Golfing in Nord Pas de Calais

Usually they race through by car. On their way to the sunny south many holidaymakers pass by single-mindedly and are blind to the possibilities nearby. The golfing holidaymaker on the other hand looks for great golf opportunities abroad that are not too far away. Nord-Pas-de-Calais, all the way up north in France, is one of those places you usually race through. Every golfer should step on the brakes here. France has a wide variety of golf courses. Majestic and aristocratic courses with a long history, that look like they walked right out of a picture, and new courses that already make a fully-grown impression. Golfing in this part of France is not hard. There are hardly any differences in height. Dunkirk golf in the far north of this region is a beautifully designed parkland course. In play, the golfer encounters fortified walls, defense towers and numerous water hazards. For many golfers this is a negative, but just put up with it and enjoy the magnificent course with a large variety of flora and fauna and –last but not least- very friendly staff.
Dunkirk Golf is being expanded with nine holes. Golf Les Pins and Golf Les Dunes are situated near Hardelot, further south in Pas-de-Calais. Les Pins is almost 100 years old. Les Dunes is only 15 years old, but as far as playing is concerned it measures up to the elderly neighbor. The course’s countryside has a lot of variety and each hole on Les Dunes is a challenge. Contrary to the north of Nord-Pas-de-Calais the area is somewhat hillier, but the differences in height are easy to manage. Too bad the caddy master was somewhat nasty, but we think she clearly had an off day and must be very nice on other days.
Les Dunes and Les Pines are part of the Opengolfclub. Their website offers an overview of all kinds of accommodations and attractive special offers. Worth visiting is the site of Logis de France for good accommodations near golf courses. About 3,200 hotel-restaurants are associated with this hotel chain. These hotels all have neat and tidy rooms and the price/quality ratio is good. In addition, often the hotels have excellent restaurants. Many Logis de France hotels can be found in Nord-Pas-De-Calais.