Discover the detailed guide to all the golf courses located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. You can leave a comment, a vote or an anecdote on all the golf courses in the golf directory
The Golf du Château d'Allot Agen-Boé offers you an original golf course on the magnificent site of Château d'Allot planted with century-old cedars.
Michel Gayon, renowned golf architect, has been able to take full advantage of this prestigious site. Indeed, its original layout made of gentle drops, runs alongside lakes or the Garonne, the emblematic river of Lot-et-Garonne. Located at the gates of Agen, and 6 minutes from the motorway exit, it is a must-see for those whose time is precious.
The Agen Boé golf course offers you a real 9-hole course. It consists of 3 par 3, 3 par 4 and 3 par 5 to offer you a fairly technical par 36. This course will seduce you with its originality, its enchanting setting, its bodies of water, and slight drops.
Attached to the New Aquitaine Golf League, the Mimizan Golf is a municipal club that is improving year after year.
Friendly welcome, a philosophy focused as much on the quality of teaching as on competition.
Ideally located between lake and ocean near Woolsack Castle, the Mimizan municipal golf course benefits from an exceptional environment. Recent work completed in 2011 made it possible to extend its course and go to 9 holes.
9-hole course over 2 meters Par 835 (two Par 36).
Whatever your level, this golf course knows how to defend itself and is not played so easily. Many obstacles (water and bunker) well placed in strategic places make it very technical and bring a lot to the tactical dimension of the game. The traps remain present until the last green.
The Mimizan Golf also offers a practice with 25 stations, 5 of which are covered. But also two putting greens, and a chipping green.
The golf course is open all year round, every day except May 1st, Christmas Day and January 1st.
Between blue sky, wild land and the Atlantic Ocean, the Seignosse golf course deploys its greens and fairways in the heart of the Landes forest. It is located in Seignosse, a charming French town in the Landes department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.
An enchanting setting
All along the Seignosse golf course, you will enjoy a wild and unspoiled nature of hundred-year-old maritime pines. Only a few minutes from the Atlantic Ocean, the sea breeze will make each round of golf unique. In addition, some holes will allow you to dominate the course and enjoy an exceptional panorama.
An unforgettable golf experience
At any time of the day, the light of the Landes sky will highlight the richness of the landforms of the Seignosse golf course. You will walk through a hilly area and appreciate the quality of its sandy soil. Between majestic pines, cork oaks and large ponds, each hole is unique. All making this course a benchmark in Europe.
Seignosse, a masterpiece by Robert Van Hagge
A real gem designed by the American architect Robert Van Hagge in 1989, its layout makes it an exceptional golf course. Recognized by the best international players, the Seignosse golf course is regularly ranked among the 50 best European courses.
An 18-hole technical and characterful course
The Golf de Seignosse covers an area of 70 hectares. It is a course of character, with winding fairways, which remains accessible to all golfers with the originality of having a par 6: Premier in France with a BackTee at 666 meters.
The rural golf of Chammet is located in the Regional Natural Park of Millevaches, at an altitude of 850 m, in the town of Peyrelevade.
This 9-hole course, par 35, is hilly and very varied in terms of both its difficulties and its lengths.
It is a natural golf course: its architecture respects the relief of the site and the natural spaces have been preserved.
It offers a magnificent view of Lake Chammet in a calm and green setting as well as an exceptional point of view on the Plateau de Millevaches.
Players, whether beginners or experienced, can express themselves fully.
In summer, around hole number 9, you can indulge in blueberry picking and bring back a taste souvenir in addition to images of this fabulous landscape.
Accessible to everyone, from initiation to the most experienced, this site will not leave you indifferent ...
The GAEC (Groupement Agricole d'Exploitation en Commun) Beneix, manager of the golf course, will be happy to welcome you all year round. The Golf Rural du Chammet is one of the few, if not the only one in France to be managed by a GAEC.
The Tursan Les Greens d'Eugénie golf course is located in Bahus Soubiran, a charming town in the Landes of only 417 inhabitants between Aire sur l'Adour (10km) and Eugénie les Bains (2km).
Its name comes from Bahus, name of the tributary stream of the Adour which crosses the village. From its history the village retains a pretty little church and the 12th century castle of Lucpeyrous. Les Greens d'Eugénie offers you a XNUMX-hole course that deploys its greens and fairways in the Landes countryside. Wooded, bordered by vines and crossed by a pretty stream, this course will enchant you.
Rural golf course, The Tursan Les Greens d'Eugénie golf course allows you to come and play golf without reserving a tee time (except competition days). Also, a dynamic team maintains the course throughout the year to allow you to play in the best conditions.
Facilities are also available to train you:
twelve practice stations, six of which are covered
a putting green
training bunkers
Designed in a natural wooded setting by Jean Larrouy and perfectly maintained; all lovers of golf and nature will find pleasure there.
The Golf de Pau-Artiguelouve is located in Artiguelouve, a pretty French town, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Between mountain and ocean, 1 hour from the ski slopes and the beaches, the Pau-Artiguelouve golf course will offer you a breathtaking view of the Pyrenees.
The 18-hole course designed by Jean Garaïalde
The 18-hole course of the Pau-Artiguelouve golf course has its greens and fairways over 5639 meters. It is a technical course and landscaped by Jean Garaïalde. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced player, he will demand the best of you.
On a plain ground, it offers many "dog-legs", lakes and large greens. The course is divided into two parts.
The first 6 holes, narrow and very tactical, in a wooded area called "La Saligue", will require great precision.
The following 12 holes are located on a larger course, “La Plaine”, where you can let go more on long shots.
Training areas
For training, the Pau Artiguelouve golf course has:
A practice area, 8 covered posts, 5 outdoor mats, 2 grass posts
Putting green
Pitching greens
Pitch & Putt 6 holes
2 training bunkers
La Palmyre golf course is certainly one of the most beautiful 9 holes on the Atlantic coast.
It is located next to Club Med de la Palmyre.
The golf course has been designed in the heart of a sumptuous pine forest surrounded by contemporary villas on the edge of the course.
Breathtaking views of the ocean and the beaches of the Atlantic, a golf course that combines both Scottish links aspects and typical American target courses.
You will also be seduced by the exceptional quality of the greens and the perfectly maintained fairways.
La Palmyre golf course is a 9-hole, par 36 course, measuring approximately 2 meters. It also has a practice of 892 stations including 35 on floors, 10 covered and 10 Power Tee.
This place will delight the most assiduous golfers, as well as the neophytes.
A rare place!
The Chantaco golf course is a legendary golf course in the pure Basque tradition.
Welcome to the Basque Country, a proud land with a strong personality. This region, whose language is the oldest in Europe, also has one of the most prestigious golf courses in the Old Continent. The Chantaco course, located in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, a few kilometers from the Spanish border, is not only a renowned golfing site, but also a place steeped in history.
The Chantaco golf course, whose course was designed by landscape architect Harry Colt, was inaugurated on November 1, 1928 during a game in which the native of Biarritz Arnaud Massy participated.
This magnificent 18-hole course nestled at the foot of the Pyrenees offers a splendid panorama and allows any golf lover to play in a natural and totally captivating environment.
Open all year round to its members and visitors.
The club offers all golfers many services including the training area which includes:
A practice of 28 stations including 3 covered, with targets on synthetic green.
A putting green and two approach zones.
Created in 1907, the tree-lined Nivelle golf course winds around a hill between ocean, river and mountain. it was originally designed by renowned champion and architect JHTaylor.
It is a unique typically British route, very varied and hilly, allowing you to discover in turn superb panoramas: the ocean, the Nivelle, the port of Saint Jean-de-Luz and the Pyrenees.
This 18-hole Par 70 course of 5685 meters is technical: the relief and the slope, sometimes steep, require the golfer to adapt throughout the course his position, his stance and his swing; the steep and fast greens are demanding.
The Nivelle golf course is appreciated for the quality of its terrain. It will suit beginners as well as experienced golfers.
Inaugurated in 1993, the 18-hole Brive-Planchetorte golf course deploys its greens and fairways in an enchanting setting. It is located near the city center, the motorway junction, Lac du Causse and the airport.
The Planchetorte valley is the green natural setting in which the Brive Planchetorte Golf Club course takes place.
.The surrounding forests and the peaceful flow of the “Planchetorte” stream will bring a gentle tranquility to your round of golf.
The course
Technical course, the municipal golf of Brive-Planchetorte is a par 72 which displays a slope of 149 of the black balls. Each golf course has its "signature" hole, which we talk about first and foremost. If the striking holes are numerous on this course, the hole n ° 13 could be this one, with its green nestled between the stream and a majestic cave, unless the hole n ° 6, strategic hole par excellence, registered between the piece of water, the oaks and the stream be the lucky one; Golfers will decide.
Due to the topography of the site and the narrowness of the valley, more than half of the holes in the course run along or cross the “Planchetorte” stream. It is this presence of water that contributes to making the course difficult and interesting.
Training areas
1 putting greens
2 approach areas with bunkers
1 covered practice (13 stations)
Mortemart golf course was created in 2007 with 6 holes. The following year took place the inauguration and approval of the 9 holes on these slightly hilly lands facing the Monts de Blond.
Trained in landscaping and green-keeper at the agricultural high school in Neuvic, Nicolas Balotte took advantage of the land and the forest environment to create a varied golf course in a preserved environment, traced among hundred-year-old trees.
You will find some Scottish inspired link-like holes.
The course, of good design and with watering of the fairways, will allow you to be able to play all year round, even in extreme winter conditions.
1 km from Mortemart, one of the most beautiful villages in France, come and discover a superb 9-hole course with a breathtaking view of the Monts de Blond in the heart of Limousin in a preserved environment, surrounded by hundred-year-old trees.
On the edge of the Arcachon Basin, the Golf des Aiguilles Vertes deploys its greens and fairways in the town of Lanton in the southwest of France, in the department of Gironde.
The Golf des Aiguilles Vertes has a charming 9-hole golf course. This golf course built on the sand preserves the quality of the fairways and greens all year round. The name of the golf course: "Les Aiguilles Vertes" sets the tone and the pines accompany you throughout the course. Fairly flat and evolving in the pine forest, it is accessible to all, playable all year round and every day.
The welcome is warm, and the salty air whets the appetite: the Arcachon Bay and its oyster huts are close by and you will have the pleasure of commenting on your round of golf around a plate of oysters.
The Rochefort Océan golf course is located in Saint Laurent de la Pree, a pretty town in the southwest of France, in the Charente-Maritime department.
It harmoniously deploys its greens and fairways in the heart of a green setting of over thirty hectares. Wooded and hilly, the Rochefort Océan golf course offers a spectacular view of the Rochefort marshes as well as the Charente estuary.
The 9-hole course
The main course of Rochefort Océan golf course is a relatively technical 9-hole 2538-meter course. It offers beginners as well as experienced golfers a wide variety of playing situations. Also, it will require a precise iron game to attack greens often well defended by a few strategically placed bunkers and water hazards.
Training areas:
A practice area (covered and uncovered)
A putting green
A pitch and putt
A training bunker
Between the Livenne and the pines, the Montendre golf course is a green 9-hole course accessible to all and which is of real golfing interest. 1831 meters by 31 - Pitch & Putt FFG approved.
The Pitch and Putt course
The course is set in a park with a small stream and fairways punctuated by a few bodies of water and plants where maritime pines, pedunculate oaks and chestnut trees mingle. It is a rustic and warm course that will appeal to both beginners and experienced golfers. Nothing will be played until the ninth hole! Indeed, hole 9 is a small par 3 on an island of about a hundred meters which will perfectly liven up your matches of Match Play with family or friends.
In short, a fun and friendly golf course perfect for the little game.
The first public golf course in France, inaugurated in 1976, the St Lazare golf course is a facility managed as a whole by the City of Limoges.
5 minutes from Limoges town center, the course is part of a pleasantly wooded sports complex. There are a few water hazards, severe roughs, and relatively long holes, which is an interesting challenge for players of all skill levels.
The primary objective of this golf course is to allow as many people as possible to practice golf with an excellent quality / price ratio.
For your training, find a covered practice with 10 stations and an outdoor practice with 35 stations. Practice bunkers, pitching green and putting green complete the facilities.
The Golf de Limoges St Lazare was born from the talent and experience of Hubert Chesneau, one of the most renowned European architects and with multiple achievements including the Golf National.
This 18-hole course covers 55 hectares and offers amateurs pretty, often long holes with small greens.
In addition, its relatively flat and not very physical relief is suitable for all types of golfers.
French golf was born in the 1856th century in the Basque Country, on a hilly strip of land, wedged between the Pyrenees and the Atlantic, and abundantly watered by ocean rains. "Wrong," retort picky historians. The first awkward swings date back to XNUMX, the year of the inauguration of the Pau golf course, the first course in continental Europe ”. Certainly, the first golfers in France were Béarnais or… rather subjects of her gracious majesty, the Queen of the British Empire. But, thirty to forty years later, it was on the banks of the Nive that golf was brought to its peak.
The people of good family and the officers stationed in the capital of Béarn had only played a pleasant board game, the Basques had transformed it into a sport in its own right. To understand and domesticate it, they relied on their traditions. From the confrontation with the bulls in the arena, he had acquired the strategy, from the pelota the amplitude in the swing and from the Basque games of strength to the power at the drive.
In a century, the Basques have written the most beautiful pages in French golf. From Arnaud Massy to Marie-Laure de Lorenzi, the children of Biarritz and Saint Jean de Luz brought the most coveted titles back to their clubs. On the walls of the clubhouses, the yellowed photos keep traces of these golf games. In the windows, the silver trophies shine with all their brilliance.
Because the Basque Country is proud of its champions. Proud of the will and courage of his children who transported throughout the world this human warmth, inherited from the backbreaking work in the fields and long races at sea. Proud of these vigorous men who carried the golf bag of families rich in vacationing in Biarritz and who, after dark, hit bad rubber balls in the light of the candles.
In the evening, these caddies from another age would meet in cafes and, while grasping the glasses of lrouléguy with their callused hands, sang songs, repeated in chorus by a joyful fraternity.
In the morning, they took the road back to golf course of Biarritz-le-Phare on the cliffs of the Chambre d'Amour. There, near the caddy-master's hut, they were waiting for golfers, their clients for a day. In homage to these pioneers, this century-old golf course erected on the gravel path leading to the clubhouse a statue of Arnaud Massy, a former caddy and the only Frenchman to have won, in 1907, the supreme event, the British Open on the terrible Hoylake links, in England. Attracting the envy of fervent admirers of this champion, the modest bronze disappeared one night from its pedestal. Scandalized by this sacrilegious gesture, the golf committee immediately made an identical copy.
Created in 1888, Biarritz-le-Phare is the very example of what golf courses were in the last century. Designed by the English architect Tom Dunn then slightly remodeled by HS Colt, the course, now overtaken by the city, is short, only 5.376 meters, and its greens are tiny. Quite the opposite of American architecture which invaded France in the 70s. In Biarritz-le-Phare, the more daring do not hesitate to want to catch certain par 4 greens with their driver, in one fell swoop. At their own risk. Because the judiciously placed bunkers are numerous to swallow the capricious bullets dragged in their course by the Atlantic winds.
Tribute or stroke of genius, this golf course is now twinned with Augusta, in Georgia (United States), the most famous city in the world for golfers after St Andrews. The one that receives each year in April on the course of Augusta National, the Masters, one of the four major tournaments. In the window of the restaurant of the Biarritz-le-Phare clubhouse, the yellow flag of the Augusta National, brought back, testifies to this prestigious affiliation.
While the other regions of France woke up to golf with consummate slowness, the Basque Coast shuddered with projects. Thus, before the end of the XNUMXth century, a second course was designed by Baron de l'Espée at the gates of Biarritz, in the town of Bidart. Started in 1914, it will disappear in the fires of the First World War. TO Saint-Jean-de-Luz, it is a 9-hole golf course of Sainte-Barbe, which will see the light of day in l 893 before sinking a few years later under the sirens - already prestigious real estate. From the disappearance of Saint Barbara was born the Nivelle golf course in the town of Ciboure, a fishing port bordering Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Eternal cycle of resurrections. It is at the foot of Rhune massif that La Nivelle unrolls its rugged fairways at the top of which visitors discover between two swings the sumptuous panoramas opening onto the ocean and the Pyrenees.
After an exile in Paris, at Boulie golf course, the Biarrot Arnaud Massy returned to the country and chose the first floor of the Nivelle pro-shop as a holiday resort. A return to the roots to be able to transmit to the children his knowledge of the game and the handling of the cane (name given by the elders to the clubs). Thanks to this exceptional player and teacher, the Nivelle became the crucible of Basque golf. Arnaud Massy was authoritarian, inflexible, tough. On leaving school, the children of the houses near the Basque chalet Lohobia, transformed into a clubhouse, nevertheless rushed to follow the teacher's teaching with attention. Having become teachers, these children, the Garaialde, the Pa Ili, the Alsuguren, the Saubaber… then spread the word throughout France. The Basques were everywhere: from Fontainebleau à Cannes , Lyon à Brest.
Arnaud Massy then resumed his pilgrim's staff and settled in Etretat golf course (Seine-Maritime), his last resting place. On the announcement of his disappearance at the age of eighty-one, the municipality of Ciboure gave him the name of the street which ran along the golf course of La Nivelle. The former caddy Arnaud Massy had become a personality equal to the composer Maurice Ravel, a great figure of Ciboure. There was only in the Basque Country where such a tribute to golf could be paid.
It is an involuntary homage to the origins of golf that the course of Chiberta in Anglet. Tribute to his first courses, called links, which were built along the shores, in the sand of the dunes. Tom Simpson, one of the masters of English architecture, knew how to combine with subtlety the holes drawn in the pines with a sequence of six holes on the seafront. the other courses in the Basque Country.
Tom Simpson had only followed the recommendations of his sponsor, the Duke of Windsor: "Mr. architect, create on these lands the most beautiful golf course in the world". The bet was bold. Chiberta was not the most beautiful golf course in the world, but it is today one of the busiest in France. It is a sign that does not deceive.
In Chiberta, the path from a tee to the hole is not always a straight line. You have to know how to play with the elements to find your ball in play. To know how to "work" the ball, to make it turn sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right, to make it go very low against the wind and to rely on the advice given by the regulars. Thus, at 14, a long par 5 that runs along the beach, local players often encourage you to drive straight on the Biarritz lighthouse, that is to say straight on the sea so that the ball carried by the prevailing winds returns in a harmonious curve on the fairway. While golfers fight against the gusty wind from the ocean, the course tries to resist the onslaught of sand which stealthily wins its battle against golf.
Inaugurated in 1926, the Chiberta golf course experienced its golden age in the 30s. Long limousines cluttered its parking lot and drivers gathered in a bar, built for them, to kill time while waiting for hours during the return of their masters, their faces reddened by the spray. Then it was a long agony. The clover had invaded the fairways. Chiberta would die, forgotten. Until the 70s, when under the impetus of a new director, Jean-Baptiste Ellisalde, the Anglet club would, year after year, win back the hearts of golfers and regain their former glory. Today, despite a tiny clubhouse, which some do not hesitate to find unworthy of such a marvel, and a practice on water not very suitable for training, Chiberta has regained insolent health. Because despite a very high number of members, to make all golf managers in France green with jealousy, Chiberta welcomes passing visitors every day. Times have changed, as a former member reminds us: "Twenty years ago, nobody expected his departure from the tee of 1".
In the Basque Country, golf is a story of men. TO Chantaco, it is even the story of a family. Three generations who have left their mark on the jewel of Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Three syllables, Lacoste, which would go around the world. And triple activity for the most famous of them, René, great tennis player of the 30s, creator of the shirt stamped with the famous green crocodile and owner of the Chantaco golf course. A family revered and respected by the forty-four professional players who were trained in Chantaco. When they evoke the memory of the musketeer of tennis, they call him with restrained emotion: "Monsieur Lacoste". To the respect of the father was added that of his daughter, Catherine. “Catherine the Great” as an American journalist had nicknamed her the day after her victory, in 1967, at the US Open women's golf course when she was only an amateur.
Through this family saga, Chantaco remains unique in the French golfing landscape. Inaugurated on November 1928, XNUMX with an exhibition team match between the French Arnaud Massy - Jean Gassiat and the English brothers Percy and Audrey Boomer, Chantaco has never changed hands. Its founder René Thion de la Chaume only passed on the family heritage to his daughter Simone, wife of René Lacoste. The great Catherine, now president of the club, can be reassured. The fourteen grandchildren will take over and Chantaco and its forty thousand trees will perpetuate the family tradition and the spirit of the game.
A Arcangues, the family spirit has been passed on for a millennium. Les Arcangues, which gave their name to the charming little village in the hinterland, have been established there since 150. The family castle stands in the shade of hole n ° 15 of this young golf course, opened in 1991, which the family, guided by Guy d'Arcangues, former member of the French amateur team, created to keep ancestral lands intact and resist real estate developers. Because this village so picturesque that Parisians choose it to get married there, aroused the covetousness of investors.
Like a Bassussary, another creation of the 90s, the design of the course was entrusted to an American. From the clubhouse terrace which embraces the Pyrenees, the sloping fairways, large bunkers and water obstacles bear witness to a complicated design, not conducive to repeated exploits.
On the church square, between pediment and half-timbered inns tinted with beef blood, the discoidal stelae in carved stones of the small cemetery where the singer Luis Gonzalez, alias Luis Mariano is buried, bear witness to the mystery that surrounds the Basque people whose the origins blend into the mists of time.
For years, no new path has opened between Bayonne et Biarritz. Could this be the sign of the decline of Basque golf? No. Even if the caddies, the breeding ground of yesteryear, have disappeared, new generations are polishing their swings in the llbarritz training center or on the rustic fairways of the small Epherra golf course. These children are no longer the sons of peasants or fishermen. They no longer have the rage to win over their ancestors unless they have acquired their experience. An invaluable knowledge that their parents passed on during family vigils by evoking the long stories of tournaments, extraordinary shots and trips all over Europe. A hundred years of epic history in which French golf would not exist.
Bordeaux is the wine capital of the world. From all over the world, knowledgeable oenologists meet there to savor its divine nectar. Each year, the hundred thousand hectares of vineyards in Bordeaux produce five hundred million bottles intended for the global market of fine palates. Médoc, Saint-Emilion, Côtes, Graves, Saint-Julien… red, white and rosé wines turn heads of lovers of the pleasures of good food. Because the Bordeaux wines are the best in the world. It was in 1855 that the brokers working for the merchants established a classification of the grands crus which, almost a century and a half later, did not suffer from any dispute. Only one wine, Mouton-Rothschild, in 1973 passed its entrance exam to this prestigious list of the best wines on the planet. Château-Lafite, Château-Margaux, Château-Latour, Château Haut-Brion… A Bordeaux , the wine is inseparable from these residences of masters which dominate the vineyards. Stone and vines, symbols of Bordeaux's wealth.
At the young golf course of Pian-Médoc or Medoc Golf Resort, magnums, jeroboams or mathusalems of classified Grands Crus decorate the bar of the clubhouse and the restaurant's cellar is one of the best supplied with Grands Crus alongside that of… Augusta National, in the United States, theater every year in April of Masters. From its inception, Pian-Médoc has relied on the region's wine wealth to carve out a reputation that has crossed borders. On the Châteaux course, each tee is named after a Médoc cru and during the last open in France, gigantic bottles (plastic of course) placed on the practice were used as distance markers for professional players.
The Châteaux course is a real "inland" links designed by the American architect Bill Coore with the collaboration of the American champion Ben Crenshaw, and its vegetation of broom bordering the fairways recalls the Irish or Scottish seaside courses. The American architect who started with Pete Dye played with the winds of the Atlantic Ocean to design a strategic 18 hole course, reinforced by greens with delicate reading. The other 18-hole course, Les Vignes, designed by Canadian Rod Whitman, slipped into the beneficial shade of a pine forest. Thanks to two editions of a doubles tournament, included in the calendar of the European circuit, and the edition of the French Open 1999, hundreds of professional players have been elevated to the rank of Médoc ambassadors abroad. . As proof, Angel Cabrera, winner of the drive competition at the last French Open, returned to Argentina, weighted down with his weight in Bordeaux wines, that is to say eighty bottles of grands crus. A great advertisement for these exceptional vineyards near Buenos Aires.
With the creation in the 80s and 90s of the Medoc golf course, from Caudéran, from Gujan Mestras, Lacanau, Graves & Sauternes (the aptly named), and Bordeaux Lake (the latter under the leadership of the tennis-golfer mayor, Jacques Chaban-Delmas), the golf course has left the confined space of Bordeaux Golf, the club of the upper bourgeoisie of the Gironde. Created or at the beginning of the century on an old pigeon shooting, the Golf Bordelais course still has the characteristics of old-fashioned golf. Short holes and shallow greens give a sporty pig. With its 4 meters for a par 700, the Bordeaux Golf no longer seems to correspond to the characteristics of modern golf. Because today, golfers want distance, still distance, always distance to "snap" their titanium wood. On condition of course that the fairways are wide enough to "water" them copiously with large strokes of hooks and slices. At Bordeaux Golf, these "new age" golfers are feeling a little frustrated. Because the game here requires more subtlety than strength, more placement than distance.
To satisfy their desire for power, golfers take the road to the sea on weekends, towards the basin ofArcachon where all of Bordeaux can be found between the seaside resorts of Arcachon and Cap Ferret and between the golf courses of Gujan-Mestras and Arcachon. The first, designed by the Frenchman Alain Prat, is "American" with its seven ponds for target golf, the second, an "English" course is at the foot of the dune of Pylat which rises to one hundred and fifteen. meters above the ocean.
If these two routes are only a few kilometers from each other, almost a century separates them on the time scale. Indeed, the first holes of the Arcachon golf course, now defunct, were created in 1895 by a pastor of the Anglican Church, the Reverend Samuel Radcliff. After the Second World War, the greatest families of Arcachon joined together to recreate a golf course and called on a great ball grabber, the Basque Pierre Hirigoyen, in charge of unearthing the ideal site that he ended up finding on the commune of the Teste sur Buch. Hole by hole, year by year, golf took shape and the founding members had to show treasures of the imagination to play games worthy of the name on three holes, then on five holes, then on nine before completing a real ten- eight holes without having to go back to the starting point every half hour.
This caution is ancient history. Now, the courses are built in one piece. And the golf course is inaugurated as soon as the initial program is fully completed. On the condition of satisfying all the administrative requirements which do not fail to arise when the course touches the coast. Thus, at MolietsWithin Landes, the Aquitaine Coast development union imposed strict specifications on Robert Trent Jones so that the pines facing the ocean would be preserved. A happy initiative which gives this 18 holes of 6172 meters its Landes character thanks to its wide fairways carved out of the pine forest and its "tues", dune mounds with which the American architect has played wonderfully. With its four seaside holes, from 13 to 16, Moliets is with Saint-Jean-de-Monts, riding a Vendée, Chiberia in the Pyrénées-Orientales, one of the three real links in the Atlantic.
Going down towards the Basque country, the road is an immense straight line of one hundred kilometers which crosses the pine forests of the Landes. This long strip of asphalt with a monotonous accent leads to Biarritz and Spain. Just before entering the Basque Country, fans of the little white ball leave the main road and head for the village of Capbreton to join the golf course of Seignosse.
A real monument erected to the glory of golf. Marvelous, ortuous, magnificent, sadistic, the most extreme qualifiers designate this gem nestled in the Landes forest. Proof of a very long journey. Because which golf course with a mediocre layout would trigger passions? As a connoisseur, José Maria Olazabal comes from Hondarribia in Spain to train there when his tournament schedule allows him a few days of rest. The two-time Masters winner can work on his irons, reputed to be one of the best in the world.
A Seignosse, it is absolute precision that dictates a good score. Because the American architect Robert Von Hagge has excessively complicated doglegs, greens attacks and slopes. Faced with these tests inflicted on their fragile swing, average players quickly criticized the design of the course. Their bad scorecard digested, they correct their remarks by praising the beauty of this hilly course, traced in the middle of the forest, when the rays of the sun cross the forests. And promise to return to try to bring the monster to its knees again.
When Bordeaux golfers are satisfied with the sea, sand and large pine forests, they love to venture into the vineyards that run for tens of kilometers on both banks of the Garonne, cross Sauternes and dream in front of the Chateau Yquem, the vineyard that produces the tastiest sweet white wine in the world. A nectar of the gods sung for nearly a hundred pages in an admirable language by the philosopher Michel Serres in his book “The five senses”. It is accompanied by Périgord foie gras that Château Yquem reveals the subtlety of its bouquet. Like the one prepared by the chef at Les Fresques, the gourmet restaurant of the Chateau des Vigiers golf course, in Monestier in Dordogne. The terrace of this restaurant faces the course designed by the British architect Donald Steel. We are a hundred kilometers from Bordeaux, in the heart of the region. Lars Petersson, owner of the premises, is the first to fall in love with this castle which was called “the little Versailles” in the 18th century, although there is no resemblance to the palace of the Sun King. To restore the image of this small, Mansart-style castle, this former Swedish shipowner has invested nearly a hundred million francs for the comfort of his guests, mostly foreigners, who share their leisure time between the XNUMX holes bordered by plum trees and the barbel fishing in a lake on the course. Of Vigiers, golfers lead the life of a castle. And, in the evening, by candlelight, the heady wines dance in the burgundy glasses, of course!