Anyone heard of this place or know more background? Played it???

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206...id=aOF8Wxg1LaJQ

The First Rule of the " " Golf Club is that you DON'T talk about " " Golf Club

haha fair enough. Just wondering if any stories about this place, either legend or factual

That's sweet, I didn't know a place like that existed.

Provence? That's in France correct? Good thing I can speak french

Fun story.

Maybe someone can correct me on this, but this site seems to be talking about the same course:
http://www.top100golfcourses.co.uk/htmlsit...ails.asp?id=541

and here's the google map image of that course

http://maps.google.com/maps?geocode=&q...=13&iwloc=A

Heck, That almost sounds like the Aloatian Club just West of Little Rock.

I love how the "Top 100 team" hasn't played or seen the course but yet they still put it in the top 100. Not saying it doesn't deserve to be but how do they know where to rank it?

what's the second rule of golf club?

YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT GOLF CLUB

I imagine it's a hangout for 60 year old balding Wall Street types. No thanks.

Managed to find it on Google Maps. Best way to locate it if you're interested is to search for "La Bastide Rouge, Vidauban, France" on Google Maps. Then just move up and to the left slightly..

Course doesn't look that great to me - nice location, but typical artificial Robert Trent Jones bunkering. Now if Alister Mackenzie was around to design it, would have had a different result altogether....

well played, sir

Vidauban is probably one of the more amazing true "legends" to be told in golf development history. Many unbelievable stories that are actually true but not many know.

Part of the story - I consulted in the mid-90's with the owners (then RTJ, Jr. & a division of AXA Insurance) when I was with ClubCorp International regarding positioning and getting permits for this dead-in-the-water asset. Team included Sasaki Associates of Watertown brought in to try to help them figure out what to do with this beast. Truly the utmost example of Robert Dedman's joke relating golf club / resort ownership and making love to female gorillas - punch line - "you ain't done 'til she's done."

In my experience playing a few through the years, the golf course is exceptional - Valderama comes most to mind. The surrounding scenery and terrain is what makes it over-the-top special as well as Bobby's team's dedication to blending into it naturally. 10 miles N of St. Tropez as the crow flies (probably 25 by car - VERY hilly!).

Among many fascinating aspects of its evolution - the course was built without permits by a previous co-owner with RTJ, Sr. Teed off local officials and the government required the new owners to maintain the course in tournament condition despite the fact they would let no one play. Water as well as first class maintenance cost over $1mm USD back then. Much more to this incredible story which is as good as the course that easily rivals beautiful Valderrama.

Richard Wax who represented RTJ then can give the best account but if anyone wants to know more, write - jimshankle@gmail.com

Same principle that has people raving about and rushing out to buy clubs that they've never hit I suppose.

Yes indeed. I had the opportunity to play the course a few years back and i can honestly say that after Cypress Point, it is one of my favorite course. Truly a gem. Some of the holes are truly amazing and one in particular that I remember where the tee box (back tees) sits on the side of a hill maybe 200 feet up from the fairway. What you see from there, is first a river crossing from left to right and behind the river sit the fairway following the river, with the green all the way on the right side (par 4).

It is really hard to describe but trust me that hole was just amazing, and I played some very unique golf course....