Set in Bordeaux wine country with two Scottish-inspired courses and a freshly rebranded Cabot resort, Golf du Médoc Resort has all the ingredients of a great golf getaway. Every Cabot property has its own personality, and this newest addition is unlike any Cabot stop we have made before. After four nights on property, we walked away with full bellies and a clearer picture of how this latest Cabot acquisition stacks up against the rest of the collection.

We travelled in May 2026, and despite Apple Weather confidently promising a zero percent chance of rain for the entire stay, it rained every single day. Apple Weather, if you are reading this, we need to talk. The grey skies did nothing to dampen our spirits though, and honestly a little Bordeaux drizzle felt on-brand for a Scottish-style course.

The trip started with a flight from Toronto to Paris, a second flight from Paris to Bordeaux, and then a twenty-five minute cab ride to the resort (sixty euros each way which was still cheaper than a rental car for the trip). We booked the Spa and Golf package, which included four nights at the hotel, two rounds of golf, and two spa treatments each. Range balls were not included, which felt like a small oversight at this price point.

Golf

The property features two championship courses, Vignes and Châteaux. Vignes is a Rod Whitman design with Scottish-inspired routing through the heathland, while Châteaux is a solo design by Bill Coore, who is also behind other notable Cabot courses like Cabot Cliffs at Cabot Cape Breton and Point Hardy Golf Club at Cabot Saint Lucia.

I have seen some recent reviews noting that the condition of the courses is less than world-class. In my experience, the fairways and greens were very well kept, but you need to come with the expectation that these are not “North American” style courses. Do not expect lush, artificially irrigated, wall-to-wall manicuring with perfect lies and neatly paved cart paths. Instead, expect a Scottish style course that is natural, firm, and a little unpredictable. That said, my main critique would be the quality of the bunkers. The sand was soft (even through the rain) but contained larger pieces of rock and gravel that can quickly eat up your clubs.

For the overall club experience, you also should not expect North American amenities. There is no starter, but the course never felt busy enough to need one. Tee times were well spaced with large gaps between groups, and out on the course it was rare to run into anyone else. That was my favourite part.

There was no on-course cart service and no halfway house with washrooms and food, so take advantage of the Golfer’s Lunchbox at the restaurant before you head out if you tend to get hungry on the course. I recommend the Serrano Ham on Baguette.

As a small detail, every other Cabot course we have been to has provided custom bag tags and a cookie on the first tee. While the bag tags were not offered, they presented a local twist on the “Cabot cookie” by having a signature Bordeaux pastry called a Canelé in the pro shop. They were easy to miss so do not forget to stop in before you head out.

Vignes

Vignes is the younger of the two courses and was designed by Rod Whitman in 1991. It is a par 71 at 6,897 yards from the white tees, and hosted the Grand Final of the European Challenge Tour in 2002, 2003, and 2004.

The round opens with a three-hole parkland stretch before settling into the same heathland landscape that makes Châteaux so memorable. The layout is more forgiving than its sister course, with fairly flat and straight holes, no severe bunkering, and minimal water in play.

If you are a beginner or newer to the game, this is the easier of the two and a good place to find some rhythm. It is also a nice round if you are looking for something casual and relaxed, rather than a course that demands your full focus on every shot. No single hole stood out to me as a signature, so if you are short on time I would prioritise playing Châteaux.

Châteaux

Châteaux is the older of the two courses and is a par 71 at 6,820 yards from the white tees. It was designed by Bill Coore in 1989 as his third solo project and his first in Europe, and was named France’s Best Golf Course at the 2014 and 2016 World Golf Awards.

A quick note before you tee off: the distances I measured on course varied drastically from what was on the tee sheet, almost to the point where it played a full tee box longer than anticipated. Double check the distances when you are there so you do not end up having to play the par 4s as par 5s.

Châteaux was much more interesting than its counterpart. The course plays long and is kept engaging by a series of strategically placed bunkers, water, and streams across many of the holes. The strategic appeal is apparent from the very first tee, where a series of bunkers split the fairway and force you to commit to a line right out of the gate. I would guess that in drier seasons you would get much more rollout than we did during our round in the rain, which definitely took some distance off our shots.

Coore’s design rewards thoughtful golf over brute force, and Châteaux is the kind of course you would want to play more than once.

Dining

I cannot overstate how good the food and wine were at the restaurant on property. We were slightly worried that spending four nights at the resort would mean getting bored eating three meals a day from the one restaurant. I am thrilled to say we were wrong.

Everything we ordered was exceptional. My top recommendations, after trying most things on the menu (took one for the team here), were the Mushroom and Oxtail Ravioli, the Grilled Squid with Tagliatelle, and the Pavlova for dessert. There is also a rotating dish of the day and a special menu on weekends.

The menu also highlights their local wine partners and suggested pairings, which is a thoughtful touch and makes sure you are getting the most out of your Bordeaux experience.

The chefs were put to the test one evening when a fallen tree cut power to the property for several hours. Grills and BBQs came out, and a world-class meal came together last minute for the guests and a small special event that was already on the books. With an understandably limited menu, we enjoyed a candlelit dinner overlooking the course with a good bottle of wine. This is the best possible way to keep busy in a power outage.

Hotel

The hotel has 79 rooms and was recently renovated as part of the Cabot rebrand. The rooms were clean, modern, and comfortable, and the whole property smelled incredible the moment you walked in. I never figured out exactly what the scent was, but it became one of those small details that made coming back to the hotel each day feel like a little reset.

The small size of the property also meant the staff got to know us quickly, and by the second day we were being greeted by name and treated like VIPs. Combined with how quiet and peaceful the resort is, it was the kind of place where you could truly rest and reset between rounds.

Spa

Lounging at the pool and spa was the best way to end each day. The space is not massive, but the treatments were top quality, and the pool was clean and quiet with the sounds of nature in the background. The facilities also include a steam room and gym.

The signature treatment offered at the spa is The Birdie Massage. I would compare this fifty minute full body massage to a hot stone massage, only without the heat and with the club’s logo balls in place of stones. At the end of the treatment you get to keep the two logo balls, which means one less thing on your pro shop buy list. It is offered solo or as a couples massage.

The End?

Overall, the food, resort, and spa were excellent, and the location in the heart of Bordeaux wine country is hard to beat. We kept this trip on-property and saved the vineyard visits for next time, but the on-site restaurant does a great job of bringing the local wine experience to you through their pairings and partnerships. I can confidently say I would stop in to play Châteaux again if I were in the area, and the food and wine are worth a trip of their own.

The biggest selling feature of the whole trip, though, was the disconnect it offered. Tee times were spaced out instead of jammed back to back, so we had time to breathe on the course and rarely ran into another group. The pool and spa were quiet, the hotel never felt busy, and the restaurant staff treated us like VIPs. In a world of overbooked resorts and rushed rounds, Golf du Médoc Resort gives you space to actually slow down, and that alone is worth the trip.