Northern France: a golf tour review

With the ease of LeShuttle, a golf tour to Northern France is a brilliant option for those looking for a short golfing getaway. Offering plenty of high-quality golf but also great variety, then throw on top the famous history, culture, and gastronomy, there is not so much to look forward to on a golf tour in France.

Just a short 40-minute drive from LeShuttle crossing in Calais, the two beautiful courses at Golf d’Hardelot was the perfect way to kick off our tour. Les Pins is one of Europe’s leading golf courses, with pine tree-lined fairways that weave their way through sand dunes and the beautiful Hardelot forest. Still used as a European Tour Qualifying venue, this is a must play if you’re in the region.

Whilst Les Pins is the flagship course, don’t miss out on the newer Dunes course, idyllically set among lakes, sand dunes and undulating woodland. Strategic and charming this offers a challenge worthy of this unmissable destination. There is also a fantastic range area set up at Les Dunes course with a stunning clubhouse balcony overlooking the 18th green. Perfect for those post-round refreshments.

36 holes in a day might not be for you, but picking one of these courses for your opening round you can’t go wrong. That evening we based ourselves at the lovely Hotel Du Parc, which is basically on-site at Golf d’Hardelot.

The next morning, we had a short drive up the coast from Hotel du Parc to the links course of Wimereux. Outside of Britain and Ireland there are few true links courses, but Wimereux can rightfully lay claim to its links pedigree. With views out across the channel to the White Cliffs of Dover this is a great option if you’re looking for something a little different on your tour.

After a fantastic round at Wimereux, we drove down to the lively town of Arras, the perfect base for the rest of the trip. The town has two main squares which both have an array of bars and restaurants to fulfil your evenings.

In the morning we went to play Le Golf d’Arras, home to the Ladies French Open on the Evian Tour from 2000 to 2009. The front 9 consists of an array of lakes and obstacles, placing importance on precision and technical accuracy. The back-9 then opens out a little more, offering more of a true parkland feel.

Post round, the stylish restaurant and bar which has a lovely balcony overlooks the stunning 18th hole, the perfect place to unwind with a cold drink. We then headed back to Arras for another eventful evening.

We started the evening at La Passe Pierre, a classic French Brasserrie in the main square. We then embarked on a great bar crawl where we ticked off The Melting Pub, Glanworth Irish Pub and Baramousse, before ending the evening in Le Millenium which stays open until late. A fantastic evening!

On day 4 we headed down to Merignies Golf & Country Club, a relatively new resort where the Lille footballers are beginning to base themselves around, according to the locals! This set-up offers something slightly different with three 9-hole courses allowing for different combinations of a full 18-round.

If you want a slightly more links style course, Val de Marque would be the way to go, a more hilly and technical challenge, which comes from the Rupilly course, and the Valutte is the shortest 9 with tricky greens.

We started on the Rupilly and then moved onto the Valutte for the back 9. Overall, it was a very enjoyable round of golf with a change of scenery between the two 9’s keeping us engaged throughout. It also meant different areas of our game were tested more between the two courses. On-site there is a huge restaurant for pre or post-round activities.

An additional option for your France golf tour on the way back to LeShuttle could be the Aa Saint-Omer Golf Club. An annual host of the European Challenge Tour this fantastic course offers magnificent panoramic views, with an excellent hotel and spa on-site. A typical parkland course with two returning 9-hole set ups, presenting a mix of undulating terrain, wood-lined fairways, and water hazards – an excellent challenge for the travelling golfer.

What a great trip! With the convenience of crossing the channel and an abundance of quality golf & accommodation in the area, I would strongly urge keen golfers to head over to Northern France for a tour.

Both a short weekend golf trip or something a bit longer is easily attainable. The golf on offer is varied from the classic links at Wimereux and the stunning parkland at Arras, to the tour-quality layouts at Hardelot making the trip highly enjoyable.

The lively nightlife at Arras brought the evenings to life, with quality food as expected and an abundance of bars in a lovely town square. A perfect alternative to classic tours of the UK, Spain or Portugal.