Crécy (Vignoly)

Overview: Vignoly is the 18-hole course at Domaine de Crécy east of Paris, set among rolling ground, wooded valleys and a restored seventeenth-century farm. Arnold Palmer’s design uses water and bunkering as the main strategic language: the fairways move through hollows, the greens are defended from several angles and the player is repeatedly asked whether the direct route is worth the risk. The course is demanding without being one-dimensional because the surrounding land provides different lines and stances.

History: Work on Vignoly began in the mid-2000s and the course was tested in a public pre-opening in autumn 2008 before its full opening in 2009. Arnold Palmer returned to the project during the development phase, making Vignoly his only course in France. The facility also contains the shorter Montpichet routing, so the Vignoly date and identity should not be confused with the history of the wider Crécy property.

Did You Know? The current operator describes Vignoly as a par-74 course with 14 water features and 54 bunkers. The course is also unusual architecturally because it is the only Arnold Palmer-designed course in France, and its closing holes use the valley land and water rather than a flat return to the clubhouse.