Pierpont golf course, Les Bons Villers

The Pierpont golf course, located in the north of Charleroi Métropole on a former Napoleonic battle field, is well known throughout the region. The quality of the 9 and 18-hole courses and the jovial atmosphere amongst Charleroi Métropole residents has made it renowned in Belgium and elsewhere.

Imagine 67 hectares of green, interspersed with trees, hedges and ponds, in the middle of the countryside. At the centre of this green, there is an old farm dating back to the seventeenth century which has been tastefully renovated. This is how Pierpont golf course is described, particularly appreciated by the players. ‘The courses are very diverse. I really like the length of the game. You have to hit the ball forcefully, sometimes for 200-300 metres’, says Quentin Stassin, golfer and member of the club Business for Charleroi (B4C), partner of the golf club.

Unique golf course on a Napoleonic battle field

Pierpont golf course was built in 1992. At the time, it was a large, very windy green. In 2006, with the arrival of a new owner, Mr Snijders, more than 43,000 trees were planted, thus giving the golf course a special wooded look, unique in the region. ‘Maintaining the green is one of our priorities. Two people work there full time. We don’t use any chemicals’, explains Gary Nisbet, club manager.

The green is drained every summer: water sources (rivers and ponds) have thus been created. This work enables the golf course to stay open every day of the year, in both summer and winter. ‘The courses change every day depending on the weather forecast. Hitting will be different if it’s windy or if the ground is cold’, says Quentin Stassin.

We adapt our game to the weather forecast

The 9 and 18-hole courses are particularly popular. Several competitions are organised there each week: Tuesdays for seniors, Thursdays for women and Fridays for men. At the weekend, everyone takes part: more than 100 players, in teams, are there every Sunday to win victory.

Relaxed clubhouse

What the golfers think: the atmosphere at Pierpont is undeniably jovial, whether that’s on the green or in the bar-restaurant, located in the old farm. ‘I felt relaxed immediately. Here, no one’s looking at your car or your job, only your handicap [a player’s level at the start of the course] counts’, says Antonio, 58 years old, accounting expert and member of the clubhouse for 6 years. ‘We address each other informally from the first time we talk to each other. We play with whose around, even if it’s the first time we’ve met them. After one round, we will potentially talk about other things. Here, it’s always the love of golf that we have in common’.

The club has 500 members and more than 7,000 visitors per year, from all backgrounds. ‘We have members of more than 32 different nationalities’, Gary Nisbet tells us.

A number of events are organised by club volunteers.

An open and welcoming golf course

The golf course also welcomes a number of people from abroad. This attraction is primarily explained by the proximity of the airport which is 15 minutes from the golf course, and by the offer of accommodation less than 100 metres from the start of the course. There are 21 inviting rooms in the left wing of the farm. ‘A number of people from England and the Netherlands come to spend the weekend here. They enjoy the Pierpont golf course, but also the Château de la Tournette and Enghien golf courses which belong to the same owner’, Gary Nisbet tells us.

The renovated farm, as well as the typical square courtyard also attract event organisers of every type: weddings, conferences, team building, etc.

The farm and the golf course are very popular with event organisers

Finally, if you are still not sure, know that the golf course organises taster sessions every Sunday afternoon from April to November. ‘There are a lot of people who don’t dare set foot in a golf club. There are still a huge amount of stereotypes regarding this sport, although they are developing more and more in Belgium’, says Gary Nisbet.

For 5 euros per session, you can try golf with an instructor and try out the different hits. ‘Most people who are introduced to golf in these sessions generally become hooked very quickly, they experience the little shot of adrenalin, a sort of excitement, which makes them want to play again’.

Next to the courses, a ‘practice’ course of over 300 metres enables you to try hitting a ball.

Contact:
Golf de Pierpont
Chemin Grand Pierpont, 1
6210 Les Bons Villers
+32 (0)71/ 88.08.30
info@pierpont.be
http://www.pierpont.be

©Video/Reed & Jérôme Gobin

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The Business for Charleroi (B4C) club, the network for professionals in the city

Member for 4-5 years, Quentin Stassin regularly takes part in all types of events (training/coaching sessions, evening events, conferences, cookery lessons, workshops, etc.) offered by the club B4C.

Every year, this professional network organises an orientation and competition day at the Pierpont golf course.

For 10 years, the B4C has brought together more than 300 company directors, entrepreneurs and decision-makers fromCharleroi Métropole with the aim of growing the region’s economy and making it an attractive hub. ‘The different events have enabled me to grow my network and to realise projects’, says Quentin Stassin.