Hello Monaco magazine HelloMonaco 2018#04_Summer_Autumn_WEB | Page 69

HELLOMONACO RECOMMENDS
G
olf requires very careful
attention to detail and
mental flexibility. As a
matter of fact, we have to
consider that the playing
area changes every time
according to the natural environment. The
golf player is plunged into a «green dimen-
sion» from that initial instant on hitting
the ball in the tee box until getting it to
the hole in the putting green. He must do it
with the least possible number of strokes,
facing fairways, roughs, bunkers, ponds,
rocks and any other standard hazards.
What other sport enables a closer interac-
tion with Nature and weather conditions?
Therefore, what about having the oppor-
tunity to play open-air all year around,
enjoying mild temperatures, enchant-
ing landscapes, exotic gardens and a tur-
quoise Mediterranean Sea? That is what
inspired, a century ago, most of the Euro-
pean aristocrats, primarily British, and then
Americans to move to the Côte d’Azur and
the Italian Riviera dei Fiori, making them
the most glamorous winter holiday desti-
nations. At the height of the Belle Époque,
then, stylish villas, luxurious yachts and el-
egant Art Deco Casinos spread along the
coast from Cannes to Sanremo including
the Principality of Monaco. It was the time
when eccentric Riviera style parties used
to welcome Charlie Chaplin, Jean Cocteau,
John Dos Passos, Paul Getty, Ernest Hem-
ingway, Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Doro-
thy Parker, Pablo Picasso, Igor Stravinsky
and Orson Welles, just to name some. In
this extravagant «Dolce Vita», some typical
British sports were introduced to cheer up
© www.montecarlosbm.com
The French Riviera
Monte-Carlo Golf Club: сlass
and heritage attain the summit
F
ounded in November 1911 by the So-
cieté des Bains de Mer at the express
request of the local British Colony, the
18-hole Monte-Carlo Golf Club, designed
by Willie Park Jr, is the result of an ambitious
project: building a golf course close to La
Turbie, at a height of 860 meters, offering a
spectacular panoramic view over the Prin-
© www.montecarlosbm.com
the upper class in their spare time. Cricket,
croquet, lawn tennis and golf were their
favourite activities.
Many years have passed since golf was
only for a few noble gentlemen gathered
in honourable golf clubs, where women
were usually not allowed to enter. In be-
tween the 19th and the 20th сentury, more
and more professionals and amateurs
showed a real passion for golf both in
Europe and America, launching a new less-
exclusive era for this sport and inaugurat-
ing a professional-championship season.
Nowadays, its popularity is still strong, and
it is attracting thousands of players, sup-
porters and Media worldwide.
Such a success becomes pretty clear if we
consider how many golf courses are eas-
ily accessible from the Principality of Mo-
naco. Let us have a close-up view of the
major Golf Clubs in the most glamourous
of the Rivieras.
© www.golf-vanade.com
cipality of Monaco and the Maritime Alps.
This has been achieved thanks to the efforts
of H.S.H. Prince Pierre (father of Prince Rain-
ier III) and smart presidents such as Jean-
Charles Rey and Henry Rey, who laid the
foundation of the successful management
of the Club that continues today.
The elegant Club and restaurant, surround-
ed by a beautiful natural area, have been
hosting for more than one hundred years
top players who competed in the Mon-
te Carlo Open (until 1992) and currently
Hello Monaco Summer–Autumn 2018 / 67