Golf de Clervaux

Golf de Clervaux lies above the abbey town of Clervaux (Clerf) in Luxembourg's Ardennes, at Eselborn in the far north of the Grand Duchy. It is an 18-hole course laid out to suit the hilly local terrain, with a driving range, a compact three-hole practice course, a clubhouse, a small golf hotel and the restaurant Le Bistro, so it is a natural base for a golf break in the north of the country.

The French design firm Green Concept of Lyon drew up the course to respect the site's demanding topography. It has been looked after with nature in mind from the start. Fairways and greens are irrigated only with rainwater, many native trees have been planted and, since 2015, the course has been maintained without pesticides.

Clervaux is also home to Luxembourg's national golf centre. The sports ministry set it up after golf returned to the Olympics in 2016, to give the national squads of the Luxembourg Golf Federation top training conditions and to make the game easier for the public to take up. The golf school runs taster sessions and improvement courses for newcomers.

The hotel has around 22 rooms and caters to golfers, walkers and other nature lovers. Le Bistro cooks regional, seasonal menus and prefers produce from neighbouring farms.

The idea for a course came from Clervaux's hoteliers, who hoped golf would draw more visitors to the region. The Golfclub de Clervaux was founded on 21 January 1988. With financing from the banks BIL and Trinkaus und Burkhardt and the cooperation of 53 separate landowners, the Société du Golf de Clervaux SA followed on 9 January 1989 and was later listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. Construction began in mid-1990. The driving range opened on 19 October 1990, the first nine holes on 6 June 1991 and the full 18 later that year.

The 18-hole course, range, three-hole practice area and clubhouse, designed by architect Pierre Stumper, were formally inaugurated on 22 May 1992 in the presence of Hereditary Grand Duke Henri. The club was a founding member of the Luxembourg Golf Federation in 1991. In 2010 the hotel grew from 8 to 23 rooms, adding two restaurants, new changing rooms and a garage for 40 electric golf carts.