Brittany – beautiful coastlines, stunning scenery and great golf!
One of the largest regions in France, it is also offers an abundance of golf courses. For a number of years, Brittany was largely ignored by the masses, yet it still received a steady stream of avid golfers from the South West of England. They would jump on the ferry and after an overnight crossing, be able to enjoy a superb choice of cheap and empty courses coupled with some stunning scenery and superb local cuisine. With more competitive ferry prices and a number of low cost airlines now with routes to the region’s major towns, you can see why Brittany is steadily becoming more and more popular with the travelling British golfers.
Dinard: wonderful links golf and stunning scenery
The region is located on the northwest coast of France, and has the most Westerly point in the country. It incorporates a number of departments, but generally most British golfers recognise it as Brittany and Western Loire. There is a reoccurring theme throughout the region which essentially sees most of the golf courses located near to, or on the coast. In fact, you can pretty much divide the region into three different golf areas, the North Coast, South Coast and Western Loire.
The North Coast
The largest and most popular towns on the Northern coast are Dinard and Saint-Malo, adjacent to one another on either side of an estuary. Dinard is the more upmarket of the two towns, and is a popular holiday resort, with its numerous restaurants, glamorous hotels (including the Grand Hôtel Barrière Dinard) and casino. However, it is the town of Saint-Malo, a fortified city and one of a number of ports for the fleet of ferries coming over from Portsmouth, which is arguably the more well known. The overnight crossing with Brittany Ferries, leaves Portsmouth at 20.30 and gets you into Saint-Malo at 8.30, the perfect time to grab a croissant and coffee and attack the first of the many courses in the area.
Dinard, the second oldest golf course in France
Dinard Golf would be the first course you would come across, the second oldest in France after Pau Golf Club. Designed by the famous Tom Dunn in 1887, the course has a very Scottish feel and a number of the holes are perched on the cliff tops overlooking the channel. This is a stunning course and despite being only a par 68, the conditions can make it far longer than it appears! The par 3, 12th hole is stunning, with beautiful views across the Channel and teeing off from a rocky cove.
Saint-Malo Golf Club is around 30 minutes drive from Saint-Malo town centre, and is positioned on the pretty Mirloup Lake. The location is idyllic and this is more than matched by the quality of the golf. There are 27 holes onsite, a 9 hole course called Les Chenes and the main 18 hole course, which is called L’Etang. The course is characterised by an abundance of water, excellent fairways and a number of strategically placed bunkers. There is also a 3* hotel onsite, the Golf-Hôtel du Prieuré de Saint-Malo. The hotel has been designed to a 19th century style with wooden beams and stone interiors and consists of 27 rooms, and a fantastic restaurant. The venue is extremely popular with locals and foreign golfers alike.
Just five minutes down the road is the Domaine des Ormes. It is a large resort set in 200 hectares of a lush green park. There is an onsite 3* hotel, log cabins, chalets, tree-houses (yes, really!) a restaurant, bar and a lovely 18 hole championship course. The course itself is set in beautiful ancient woodland and is a really interesting yet challenging layout. This is one of the top parkland courses in the region and can provide a real challenge despite its short length. It is perfect for golfers looking to relax onsite and also families looking for activities for every member of the family.
The Golf du Val André: considered to be among France's finest. The
11th hole is ranked as one of the world's top 500 golf holes
The choice of great courses doesn’t end there, with the links Golf de Granville (although strictly speaking this is actually located just over the border in Normandy), Golf de Saint-Cast Pen-Guen, Golf des Sables d’Or, and the top class Golf du Val André. The Golf du Val André is a gem of a course and often considered as being in the Top 10 French Golf courses. The course has arguably the hardest stretch of holes from the extremely tricky 10th past the spectacular 11th through to the par 3, 15th. This course, which annually hosts the European Challenge Tour, is an absolute bargain, costing around €35-€40, and is certainly not for the faint hearted.
The South Coast
The Southern coast of Brittany is littered with tradition and a myriad of golf courses. There are courses stretching right from the western side of the region, like Golf de L’Odet, right down to the Western Loire border, including Golf du Croisic. The main towns are Vannes, Lorient and Carnac, all renowned for their great choices of seafood restaurants and beautiful views out onto the Gulf de Morbihan. You can fly into Rennes, Brest, Lorient, or Nantes with a number of different low cost airlines.
There are a few choices of accommodation we’d recommend, including the 3 star Hôtel du Golf de Saint-Laurent. The hotel is located right in the middle of the Golf de Saint-Laurent, a course which has on numerous occasion hosted major competitions and is well respected for its year round good condition. Set in the middle of a beautiful pine and oak forest, the course was in 2001, voted amongst the Top 40 French courses.
The Hostellerie Abbatialle le Bono is a very characteristic 3* hotel located in Le Bono, just 20 minutes from both Vannes and Carnac. The hotel combines charming original features with more modern amenities, including its outdoor pool.
The other stand-out golf courses include the Golf de Rhuys-Kerver, a genuine links course right on the southern coast. Golf de Val-Queven, located just north of Lorient and a superb parkland course where precision is everything. And finally, Golf de Ploemeur Océan, a fantastic and truly impressive championship course with stunning views and where the wind comes into play on most holes. Look out for the 5th and 11th holes, both cheeky par 3’s straight over water to the well-protected greens.
The Western Loire
The two main resorts in the Western Loire are without doubt, the magical Domaine de la Bretesche and the expansive Hotel du Golf International La Baule with its 54 holes of onsite golf. The most convenient way to travel to this part of the region would be to take a Ryanair flight into Nantes, and then you would be looking at around 30 to 45 minutes drive depending on which of the two venues you were heading to.
Domaine de la Bretesche: a sublime 18 hole championship course and one of the most beautiful and charming golf resorts in France
The Domaine de la Bretesche is one of the most beautiful and charming golf resorts in France. You tend to find the word ‘beautiful’ can be grossly over used when describing golf resorts, but on this occasion, the word is quite fitting. Set in thick woodland, and with a backdrop consisting of an ancient castle, the ambiance is quite magical. The 4* Hotel de la Bretesche has a brand new spa, gourmet restaurant and clubhouse bar/restaurant, and is the main focus of the resort. There are also a number of 4* quality self-catering cottages which perfectly cater for groups of golfers and are terribly good value for money. However, it is the sublime 18 hole championship course which makes a name for the resort. Winding its way through the forest, the course has a perfect mix of challenging, narrow fairways, blind shots, dog legs, pristine fairways and immaculate greens. This is a must play course and one of the most highly regarded in the region.
Towards the coastal town of La Baule, with its 12 kilometres of sand beaches, the longest in Europe, you will discover the massive golfing resort of La Baule. Owned by the famous Groupe Lucien Barrière brand, the Hotel du Golf Barrière La Baule is a 4* venue, with not only hotel suites and apartments, but two 18 hole golf courses and a further 9 hole practise course. The hotel was made famous in Britain during the 1998 Football World Cup, which was held in France, as it hosted the England Football team. Likewise, during the 2008 Rugby World Cup, it also hosted the England Rugby team, as you will notice by the signed shirts in reception.
La Baule: two 18 hole courses and the perfect location for a group of golfers
Indeed, this really is the perfect location for a group of golfers. The hotel has a number of suites, all with cooking facilities and a living area, and there are a number of 3/4 bedroom apartments catering for groups of 6-8 people. The onsite restaurant and bar are perfectly capable of handling large numbers and for the more outgoing individuals, it is only a 10-15 minute drive to get to the centre of town or indeed to the large Lucien Barrière casino. All this whilst of course not forgetting the fabulous golf onsite.
There are two 18 hole courses, the Lucien Barrière being the more challenging of the two, with narrow fairways and plenty of water obstacles which come into play. The Diane Barrière-Desseigne is the second course, offering a complete contrast to the Lucien Barrière. The wide open fairways and flatter terrain lull you into a false sense of comfort. However, with some blind shots and again, several water hazards to contend with, this is certainly no walk in the park. The whole site is really geared towards golfers and the whole atmosphere is fantastic.
There are a number of other courses you can play whilst in the area, including the Golf de Nantes and Golf de Savenay, both interesting parkland layouts and conveniently located on the route to or from Nantes airport. Likewise, head further south and after an hour’s drive you will come across the epic Golf de Saint Jean de Monts. The monstrous course starts off in the pine forests and slowly winds its way down to the beachfront where the true links reveals itself. This is definitely only for lower handicappers.
The region really does offer a diverse choice of locations and golf courses. It caters for families, couples and groups alike with an envious array of championship standard courses at very reasonable prices - it is a mystery why this region hasn’t become far more popular than it is.
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