Mauricie & Centre-du-Québec: A Golfer's Road-Trip Guide

Stretching along the St. Lawrence valley and into the Laurentian foothills, the Mauricie & Centre-du-Québec golf trail pairs one of Canada's oldest layouts — Golf Grand-Mère — with a varied roster of parkland, links-style, and bunker-laden designs that reward golfers willing to explore beyond the province's more-heralded circuits.

• Golf Grand-Mère: A century-old parkland gem in Grand-Mère with pedigree credits from Walter Travis and C.H. Alison, including a ridge-over par-4 4th that has tested players since 1910.
• Golf Louiseville: The trail's only links-style layout — also known as Links O'Loup — plays 6,479 yards at par 71 across open terrain in Louiseville.
• Club de Golf Le Marthelinois: A Phil Watson–designed semi-private course in Trois-Rivières featuring 72 sand bunkers and a network of water hazards that demand precision at every turn.
• Club de Golf de Plessisville et Golf des Bois-Francs: Two complete 18-hole parkland courses under one banner in Plessisville — ideal for back-to-back rounds without moving the car.
• Golf Des Pins: A Graham Cooke–designed classic in Saint-Alban dating to 1962, playing a compact par 70 through mature pine-framed corridors.

A logical starting point for golfers approaching from the west is Golf Louiseville, the trail's links-style outlier. Designed by Howard Watson and opened in 1965, Links O'Loup stretches 6,479 yards at par 71, its open fairways and exposed lies presenting a different challenge from the tree-lined layouts that dominate Quebec golf.

Heading northeast along the St. Lawrence, Golf Grand-Mère in Grand-Mère stands as the trail's historic anchor. Founded in 1910 and shaped over the decades by Walter Travis, Albert Murray, and C.H. Alison, this par-70 parkland course plays 6,457 yards and carries the quiet authority of a course that has outlasted entire golfing eras. The signature 4th hole — a 300-yard par 4 designed by Travis — requires a tee shot over a ridge to a saddle-shaped green, a deceptively simple premise that has humbled confident ball-strikers for over a century.

In Trois-Rivières, Club de Golf Le Marthelinois makes an emphatic case for strategic variety. Phil Watson's 2000 design packs 72 sand bunkers across a par-72, 6,810-yard layout alongside multiple water hazards, ensuring that length alone is never enough — course management matters on every hole. From there, the trail fans southward toward Golf St-Rémi in Lac-aux-Sables, a parkland layout that has been a regional mainstay since 1970, and Golf Des Pins in Saint-Alban, a Graham Cooke design from 1962 that plays a tidy par 70 at just under 5,600 yards through well-established tree lines. Completing the circuit, Club de Golf de Plessisville et Golf des Bois-Francs in Plessisville offers two distinct 18-hole parkland tracks under the same roof — a genuine two-round destination that anchors the Centre-du-Québec leg of the trail.

Day 1 — Links and the Lawrence: Arrive in Louiseville and play Golf Louiseville, the trail's only links-style layout, in the morning. The open terrain rewards a walking pace and a strategic mindset. That evening, drive into Trois-Rivières and check into the Delta Hotels by Marriott Trois-Rivières Conference Centre. Dinner at Poivre Noir pairs inventive local-product cuisine with views over the St. Lawrence — a fitting reward for a first day on the road.

Day 2 — Bunkers and Old Trois-Rivières: Tee off at Club de Golf Le Marthelinois, where Phil Watson's 72 sand bunkers and water hazards demand a disciplined game plan. After the round, explore the Old Town on foot and settle in for the evening at Le Buck : Pub Gastronomique, housed in a building dating to 1757, for farm-to-table plates and Quebec craft beer. For a nightcap with excellent mixology, Le Pot Papilles et Cocktails on Rue des Forges is worth the short walk.

Day 3 — History in the Laurentians: Head north to Grand-Mère and spend the morning on the fairways of Golf Grand-Mère, taking particular note of the Travis-designed 4th hole. The course's century of history is legible in its landforms. Stay the night at Hôtel Marineau Shawinigan and consider an evening drive into La Mauricie National Park for a look at the Laurentian Shield landscape that flanks this stretch of the trail.

Day 4 — Pines and Plessisville: Drive south through Saint-Alban for a morning round at Golf Des Pins, Graham Cooke's 1962 design threading through mature pines at par 70. Then continue to Plessisville to wrap the trip with a round — or two — at Club de Golf de Plessisville et Golf des Bois-Francs, where two full parkland courses sit side by side. Dinner back in Trois-Rivières at Restaurant Le Rouge Vin on Île Saint-Quentin closes the loop with riverfront seafood and a well-earned view of the St. Lawrence.

Trois-Rivières serves as the trail's most convenient base, and its hotel scene is well suited to golf-trip logistics. The Delta Hotels by Marriott Trois-Rivières Conference Centre brings four-star comfort to the downtown core, with an indoor pool, full spa, and on-site dining to recover between rounds. For a more independent feel, Les Suites de Laviolette, an Ascend Collection Hotel offers kitchenette suites and a seasonal pool — a practical choice for multi-night stays. Golfers planning to play Golf Grand-Mère and explore La Mauricie National Park should consider Hôtel Marineau Shawinigan in Grand-Mère, which sits close to both, or check rates at Auberge Godefroy Hôtel Spa & Golf in Bécancour, a four-star resort with on-site golf packages and spa access that suits those who want everything under one roof on the Centre-du-Québec side of the trail.

From the century-old fairways of Golf Grand-Mère to the bunker-laden challenge of Club de Golf Le Marthelinois, the Mauricie & Centre-du-Québec trail offers a rewarding cross-section of Quebec golf — start mapping the route and booking tee times.