Chaussée du Château de la Bawette 5,
Wavre, Brabant 1300
Office
+32 (0)10 22 33 32Pro shop
+32 (0)10 22 90 85Fax
+32 (0)10 22 90 04Website
Visit websiteGolf pro
Dave Lebrasseur / Gaël Seegmuller.The Course:
18 holes. Tree-lined parkland. Undulating terrain - several slopes to climb.
Surroundings:
Woodland.
Designer:
Original design by Northern Ireland architect Tom McAuley; some revisions made by Alain Prat (2009 and 2012).
9-hole par-33 Les Champs course (2130 mtrs from back tees).
50.730395
4.598760
18 km SE of Brussels
Bawette
Golf du Château de la Bawette: Located southwest of Brussels and just north of the town of Wavre, Bawette is a pleasant and undulating parkland course, although one that "plays tough" on many occasions. More commonly known as "Bawette", and mainly surrounded by mature woodland, the tree-lined layout provides an at times fearsome golfing challenge.
If you can't hit straight, the championship layout (Le Parc) will not just test your all round game, but may leave you somewhat perplexed ... if not downright depressed. On several occasions there are uncompromisingly tight drives to be made, starting at the first and culminating at the end of each nine-hole loop. The 9th and 18th are a pair of intimidating "ugly sisters" if ever there were. Both holes point downhill from their respective elevated tees, and require precision-perfect drives through narrow tree-lined chutes, then long uphill approaches to well-guarded greens. There are several other tight, and sometimes bizarrely doglegging holes in the mix, not to mention plenty of sand, water (especially on the more expansive back-nine loop) and undulation.
With several elevation changes, many tightish tree-lined fairways, an abundance of fairway and greenside "porridge-filled" bunkers and relatively large greens, designer Tom McAuley clearly believes golf is not a game of "fair". His Belgian offerings (Mont Garni and Bawette) are ample evidence of that.
Reflecting the vallonnée character of French-speaking Brabant-Wallon, the layout rises and falls through the grounds of Château de la Bawette (which you get good sight of on the 10th tee). The present day "fortress-like" clubhouse, designed by André Jacqmain, occupies a modern construction, rather than being located in the Château itself. The club also boasts a nine-hole academy course (Les Champs), and a driving range.
Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends. Closed Mondays.
Must book in advance. Maximum handicap: 30.
Credit cards accepted. Contact club for full details, discounts, packages, etc. [Last updated: 2018].
Players generally walk this course. Golf carts available for hire.
Good
The stately brick and sandstone Château de la Bawette, clearly seen from the 10th tee, was built in the period 1662-67 in the style of Louis XIV. The new building was commissioned by Charles de la Bawette, a captain in the regiment of Laverne, and replaced the ruins of a former house that had burned down.
The château takes its name from a lineage that occupied the premises as early as the 14th century (Wautier de la Bawette, 1329). From around 1805 the estate was sold several times, and since 1865 has been owned by the Viscounts le Hardy de Beaulieu. The word "bawette" means loophole, a cleft through which one can see without being seen oneself. The château is not open to the general public.
Rue de Limalsart 20, 1330 Rixensart
+32 (0)2 634 34 34
Visit website27 immaculate, well appointed and tastefully decorated rooms. A cosy bar with an open fireplace and deep club armchairs. And a charming restaurant from which you can step out into the garden where, during the summer, you can come together for a barbecue!
No
Bawette; Royal Waterloo; Louvain-la-Neuve.
Royal Bercuit; Sept Fontaines; Empereur; La Tournette; Hulencourt; Pierpont; Rigenee; La Bruyere; Royal GC de Belgique (Ravenstein).
87 Avenue du Lac, Genval
+32 (0)2 655 71 11
Visit websiteThe 5-star Chateau du Lac is wonderfully located alongside the Lac du Genval, a very picturesque and quiet lakeside setting. Your culinary options are plentiful, with an excellent restaurant, Genval Les Bains, in the hotel, while Italian and Chinese restaurants are just a minute's walk away. Martin' Spa provides an earthly journey of well-being and beauty. Many top-quality courses in the area will keep golfers fully occupied.
No
Bawette; Royal Waterloo; Louvain-la-Neuve.
Royal Bercuit; Sept Fontaines; Empereur; La Tournette; Hulencourt; Pierpont; Rigenee; La Bruyere; Royal GC de Belgique (Ravenstein).
Tournaments:
European Tour: 2021 marks the 50th and last season of the world renowned European Tour, launched in April 1972 at the Spanish Open. From 2022 the Tour will be sponsored by Dubai-based global supply chain and ports operator DP World, and will be known as the DP World Tour.
South African Open: December 2021 events in South Africa have again been impacted by the Covid pandemic. The South African Open (Dec 2-5) will no longer be played as a DP World Tour event, and the Alfred Dunhill Championship (Dec 9-12) has been cancelled.
Who's Who:
Bernhard Langer: at age 64, Langer collected a record sixth Charles Schwab Cup, the only player to have won the season-long points chase more than twice. He also topped the PGA Tour Champions money-list for the 11th time out of a possible 13 since 2008.
Carlota Ciganda: the five-time Solheim Cup star was delighted to record a fourth Ladies European Tour win in her home national championship, the Ladies Spanish Open.
Lee Elder: Trailblazer, Ryder Cup player, four-time PGA Tour winner and eight-time Senior PGA Tour winner, Lee Elder died on November 28, aged 87. In 1975 he became the first African American golfer to play in the Masters tournament, and in so doing provided one of the pivotal moments in the history of professional golf.
Golf World Top 100: Best Golf Courses in Europe. From France to Spain to the Netherlands and Norway, the Golf World Top 100 panel reveals the places you have to play (published 20 October 2021).
New 27-hole golf complex to be built in southern Belgium
A new golf complex in southern Belgium, close to the border with Luxembourg, will start construction in June 2021.
Marco Simone Golf & Country Club "makes its tournament debut with the hosting of the Italian Open on the European Tour" by Richard Humphreys
Gamble Sands opens short course:
David McLay Kidd’s 14-hole QuickSands short course has opened for play at Gamble Sands in Brewster, Washington.
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