France offers very interesting golf within an hour's drive of the ferry ports

A trip to France is never a disappointment whether it's goof food, wine, shopping or golf. The country boasts 550 courses, many of outstanding quality, and they never seem to be overcrowded unlike some European golfing destinations.

The beauty of France is that it is just an inexpensive 30-mile hop over the Channel and if you want the shortest of breaks it’s possible to pop over and have a round of golf and sample the cuisine and vino before heading home the same day.

Some of our favourite golf courses in France are all within easy driving distance of the ferry ports. Just a 40-minute drive from Calais and midway between Boulogne and Le Touquet is Hardelot, whose two courses, Les Pins and Les Dunes, meander through forests of pines and the ever-present dunes.

The older Les Pins, a 5,926-metre (6,518 yards) par-73, has hosted professional championships and with the fairways running between banks of towering pine trees there is a wonderful feeling of seclusion even when the course is busy. The newer Les Dunes is an undulating and much tougher par-72 5,723 metres (6,295 yards).

Aa St Omer is approximately 30 minutes from Calais, and about 40 minutes from Le Touquet. A par-73, 6,218 metres (6,839 yards), the parkland course is set in beautiful undulating countryside with menacing lakes. It offers stunning facilities and a friendly clubhouse atmosphere and is the home of the European Tour event, the Open de Saint-Omer, usually played in June.

If you prefer to strike inland, less than an hour from the coast are Champ de Bataille and Golf d’Evreux. Winding through a centuries-old forest, Champ de Bataille is a typical French parkland course ranked among the top 25 courses in the country. Not long at 6,585 yards, it more than makes up for it with a testing layout and if you are fortunate to visit in early June the course will be ablaze with colour for a couple of weeks as clusters of rhododendrons come into bloom.

If Bataille is typically French, Golf d’Evreux is something completely different with an almost links feel. An open rolling 6,988-yard downland course with an SSS of 74, the first impression is of plenty of room but don’t be fooled. It is rated as one of the three most difficult courses in Normandy.

These are just a handful of what France has to offer and another important factor about French courses is that they are also relatively inexpensive to play.

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FIELDS FAIRWAY

Owned by Brits, they are experts in golf and gastronomy in North France.
Contact: +33 (0)3 2133 6564; email golfing@fieldsfairway.co.uk. Phone +44 (0)1502 567987 for a free brochure.
Website: www.fieldsfairway.co.uk

GOLF

Golf d’Hardelot

Le Pins 5,926 metres (6.518 yards), par 73; Les Dunes 5,723 metres (6,295 yards), par 72.
Contact: Les Pins +33 (0)3 2183 7310; Les Dunes +33 (0)3 2191 9090, www.hardelotgolf.com
Facilities: Practice ground, covered driving range, putting green, pitching green. Green fees: on application

Aa St Omer Golf Club

6,218 metres (6,839 yards) par 73; ladies 5,065 metres (5,571 yards).
Contact: +33 (0)3 2138 5990; email reservation@aa-stomer-golfclub.com, www.aa-st-omer-golfclub.com

Champ de Bataille

5,987 metres (6,585 yards), par 72; Ladies 4,465 metres (4,911 yards)
Contact: +33 (0)2 3235 0372; email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website www.champdebataille.com
Faciltities: covered driving range , practice bunkers, putting green, buggies

Golf d’Evreux

6,353 metres (6,988 yards), par 72; ladies 4,888 metres (5,376 yards)
Contact: +33 (0)2 3239 6622;email evreuxgolf @aol.com
Website: www.golfevreux.com
Facilities: covered driving range, 6-hole pitch and putt facility, practice bunkers, putting green, buggies, club hire.

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