Belle Dune Golf Club

Set in a paradise for migratory birds, in the dunes of the Parc du Marquenterre, the course has one absolute priority: to preserve its biodiversity. This is why the course has been laid out with minimal human intervention, as in the pioneering days when landscape governed the design of each hole. Extraordinary in its variety, the result nevertheless leaves the impression of a formidable consistency, that of playing in a wild environment where the flora and fauna are certainly not simply a peripheral backdrop to the game.

Trees, especially pines, greet golfers over the first third of the course, before giving way, from hole 8 onwards, to shrubland reminiscent of a links course. On a few holes between the dunes, the change of scenery is radical, as if in a snap of the fingers you’re entering a new world of golf. Depending on the wind direction, you can hear the roar of the waves: the sea isn’t far away! At the 14th, you find yourself back in the forest as a little foretaste of the 15th, a 605-metre dogleg left bordered by majestic pine trees: now you’re in the middle of Scandinavia and possibly even Canada!

Golfers may sometimes journey across the globe, but they are above all emotional travellers, no matter how small those emotions may be: making a beautiful drive in the middle of narrow fairways, using the wind to bring the ball back to the desired spot (quite rare, I must admit!), walking with your heart racing to find your ball again, playing a perfect chip shot or rescuing a respectable score with the help of your putter… At the Eco Domaine de Belle Dune, all these little moments come together to form one great feeling of joy, made all the more sublime by the diverse and precious natural surroundings.