June 14, 1928. The architect Harry Colt, to whom Muirfield and Wentworth owed it in particular, began the design of the 18 holes of the Sea, in the heart of the dunes of the Opal Coast. Less than three years later, golf was played for the first time ... at night by the Prince of Wales, a few days before the official inauguration. An architectural success that even made JSF Morrison write in the Daily Mail: “The new course has the most magnificent 18 holes a scratch golfer can find. Each of them is a masterpiece. "

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September 4, 1944. At the Liberation, nearly 2000 bombs were dropped by the Allies on Le Touquet. The city and its golf course are almost completely demolished. If the 18 holes of the Forest course are quickly rebuilt, it will take fifteen years for those of the Sea to be reopened. For practical reasons, however, the initial route is largely modified. Prestigious international tournaments are organized again, like the French Open, won in 1977 by a young rising youngster: a certain Severiano Ballesteros.

In the 1990s, a first renovation of the course led by Harold Baker made it possible to find the corridor and the dunes of the original route. Since 2011, each winter has been used to get as close as possible to the holes drawn by Harry Colt. “Aerial photos and a surveyor's plan dating from the 1930s have given us a true idea of ​​the first route. And it is only a matter of time for the Sea to show a face similar to that of yesterday, explains Patrice Boissonnas, one of the architects with Frank Pont in charge of the course. In 2014, golfers were able to discover the completely restored hole 13, as well as the significantly modified 11. In 2015, holes 14, 15 and 16 returned to their former shape to come as close as possible to Colt's spirit and offer a high-quality golf experience. In 2016, greens 7 to 10 were rebuilt and enlarged to bring back the variety of the game of yesteryear. "

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The same year, a new contemporary style clubhouse designed by Pierre-Louis Carlier was erected on the forest side. In this new setting made of wood and glass, chef Fabrice Cherault and his team welcome golfers for a lunch mixing tradition and modernity with, on the menu in particular, the meurette eggs, monkfish tagine and vegetables or even Flemish carbonade.

Across the road, the Manoir Hôtel has also received a facelift. A spacious bar and bright lounge have replaced the old English pub with rustic furnishings. Voted the best French golf hotel for the past two years, this former Anglo-Norman-style family home built in 1911 by the founder of the golf course (Allen Stoneham) now also has a new lounge and an elegantly renovated reception.

Frank Crudo

For more information : https://www.letouquetgolfresort.com/fr