Saint-Donat Golf Club - 18 Holes Course

This was my 3rd course as a visitor to the Cannes Area. The other two tracks, one being Royal Mougins were average tracks at best due to layout and conditioning.

Saint-Donat was definitely a course I would play again and would rate it as good value in the 90 to 125 Euro range.

Conditioning: a call out to the greens keeper for the quality and speed of the greens. Other courses in the area were running at 7 or 8 on the stimp, Saint-Donat were at 10 and with some wonderful slopes, one had to think carefully about certain putts. The course is utilizing robot mowers and where the robots are at work, the teeing areas are great. I play most of my golf in Canada, the U.S. and Australia. The French clubs I have played are not close to those locals when it comes to detailed conditioning. Grass density at Saint-Donat is very good and my timing may have missed the cut cycle, but what a course this would be in North American or Aussie conditions. In particular the fairway/tee height and cut definitions of green collars and rough. All that costs money and the green fees would have to be much higher which is not what the customers seem to be used to in this area so for those pampered players, approach with the right attitude and relish the value.

Layout: the front nine starts out on relatively flat section of land. One is a straightforward opening hole, but two immediately show some teeth off the tee. What I appreciated with this track most were the green sites which varied and in many cases were raised thus turning misses into thoughtful recovery attempts.

After a weak par 3 10th hole, number 11 shines as a gem of a par 5, number 12 reminded me of a hole at Spyglass in Pebble Beach and is a picture perfect par 3. Number 13 is a beautifully framed driving hole with a stunning second shot to a green well below (tip, it plays 2 clubs shorter than the yardage). and more eye candy surprises await. Make no mistake the legs get a workout with the elevation changes, but the tee to green walks are minimal and the walk was fun.

FYI, this track has a very good range and terrific short game area.

Other:

The pro shop staff were outstanding. Super friendly with great multi-language skills. I rented clubs each time I played and aside from Royal Mougins who had reasonably up to date Taylor Mades, the most disappointing aspect of being a golf tourist is when you play with rental clubs you would rather put in the garbage than have someone have to tee it up with them. The rentals here as at another course are very poor quality Wilsons with no 3 wood, a wedge from 1976 and a poor quality putter. For 40 Euros, one would expect better.

I did not have a chance to sample the food or beverages, but the clubhouse does have a nice patio.

Net summary, I only tried 3 in the area, but Saint-Donat is on the would play it again the next day and have already recommended it to a friend.

Wet in many parts and no teeboxes or trolleys allowed. Full prize sell is a bit too much.

Greens were excellent and it is a beautifull course

Great layout, excellent conditions, super nice staff. Really loved it. Only thing to improve is that such a delicate layout deserves a better description at the tee: the metal plates are nice, but miss yardage infos and do not allow real understanding of hole playing strategy.

this course offers much that many golfers appreciate. Very fast greens, hilly tracks, dog legs and sloping fairways. I like this course.

the course is not very highly rated, but it has a lot to offer. Many doglegs where course management is in demand. Long irons will be important on this course. Extremely fast and well-maintained Gressn are waiting for you.

Most of the back tee boxes allow for a windo og less than 6 feet for your drive. The course could be top notch if they trimmed back the trees.

I really enjoyed playing here and can def recommend it

Un peu physique, mais quel plaisir de jouer sur une belle moquette.