The Principality of Monaco has no course on its own territory: there is simply no room. Its club, the Monte-Carlo Golf Club, laid out in 1911 by Willie Park Jr., lies in France, on Mont Agel above La Turbie, about twenty minutes' drive from the Casino. At 850 metres, this par-71 mountain course plays between pines, scrubland and limestone, facing the Mediterranean, and rewards accurate iron play more than length. The altitude brings welcome cool air in high summer.
Monte-Carlo is therefore best played as a base between two rivieras: stay down in the Principality, drive up to the course in twenty minutes, and add the Circolo Golf degli Ulivi in Sanremo, Italy, about fifty minutes away, or Royal Mougins, near Cannes, about an hour away. The best seasons are April to June and September to October; in winter the summit is sometimes wrapped in cloud. We arrange tailor-made trips there: reserved tee times, private transfers from Nice, carefully chosen hotels and tables to match the setting.
