the 12th and 13th centuries, is among the largest medieval castles in Provence; its courtyards and terrace are freely accessible, and the museum houses a major collection of military history. Below, the house where Nostradamus lived from 1547 to 1566 has become a museum, and his tomb lies in the Collégiale Saint-Laurent. Museum opening hours vary with the season.

Marius Fabre soap

Salon long lived from oil and soap. The Marius Fabre soap works, founded in 1900 and still run by the same family, continues to make Marseille soap and olive-oil black soap. Free guided tours take place several times a week, and you can stamp your own bar of soap before leaving, with a stop at the factory shop.

The wings of the Patrouille de France

Air Base 701 at Salon is home to the French Air Force Academy and the Patrouille de France, which has flown Alpha Jets since 1981 and performs displays with eight aircraft. Salon's tourist office runs the team's official shop, for aviation enthusiasts or for an unusual souvenir of the trip.

Provençal square shaded by plane trees, a round moss-covered fountain and ochre façades with wooden shutters

When to go

Spring, from April to June, and autumn, from September to the end of October, offer the best conditions: mild days, greens in good condition and the garrigue in flower in spring. Summer is hot and dry, playable as long as you start early. Winter remains playable in clear weather, with cool mornings. The mistral, frequent in spring, sometimes blows for several days in a row and changes the length of the holes.

Getting there

Marseille Provence airport (MRS) is about thirty-five minutes from Salon via the A7. Aix-en-Provence TGV station, served from Paris, is a similar distance away. Salon has its own station, on the regional line between Avignon and Miramas. Once there, a car is essential: Pont Royal and Miramas are some twenty minutes away, Château l'Arc three-quarters of an hour.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course near Salon-de-Provence?

Golf International de Pont Royal, at Mallemort, about twenty-five minutes away. It is the only course designed by Severiano Ballesteros in France, voted France's best golf course at the World Golf Awards from 2021 to 2024.

How many golf courses are there around Salon-de-Provence?

Two eighteen-hole courses about twenty minutes away, Pont Royal and Miramas, and Château l'Arc, at Fuveau, about forty-five minutes away. Pont Royal adds a six-hole course and a pitch and putt.

Which airport is best for a golf trip to Salon-de-Provence?

Marseille Provence, about thirty-five minutes by road. Aix-en-Provence TGV station is a good alternative from Paris.

When is the best time to play golf in Salon-de-Provence?

From April to June and from September to October. Summer is hot, so start early, and winter remains playable in fine weather.

Where should I stay for a golf trip to Salon-de-Provence?

The Abbaye de Sainte-Croix, in the hills above the town, for charm, or the Moulin de Vernègues, on the Pont Royal estate, for walking to the first tee.

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