Golf courses in Geneva, Switzerland and the nearby area are at a mix of Swiss and French clubs. Here’s your guide to the best golf around Lake Geneva (Lac Léman), from the city of Geneva, along La Côte in the Vaud canton, and beyond.
Golf in Geneva, Switzerland and the vicinity can cost you a few Swiss francs (or euros). If you’re going to fork those bills over, you should know which golf courses in and near Geneva offer the best golfing experience. We’ve tested the golf resorts around Lake Geneva, and have some valuable insiders’ tips for you in this guide to golf in Geneva and the surrounding regions of Switzerland and France.
” Which golf courses in and near Geneva offer the best golfing experience?”
A note: this guide concerns golf courses near Geneva, Switzerland (nothing to do with Lake Geneva in the US!). The golf courses featured here are within driving distance for a day’s golf outing in French Switzerland, or across the border in France. Remember, Geneva is basically surrounded by France, except for the side of the city that faces Lac Léman. See the map below, which shows all the courses mentioned in the full list of golf courses near Geneva. Scroll down to the bottom of this article to see the full list.
Best golf courses in Geneva Switzerland? Start with Golf Club de Genève
The Golf Club de Genève is the only golf club within the Canton of Geneva. The club is located is in the municipality of Vandoeuvres, next door to the city. If you want something a hop skip and a jump away that is top notch, and you aren’t worried about the price level, this is the place. The Golf Club de Genève exudes old money, from the time you drive through the cast iron gate and pull up the gray-pebble driveway. The majestic feeling is heightened as you start your round on a first tee adorned by perfectly pruned shrubs, and lasts, presumably, until you arrive at the stately, impressive mansion of a clubhouse after your round. Rolex is of course a sponsor of the club. Visitors are welcome Tuesday to Friday, but there is rule that visitors may only play the course three times per year. At the time of writing, the visitors’ green fee is 200 CHF.
The course is a Robert Trent Jones design, opened in 1972, and the mood of the design ebbs and flows along with the curvy and pleasant landscape. Many of the holes are tree-lined, and you rarely find such stately, mature oaks and cedars as those you can feast your eyes on at Golf Club de Genève. The second nine also has some very pretty — and pretty hazardous — water hazards (now called penalty areas). The condition of the course is known to be very good, as should be expected of one of the top tracks in the country.
Here you can download the course guide for Golf Club de Genève.
Also read: Swiss Alps golf
Switzerland’s top hotel and golf resort near Geneva? Visit Domaine de Bonmont
How many golf clubs do you know that have a history going back to the 12th century? Visiting Domaine de Bonmont in Chéserex, Vaud near the historic town of Nyon on Lac Léman, brings you back in time.
The grand property features one of the best golf courses near Geneva, and centers around a magnificent château and a Cistercian abbey from 1131, the first in Switzerland. The small Sainte-Marie abbey church was built before year 1200, and represents Cistercian architecture, known for the beauty of its style.
Today, Golf & Country Club de Bonmont is one of the must-play golf resorts near Geneva, Switzerland. It’s about a 30-minute drive from Geneva airport and also a half hour’s drive from Lausanne. This is a beautiful part of Switzerland, in the La Côte region that lies next to the Lake of Geneva.
Next to the historical church is a palatial 18th century château, which now has been turned into a five star hotel and restaurant with an outdoor pool on the side (there’s also an indoor pool in the spa). The clientele at the Domaine de Bonmont is evident when you see the Tesla charging stations in the golf club parking lot, along with the tennis courts and horse stables. This is definitely representative of top class golf in Geneva, Switzerland.
Historic rooms give Château de Bonmont a special atmosphere (the hotel is a member of Swiss Historic Hotels).
From the Bonmont golf course and the hotel there are sublime views toward the woodland surroundings, Lake of Geneva and the Alps beyond, including the Mont Blanc on a clear day. The Jura Nature Reserve is only a stone’s throw away.
The golf course of Bonmont was designed by Donald Harradine, opened in 1982 and was later redesigned by his son, Peter Harradine. The course is 6080m from the back (par 71) and is very pleasant to walk. The majestic, centuries-old trees provide welcome shade on the hottest summer days. The fairways are very well-maintained, as are the greens. The course goes through the green park landscape, traversing open spaces, and includes some water features such as creeks and ponds.
It is strange today to think of those medieval monks, who were so focused on austerity, manual labor and work in the fields. Hoes have now been traded for wedges. Most importantly, the austerity has been traded for pleasure, relaxation, excellent local cuisine and some very good wines.
The price level at Golf de Bonmont is as expected. Right now, the offer for golfers who would like to play regularly stands at 1500 Swiss francs for 11 rounds. If you want to stay and play, the ‘sportiv’ package for two people includes a welcome glass of Champagne, accommodation, breakfast and a round of golf for 430 Swiss francs. The Swiss franc and the US dollar are very near to equal in value.
Here is an interactive map of the 18-hole golf course at Golf & Country Club de Bonmont.
Golf day trip from Geneva? Visit Golf Club de Lausanne in the Swiss canton of Vaud
Now we’re going a little bit further in our list of golf courses near Geneva, Switzerland. Golf Club de Lausanne is nonetheless less than hour’s drive from Geneva in the Vaud canton. Visitors are welcome on weekdays and can play up to five times per year.
Golf Club de Lausanne is an old school, old money club and feels that way from the minute you enter the property. This place is all about history and elegance. The club was founded in 1921, and the course is a classic, traditional design in a parkland/woodland setting with contributions from various golf course architects up through the years. The property features views over the Vaud canton and some pretty hefty elevation changes. Yes, the terrain is hilly, so you’re in for a workout if you choose to walk. There’s a lot of variety in the design, which was modernized by Jeremy Pern in 1996. There are a few tight holes, with the trees threatening on both sides. But there are also open, wide holes. The greens are beautiful, quite firm (almost links-like) and usually very well maintained. Getting your ball on the green is a challenge in itself, but then you have to learn the subtle movement on these surfaces.
There is very little water on this course, really only featuring (slightly) on the 15th hole. To make up for this, the bunkers are strategically placed, making them a constant hazard. One particular feature of Lausanne is its sometime undulating fairways (like some links courses), meaning that you will have a tough time finding a level lie. But the fairways are lush like a parkland course, not tight like a links. The rough is kept very short to make the game more enjoyable and increase the pace of play.
People who love classic designs of yore, will take a liking to this course. It’s an easy drive to get to Golf Club de Lausanne from Geneva, less than one hour.
Watch this video and flyover of the Golf Club de Lausanne.
Another good golf course near Geneva? Lavaux gives golfers a taste of Switzerland
A little bit further out on in our list of golf courses near Geneva, Switzerland we find Golf Club de Lavaux next to Lac de Brêt. Lavaux, famous for its vineyards, is on the other side of Lausanne, toward Montreux. It will take about an hour to drive to Lavaux in Puidoux from the center of Geneva. This is the central part of French Switzerland.
This is a fun golf course to play and the views of the surroundings are stunning on a clear day. From the terrace of the clubhouse perched on the top of the hill, you can take in the Alps, the Diablerets mountains and the rolling green hills of Swiss farmland.
The golf course is quite hilly – usually in very good shape. They are investing in upgrades of the cart paths, installing some beautiful stones laid out by the first tee. In addition to the 18-hole course and full practice facilities, there’s a small six-hole golf course for training and beginners.
Lavaux is another club with a quality-minded clientele, but this course is a modern design from 1999, done by Peter Harradine (he’s also responsible for Maison-Blanche, Ascona, Interlaken and others). The golf course starts out easily enough, with a gently downhill dogleg right first hole. As you head downwards the course becomes flatter, with the 3rd to the 7th being played on the lower tier of the course, so to say. But then you head up again. The 8th is a dogleg where you go to the base of the hill with your first shot, then face a very steep approach uphill to green that is not visible from below. This makes it very difficult to reach in two (not to mention the difficulty of climbing the ascent!).
The better of the two nines is the back half. It starts with a pleasant par 4 downhill and continues through varied terrain with water features on several holes. The 13th is a beautiful hole with a water feature that threatens wayward drives on the left, but also winds through the hole and is a formidable presence right in front of the green. Very pretty, but also very difficult! And when you make it to the top of the hill again, and leave the 18th green, the views are again breathtaking.
Head to the restaurant, “19ème”, serves a great buffet lunch with many different dishes to choose from.
Download the strokesaver for Golf Club de Lavaux.
The list of golf courses in or near Geneva, Switzerland
Here is a list of golf courses in and surrounding Geneva. We will have descriptions in due course.
Golf in or very near Geneva (about 30 minutes max):
- Golf Club de Genève (within the canton of Geneva)
- Golf & Country Club de Bossey*
- Golf Club Esery*
- Golf de la Manchette*
- Golf & Country Club de Bonmont
- Golf Club du Domaine Imperial
- Golf de Divonne Les Bains*
- Golfparc Signal de Bougy
- Golf & Country Club de Maison-Blanche*
- Domaine de Gonville*
- Jiva Hill Resort* (9 holes with artificial turf greens)
- Golf de St Genis* (9 holes)
Golf courses near Geneva (30 minutes to about 1 hour):
- Golf de Lavaux
- Golf de Lausanne
- Evian Resort Golf Club*
- Golf du Lac d’Annecy*
- Golf d’Aix-les-Bains*
- Golf du Mont Saint Jean*
- Golf de Giez*
- Golf de Chamonix*
- Golf du Clou*
- Golf du Rochat*
- Golf Flaine Les Carroz*
- Domaine du Mont d’Arbois*
Golf courses in Geneva region (day trips, more than one hour to drive):
- Golf Club Crans-sur-Sierre
- Golf Club Vuissens
- Domaine de Gouverneur*
- Golf de Mionnay*
- Golf Club de Lyon*
- Golf de La Bresse*
- Domaine du Val de Sorne*
- Golf Club de Montreux
- Golf de la Sorelle*
*the starred golf courses are within driving distance from Geneva, but they are located in France. Some of them are members of the French Golf Federation, some of those golf clubs very close to the Swiss border are members of the Swiss Golf Federation, some are members of both.
More information on travel in Switzerland: myswitzerland.com. For information on the La Côte region see lacote-tourisme.ch. For information on the Vaud and Lake Geneva region, see region-du-leman.ch/en/ and for information on the Montreux region see montreuxriviera.com
. Read more about golf in and near Geneva.){kind=link}