Château de la Chouette

Overview: Château de la Chouette is an 18-hole, par-72 course in Gaillon-sur-Montcient, west of Paris, set between the Seine and the Vexin. Robert Trent Jones Jr. shaped the routing through wooded ground and uneven terrain, with water appearing repeatedly across the opening stretch and elevated ground returning in the closing holes. The course is tied closely to the château estate: mature trees, the historic buildings and the park’s natural folds are part of the playing environment rather than a decorative backdrop.

History: The property’s château first became a seigneurial residence in 1583, and the surviving buildings retain elements of the sixteenth-century estate. The golf course opened in 1998, initially with nine holes; contemporary reporting described the planned extension to 18 holes, while current federation and operator records confirm the present full course. The estate’s gardens also carry an older landscape history, with Warée credited by the club with shaping the park’s planting and visual structure.

Did You Know? The first nine holes were reported as open in May 1998, with the second nine planned as the next stage of the project across a park described at the time as about 130 hectares. The modern scorecard is distinctly varied: it includes par fives, short par threes and several holes where water or sloping ground changes the preferred line into the green.