The Beauty of Playing Golf in South West France

Not many golfers from the UK venture to the department of Landes in South West France, an area better known to the international surfing set.

Situated in the between the Spanish border and Bordeaux, it’s an area blessed with a glorious coastline of the huge, wild beaches of Cote d’Argent and a dense pine forest stretching for miles.

It is also host to some fine cities, notably Biarritz and Bayonne, and smart towns such as Hosseger.

With international airports at Biarritz and Bordeaux a short drive to the south and north respectively, it’s an ideal location for golfers seeking good quality, value-for-money courses in a typically French setting.

Accommodation is varied and plentiful, ranging from camping to luxury hotels.

There is a good range of self catering options too, notably around Moliets, a lovely seaside village which is a great base to take in the beauty of the beaches and pine forests, to enjoy some splendid French cooking, and to play three fine courses each within easy reach.

Golf

The quality of the courses easily accessible from Moliets, which makes a perfect base, range from good to exceptional. By European standards, they also offer incredibly good value. 

Thanks to the sand-based subsoil they make for a fine all-year round golfing destination, although late spring, early summer and autumn is probably the best time to visit for golf.

Golf Moliets

There are 27 holes here, but the much preferred loops are the Foret and Ocean nines forming a par 72 course running through the pine forests, with a few holes opening up onto the beach where the course meets a towering coastal dune beside the Bay of Gasgoigne.

Designed by Robert Trent Jones Snr, it opened in 1989. While the conditioning needs attention, the holes have a distinctiveness about them and many are fairly tough. Thick rough runs the length of many of the holes and changes in elevation compound the difficulty.

After a straight forward dogleg par 4, the 2nd hole presents many obstacles to shooting a par. The next hole of real note is the par 5 5th, a risk or reward hole for the big hitters who may fancy taking on a long shot over water to a well guarded green.

Three holes on the back nine starting in sequence at the 13th offer a complete change in topography being out in the open and by the side of the dune field. 

The club has an interesting history being conceived by the then President Mitterrand who wanted golf to be more approachable to a wider cross section of the community funded from the public purse.

Golf d’Hossegor

It’s strange to find this fine golf club almost in the centre of Hossegor, a delightful town worth exploring for its smart shops and bistros. The market hall, les Halles d’Hossegor, just a few minutes walk from the clubhouse, is worth a visit in itself for lunch.

The clubhouse here is of the highest order and the course is absolutely immaculate with fairways like carpets and greens resembling billiard table tops.

It’s a parkland course with fairways cut amid a pine and oak forest so it’s easy to walk, particularly as the layout and routing is well considered, with no undue distances between greens and tees. It starts flat and straight, although there is a dogleg at the 3rd where the tee shot needs to carry a river.

It comes into its own on the back nine which is particularly strong, with a dogleg 11th, a quirky uphill par 3 14th which plays uphill to a small, well guarded green.

The 15th is possibly the most memorable; a downhill par 5 to an enormous green reworked by Cabell B Robinson from the original 1930 John Morrison design.

The receptive greens are excellent with subtle borrows throughout.

There are 950 members here with another 200 on the waiting list facing a two year to join. There is no surprise it is so popular; the course is absolutely immaculate and it’s the type of club you would love to join and play the course regularly.

Golf de Seignosse

The most regarded course in the area is simply a beauty on a eye and equally so to play. 

People will talk about the 18th hole - a 666m par 6 off the tips - but really there isn’t a poor hole on the entire layout.

Set in the extensive Landes coastal pine forest about half way between Biarritz and Moilets, its rolls and tumbles over hilly ground and features some pretty impressive water holes.

Designed by Robert Von Hagge, it opened in 1989 and soon became rightly recognised as one of the best layouts in continental Europe.

Players get an immediate taste of the elevation changes they can expect throughout. The clubhouse, first tee and 18th green sit atop of a steep slope and the first view of the course below becomes a lasting memory.

Beautifully maintained throughout, the fairways are lush and the greens large and challenging, with several having double plateaux.

Water comes into play on the 2nd hole where a pond awaits a long drive slightly off line to the right.

Another pond needs negotiating on the memorable 3rd hole where a drive has to carry the water to a rather tight entrance to the fairway.

This appears to be the lowest elevation of the course and the most gorgeous too, it’s certainly made for the camera phone. The same pond will come back into play on the superb dogleg left 17th.

It is hard to believe the course is situated so close to the sea, it seems very secluded running through the dense forest.

Standout holes are plentiful but particularly notable are the short but very testing 9th and 10th, the short par 4 14th over water and the long par 5 11th which is regarded as the signature hole.

The clubhouse is rather sparse but its lunchtime cuisine is top notch.

Les Villas la Clariere Aux Chevreuils

These self catering villas offered by specialist Summer France are an ideal option for small parties of golfers, being well located for the three courses and within easy reach of plenty of restaurants.

If you want a true French style experience, they are hard to beat. Set amid the vast pine forest they are spacious, well equipped and each has its own private pool. 

Those in the know have their croissants and baguettes delivered from the local boulangerie each morning and hire bikes or ebikes to make trips to nearby beaches, restaurants or explore the expansive pine forests along the maze of safe cycling routes away from traffic. Cycling at night isn’t an issue either so it saves taking the car out to the restaurants.

Summer France have recently launched a golf specific website https://summerfrancegolf.co.uk/ featuring these villas.

Those preferring a hotel should check out our travel partner Golfbreaks which has accommodation and golf package deals based in Biarritz.

Verdict

For a three golf course break in a typically French environment, the area around Moilets is hard to beat. Two of the courses are immaculate and while Moilets is rather scruffy in places the layout is very good and it works well as the one to play a few times to keep costs down. A package here offers excellent value for money and would suit couples and small groups who like off-course interests in particular.

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