Near Cap Fréhel and on the Emerald Coast, the north of Brittany is home to three tasty links, a short half an hour's drive from each other. The perfect opportunity for a nice golfing weekend along the English Channel, or even more so.

Breathtaking Pléneuf-Val-André

  • Golf Blue Green de Pléneuf-Val-André - Photo: DR

Designed in 1992 by Alain Prat (architect also of Saint-Julien in Calvados or Gujan-Mestras in Gironde), the golf course offers exceptional views of the Breton coast. A trip to the moors before a magical passage, between the green of 9 and that of 12, where the sea invites itself to the game. The departures of the 10th and 11th are breathtaking but also a sacred pair of… Round.

The 11, a par 5, is without a doubt one of the prettiest holes in France. At the top of a hill, you drag your ball a few hundred meters below while the sea keeps you company on the port side. The panorama is bewitching and the wind, a slap that quickly turns into a caress. Magical ! We almost want to afford a few mulligans to be able to drive several times on this hole.

“People are often pleasantly surprised by the landscape,” confirms Laurent Jouanno, the director of golf. Every year we improve the course, which can be played in any season. Pléneuf-Val-André regularly hosts a Challenge Tour event (from August 30 to September 2), the course record (61) being the property of the Englishman Philip Archer since 2011. The British, like the Germans and the Belgians, moreover, represent almost a third of the green fees sold each year.

For the small and especially the big story, the first president of the golf de Pléneuf, Paul Briat, was a merchant navy officer hired for Free France during the Second World War and who learned to hit the little white ball by attending the English. He was one of the 177 members of the Kieffer commando and one of the rare French who participated in the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944. Only 24 men from the commando ended the Normandy campaign without having been injured or killed ...

Saint-Cast, a real pleasure

  • Golf de Saint-Cast - Green du 18 - Photo: DR

Head east along the coast and direction Saint-Cast, with an almost obligatory stop on the cliffs of Cape Fréhel, one of the most beautiful sites on the Breton coast. Built in 1926, the Saint-Cast golf course was closed during the war and the land, undermined by bombardments, remained abandoned until it reopened in 1959. In 2014, it underwent a complete facelift under the supervision of its director, Philippe Lefeuvre: “We completely redesigned the course, which was too haphazard, with some architectural aberrations, a lot of blind strokes… In addition, we were not making enough use of the sea, which is golf's main asset. "

After a fairly wide first part on the heights - you cross the road leaving the green of 3 - the return is more wooded and requires more dexterity. The last three holes run along the beach, a short distance to the left. Besides its very close proximity to the sea at the end, the peculiarity of the course is undoubtedly its playability, with a total length of only 5000 meters starting from the whites and the possibility of slamming a good score if the wind does not play too much. troublesome parties… The two par 5s (n ° 1 and n ° 5) can also be reached in two, even for amateurs. Hole n ° 5 is a real tactical choice because the second shot is played blind and needs to be more precise than powerful: but beware of balls that are too long, all scores are possible here!

"We offer a beautiful ride, a fun course, a course that does not exist elsewhere," emphasizes Philippe Lefeuvre. It is short, there are no big obstacles to overcome, people do not lose balls, the fairways are rolling. The course is played quickly, there is the spectacle of the sea and we even have golfers over 90 who regularly come to have fun in Saint-Cast. The course record (61) has been held for two years by Arnaud Brien. Besides the spectacular and strategic hole 5, the signature hole is the 18, golf also having the particularity of starting with a par 5 and ending with a par 3. On the last hole, again, a lot can happen. The beach is located just a few meters to the left of 18. But the wind often blowing strongly from the coast, it is necessary to aim… to the left and therefore out of bounds to hope to land the ball on the green. Acceleration of heart rate and guaranteed chills. With, the icing on the cake, "people on the terrace of the clubhouse who are waiting for one thing: that you put the ball on the beach", jokes Philippe Lefeuvre.

Dinard like on a billiard table

  • Golf de Dinard Hole 6 - © Franck Crudo

We end our golfing trip a few kilometers further east with a real gem and the second oldest course in France after Pau. Built in 1887 by the English - hence the depth of some bunkers - like other coastal golf courses (Wimereux, Dieppe, Etretat or Biarritz), Dinard is not only one of the oldest golf courses in France, but quite simply one of the most delicious. The 6 and 12, so silently manicured like the other holes, are postcards. The clubhouse, built in 1927 by Marcel Oudin, has been classified as a historical monument for three years. The verdant cliffs nearby add an almost Irish coloring to the picture. In short, in Dinard, the pleasure of the game is increased tenfold as rarely. Little wonder that actor Hugh Grant comes every year to walk his fairways with his family.

The view of the sea is permanent and the communion with nature is total, especially as blue poles and biotope areas protect different varieties of orchids. Another feature of this unique course, sheep line holes 1 and 9 and provide their voluntary contribution to the maintenance of the roughs. "Dinard is a historic club with large teams of young people, one of the 16 largest French clubs sporting", also underlines the director, Jean-Guillaume Legros. The club is also a shareholder of a superb 4 * hotel located 1 km away, the Château de Nessay, which should open its doors in early July and offer preferential rates for golfers.

The Dinard golf course is like all the Camemberts of Trivial Poursuit gathered on a single course: nature, geography, the arts, sport, leisure, but also history. History of the game, history of France. At the start of the 13th, a par 3 with your back to the sea, you plant your tee on ... a German bunker from the 39-45 war that you can even visit. A feeling of plenitude and the pride of having played one of the most beautiful European courses invades you during the ascent of the 18. Dinard golf course is typically the kind of place that makes you addicted to this game ...

Frank Crudo

For more information and to discover these three jewels of the Emerald Coast: