There is exactly one golf course in France that Seve Ballesteros ever put his name to, and it happens to sit in the foothills of the Luberon rather than anywhere more obviously suited to golfing pilgrimage. Pont Royal opened in 1992 and has quietly accumulated the kind of institutional respect that doesn’t need marketing to sustain it — four consecutive years as France’s Best Golf Course by the World Golf Awards (2021–2024), a Challenge Tour stop since 2018, a biodiversity certification most resort courses don’t bother pursuing.
There is exactly one course in France with Seve’s name on it, and it sits quietly in the Luberon foothills rather than anywhere obvious. That contrast is the whole appeal.
The course: what you are actually playing
A par-72 running 6,327 metres, with holes that plunge and climb across a forested, hilly landscape, doglegs that reward a specific angle of approach over raw distance, and at least two genuinely dramatic holes — a 462-yard par four that rollercoasters down and back up, and a 205-yard par three played across a wooded gorge to a green perched on a rock outcrop.
The hole worth knowing
That par-three across the gorge is the hole every visitor remembers — an elevated tee shot with nothing but trees below and a green that seems smaller than it plays.
The village: what families actually need
Pont Royal has no on-site hotel, but it does have the on-site La Durance training centre, with David Leadbetter Academy involvement — a genuine draw for a family with a competitive junior in tow, not just a scenic detour. The setting, between Aix-en-Provence and Avignon, puts two of Provence’s most rewarding towns within easy reach for the non-golf half of the trip.
Where to stay: no resort, and that’s fine
Le Moulin, Lourmarin, a Beaumier property, is the strongest pick — a restored mill hotel in one of the most beautiful villages in the Luberon, with a Provençal restaurant, Bacheto, and a pool set into the original mill structure. It’s roughly 30 minutes from the course but transforms the trip into a proper Luberon stay rather than a golf-adjacent one.
For a closer, quieter alternative, Domaine de Fontenille in Lauris offers a year-round pool and spa within a shorter drive of the course itself.
Best time to go
April–June and September–October — identical logic to the rest of inland Provence. The Durance Valley can run slightly hotter than the Luberon hill villages in summer, making the shoulder seasons even more worth prioritising here.
Getting there: the logistics reality
Marseille Provence Airport (MRS) is the practical hub, roughly 45 minutes to Mallemort. Avignon Caumont (AVN) is closer by distance but carries far less flight volume.
What to wear: the Inesea style edit
The Luberon’s warm, dusty palette — sand, olive, terracotta — suits the landscape better than anything imported for contrast. This is also a course serious enough to warrant genuine technical fabric over purely decorative choices.
Three pieces worth packing
An Archivio polo in warm sand — Korean precision that photographs well against the gorge-hole backdrop.
A Fair Liar layering piece — the elevation swings across the round genuinely call for adaptable fabric.
A G/Fore shoe in terracotta — grip for the hillier holes, colour that matches the Luberon dust.
The honest family verdict
Who should book it
Families with a serious junior golfer who’ll benefit from the on-site academy. Anyone who wants Seve’s design legacy without travelling to Spain.
Who might look elsewhere
Families who want everything — golf, pool, spa, dinner — inside one gate should look to Terre Blanche or Manville instead.
Official site
About the author
Diana Suke
Diana Suke is the founder of Inesea and Europe's leading editorial voice on women's golf fashion and culture. A business transformation director by profession, she coordinates junior golf programmes across Malta and travels the Mediterranean circuit with two competitive junior golfers. She came to golf in her mid-thirties and hasn't looked back.
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