Golf Club de Genève, Switzerland

Originally founded in the 1920s, the Geneva Golf Club moved to its present site in 1973 and to a very fine Robert Trent Jones golf course that has remained virtually untouched ever since. With gorgeous grounds for golf, a beautiful clubhouse and gently sloping terrain that occasionally takes players within view of Lake Geneva, the city itself and the surrounding Alps, this was an ideal site for golf and Jones did well spreading the fun across both nines and building both visual and strategic interest throughout.

There aren’t any weak moments here, and the plenty of really solid holes starting with an opener that gently falls and bends to the right introducing golfers immediately to Lake Geneva. The short par four 4th is another fine hole, this time with two huge Oak trees blocking the green for those who drive safely away from a single fairway trap off the tee.

This is the sort of simple strategic idea that you don’t often see on a Trent Jones, senior or junior, golf course. There aren’t many others with such sound strategic values, but plenty of attractive fun holes such as the par five 8th which heads over a rise and then down to a pretty greens site pressed against a pond.

On the back nine the 16th is a signature Trent Jones creation, the hole falling first and then bending to the right as it crosses a pond, the bunkering on the outside of the dogleg doing little to influence play but framing the fairway quite beautifully. Similarly the 10th and 14th are also nice, attractive holes that lack for strategic merit but work because of the quality of their bunkers and greens. Finally the 9th and 18th holes share a huge stepped green set magnificently beneath the clubhouse, the target area especially effective for those hitting into the 18th.

While this is a solid course from start to finish, the routing of the front nine is a little more varied as the back nine does tend to get a touch back and forth in places. Visually, however, it all works well and the shaping remains both relevant and attractive, particularly given its vintage. The Geneva Golf Club was one of the surprise finds of Switzerland, it’s not a world-beater but most who play here will enjoy the experience. (source)