The original course at Golf de Biarritz Le Phare, which was laid out by Tom and Willie Dunn in 1888, was one of the oldest on the European continent that was subsequently redesigned by Harry Colt in the 1920s...
The original course at Golf de Biarritz Le Phare, which was laid out by Tom and Willie Dunn in 1888, was one of the oldest on the European continent that was subsequently redesigned by Harry Colt in the 1920s...
3.5
This characterful 19th Century Golf Club has an interesting history, and boasts a thriving membership. Their golf course is extremely busy and clearly a popular place to play. It is located at the top end of the town right next to the iconic Lighthouse which is part of its name. The course is surrounded by high quality housing yet makes the most of its true parkland layout to provide a scenic experience and challenging test.
The many golfers are very relaxed and almost laid-back, they seem to treat their golf as a pleasurable pastime rather than a sport. For instance the highlight of the day in the clubhouse is a lively lunch-time trade in its stylish outside restaurant overlooking the course.
Maximum use is made of the golfing land available with some of the holes too close for comfort in a layout that is split into two by the approach road. There is no room for car parking on the site, this is provided by nearby roads. Practice facilities are minimal, but the formula undoubtedly works.
At first sight, Biarritz Le Phare looks an open expanse of manicured green. Big trees line a number of fairways which are of generous width, there are no water hazards and the greens are predominantly flat. With a length of less than 6000 yards from the back tees, scoring should be straightforward and the game very simple.
However, the course has had a number of makeovers and designers since being formed in 1888, even including the itinerate Harry Colt, and between them penal bunkering has been introduced and the most made of mainly gentle slopes. Four of the fairways are punctuated by large craters which need to be avoided, and putting wasn’t easy when we played for the greens had been hollow-tined, sanded and fertilised just a few days before. They were now quite crusty as there had been no rainfall since. And so it was no surprise when adding the scores up after the round, we found that only one of our Fourball had played to Handicap.
The best hole on the course is the dogleg 11th, which swings to the left before the approach shot has to be played over a dip in the land to a raised green guarded by two fearsome bunkers. The six par threes all have testing approaches often over quite deep sand traps, while all the longer holes require precision play. Maintenance is as smart as the site and the golf course offers enjoyable holiday golf for all.
Tim Elliott
The latest ranking of the Top 100 Golf Courses in the World serves as the ultimate global golf bucket list. Most members of our World Top 100 Panel are seasoned golfers, each playing 20-30 of these courses annually while travelling extensively over decades to form their opinions on others. We recognise that opinions vary—even among our panel members. Rankings are subjective, and there are undoubtedly 50 or more courses in the UK and USA alone that could easily fit onto this list. Links Golf Pilgrimages The rankings
California, United States
New Jersey, United States
Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
New York, United States
New York, United States
Bordeaux and Biarritz – bright golfing beacons in southwest France The historical Aquitaine region sits in the sunny southwest corner of France, stretching from the foothills of the Massif Central in the north to the Spanish border in the south, a distance of more than three hundred kilometres. It’s a territory blessed with a beautiful Atlantic coastline, known as the Côte d'Argent, which runs along the Bay of Biscay, and many of the best golf facilities are strung out along this wonderful sandy coastline. Aquitaine extends to just over forty thousand square kilometres and a population of more than three million people enjoys a strong golfing heritage that dates as far back as the middle of the 19th century. Pau Golf Club was formed in 1856, making it the oldest golf society in continental Europe, and golf is still played on the same layout that was first fashioned by British visitors all those years ago. Tom and Willie Dunn helped establish the original course at Biarritz Le Phare in 1888 and this layout was subsequently improved upon by Harry Colt, whose design company was also involved in golf projects at Hossegor and Chantaco in the late 1920s. When you consider that Tom Simpson was busy working on an 18-hole track at Chiberta around the same time, you’ll realise there are quite a few courses in the area with outstanding design pedigrees. And for those who are more interested in modern golf course architecture, three highly-prized layouts from well-respected American designers all debuted in the late 1980s: Moliets with Robert Trent Jones, Seignosse from Robert von Hagge and Ron Fream’s Arcangues. So much to choose from so where to begin? Well, it seemed logical for us to fly into Bordeaux then progress south from there. Our hosts were Sylvie and Lucius McPhilemy from Greens & Grapes, who provide a wide selection of itineraries for people visiting the wine-producing regions in southwest France and into northern Spain. Sylvie and Lucius offer a very personalised service, having personally hand-picked accommodation, tested recommended restaurants and met every wine producer that they feature. They’ll also arrange preferred green fees and tee-time bookings so everything’s taken care of for you. For our short 2-night stopover in Bordeaux, we stayed at La Villa Verte, a small Aparthotel set next to St. Andre Cathedral, which was perfectly adequate for our needs. Cité du Vin Pairing golf with wine is a great idea so the first place that has to be checked out is Bordeaux’s ultra-modern Cité du Vin museum and cultural centre, which is a fantastic multi-million euro attraction that opened to the public in June 2016. You’ll have to set aside at least a full morning or an afternoon for this visit as there are so many wine-related things to see in this spectacular modern building. Grand Saint-Emilionnais About fifty kilometres east of Bordeaux city centre lies the small commune of Saint-Émilion in one of the principal red wine areas. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it features steep and narrow streets, with Romanesque churches and ruins accessed via underground catacombs dug into the hilly limestone. Again, it’s worth setting aside some time to have a look round this little town. Continue driving another twenty minutes and you will arrive at the rather unassuming Grand Saint-Emilionnais Golf Club, where the Mourgue d’Algue family recently appointed Tom Doak to design his first course in continental Europe. Set within a gently rolling landscape, the fairways weave their way unobtrusively around a gorgeous property, blending effortlessly into their surroundings. Médoc (Châteaux) TheGolf du Médoc Resort is located just half an hour’s drive north of Bordeaux and it boasts a pair of 18-hole layouts which were designed by another couple of North American architects. The main attraction is the Châteaux course, a Bill Coore and Rod Whitman co-production completed in the late 1980s when both men were just making their mark in the design game, with the Vignes course – a solo design from Whitman – playing a supporting role to its slightly older sibling. The Châteaux layout is the highest ranked course in our South West France regional chart and it also occupies a very prominent position in our Continental Europe Top 100 so perceptions of the Vignes course probably suffer when direct comparison are made between the two – make no mistake, though, the Médoc resort is a strong 36-hole golf facility overall. Landes Situated to the south of Bordeaux, Landes is one of the original eighty-three departments that were created in France at the end of the 18th century and it’s characterised by huge pine plantations running along its sandy Atlantic coastline. Here, you’ll find a wide variety of accommodations; from hotels to bed & breakfasts; vacation rentals to campsites – and you’ll also come across three great golf facilities in among the trees. Moliets (Forêt & Océan) The Forêt & Océan nines at Golf de Moliets comprise a 30-year-old Robert Trent Jones Sr. layout that operates within a big coastal golf and tennis complex. The fairways start out in forested terrain then head towards the sand dunes shortly after the turn to give golfers a little taste of linkslike playing conditions before returning back to the tree-dominated interior. Seignosse The course at Golf de Seignosse is a Robert von Hagge design that opened around the same time as Moliets in the late 1980s and it too is routed through a heavily pine-clad environment, with water coming into play at a handful of holes. New owners have started renovating the course and there are plans in place to do a lot more in the months to come. Hossegor Golf Club d’Hossegor’s course dates back to the 1920s, when Arnaud Massy helped John Morrison – one of Harry Colt’s design partners – to lay out the holes across a gently undulating property. Cabell Robinson has been working here since the start of the new millennium, mainly improving the playability of the course with modifications to both fairway and greenside bunkers. Pyrénées-Atlantiques Continuing further south, across the Adour River which marks the boundary between Landes and the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments, there’s another cluster of first-class courses to be discovered in and around the elegant seaside town of Biarritz. We were based for the last part of our trip in the comfortable Mercure Biarritz Centre Plaza Hotel, an exceptional historic establishment with listed architecture as recognised by Monuments de France, and its recently restored antique furniture are an absolute delight for lovers of Art Deco architecture. From this location, the remaining courses on our schedule were never more than half an hour away. Chiberta Tom Simpson set out the course at Golf de Chiberta during the Golden Age of Golf in the 1920s and this rather unique part links/part heathland track is as relevant today as it was back then, thanks largely to the efforts of another British architect, Stuart Hallett, who deserves great credit for his work at the club over the past decade, preserving Simpson’s design intent by restoring bunkers and carrying out other course improvements. Biarritz Le Phare The initial eighteen holes at Golf de Biarritz Le Phare were date-stamped “1888” but a large part of that Tom and Willie Dunn layout (which was subsequently remodeled by Harry Colt in the 1920s) was lost after World War II. Unfortunately, there’s not much left of the old course but hats of once again to French-based architect Stuart Hallett who is actively involved in a long term upgrade project at the club. Arcangues The Golf d’Arcangues course occupies around a hundred and twenty acres of the historical Arcangues estate which has been in the hands of the family since the middle of the 12th century. Designed by Ron Fream when he worked with Golfplan, the layout is routed across rolling terrain, with three holes on the back nine set out in a loop around the old ancestral home, Châteaux d’Arcangues. Chantaco The Golf de Chantaco course at St-Jean-de-Luz is another Harry Colt design from the 1920s that has just undergone an extensive renovation by... yes you’ve guessed it – that man Hallett once again! The front nine was totally revamped this year and the back nine is due to go under the knife this coming winter so don’t be too surprised if the Open de France Dames tournament for professional ladies returns here sometime thereafter. Pau A golfing trip to Aquitaine wouldn’t be complete without venturing one hundred and twenty five kilometres inland to where it all started in Pau, the Cradle of French Golf. The course is laid out on the northern banks of the Gave de Pau river, with six par threes on the scorecard contributing to an overall length of just under 5,400 metres from the back tees. The club’s first course consisted of nine holes and this was extended to 12 holes by Willie Dunn, the Royal Blackheath professional, in 1860. Fifteen years later, further land was acquired and a new course of 18 holes was fashioned. It’s been lengthened a little since then but it still feels very much caught up in a time trap – don’t miss a trip to Pau as it’s something of a golfing shrine. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses
A Biarritz hole is one of golf's most theatrical par 3s: a long carry to a massive, elongated green bisected by a dramatic swale or depression that divides the putting surface into two distinct plateaux. Named after the French seaside resort where the original hole once stood, the Biarritz has challenged golfers and sparked architectural debate for over a century. Most template holes replicated by C.B. Macdonald—the father of American golf course architecture, who pioneered copying famous holes and adapting them to new sites—and his disciples draw inspiration from originals in the British Isles, the homeland of golf. The Biarritz is a rare exception, most commonly traced back to the south-west coast of France, in the region of the same name. There, Tom and Willie Dunn Jr. crafted one of the most famous and infamous par 3s in history. The Original: A Hole Lost to History The "Chasm" hole (the current name for the template is derived from its original host club, not the original hole name) at Golf de Biarritz Le Phare featured a heroic carry over the titular chasm, approximately 160 yards, to a massive putting surface. The third hole's target area featured two large flat zones—one at the front and one towards the rear—divided by a drastic swale running between them, and guarded at the sides by bunkering. It is believed that only the rear platform was ever pinned—totalling between 210 and 240 yards—making the hole essentially a test of a player's ability to hit both long and straight (this was certainly a driver during the Dunn brothers' time in the 1880s). The rest of the putting surface's dimensions are largely conjecture, as the original lasted only four years before construction of a hotel moved the teebox and took the bay out of play. The original green and hole would eventually be eliminated and, later, decimated during World War II. Furthering the mystery is the unlikelihood that Macdonald could have found himself in France during its brief existence. All of these factors—or lack thereof—add up to occasionally contentious conversation amongst golf architecture enthusiasts about what constitutes an authentic Biarritz. Defining Features of a True Biarritz Whilst interpretations vary, most architecture historians agree a Biarritz should include: Length: 180-240 yards (though modern versions may stretch further) The swale: A deep depression dividing the green Two plateaux: Distinct front and rear landing areas, traditionally both cut to green height. Purists claim only the rear was pinned. Massive scale: Greens typically 60-80 yards, or more, deep Strategic question: Can (or should) the front plateau be pinned? Classic Biarritz Examples Macdonald's template showcase, the National Golf Links of America, doesn't feature the model. Instead, Long Island's Piping Rock Club hosts the designer's first Biarritz. In the absence of official documents, the Biarritz swale has traditionally been understood to fit within a range of 1 to 1.5 metres in depth, which describes Piping Rock's variant well. Lacking a bay, Macdonald added a large bunker in front of the first plane. It's important to note that this landing area is not green, but fairway, running down into the swale, which features a similar cut. The effect is a rather micro-version of the Valley of Sin at St Andrews, forcing a tricky up-and-down recovery for shots short off the tee. These specifications inspire the most vocal arguments about whether the front could—or should—be pinned, and whether that act violates Macdonald's intentions. It appears one person who didn't see an issue pinning the front was Seth Raynor, Macdonald's nearest disciple. His Course at Yale hosts perhaps the most famous rendition of the Biarritz, and perhaps the most dramatic as well. Players must carry nearly 200 yards of water to where the green immediately begins, through a swale, to the back plateau. To compound your problems, the green tilts aggressively both front-to-back and right-to-left. Whilst a more "dignified" template, such as the Redan, might flaunt its subtle tweaks from the original, the Biarritz seemingly encouraged imitators to push the envelope ever further. Charles Banks created one of the longest versions at Forsgate Country Club in New Jersey, stretching to 235 yards. Not taking his nickname "Steamshovel" lightly, the designer also added Raynor-style thumbprints—shallow depressions—to both of the green's flat surfaces. The most controversial element, however? His swale can be pinned. Getting back to Macdonald, The Creek gets a nod for its distinct rendition. Missing the green isn't enviable for any Biarritz, but The Creek's takes it to a new level via its Biarritz/Island hybrid. It's a big target, but tee shots are easily pushed by aggressive winds into the Long Island Sound inlet. Modern Interpretations The naturalist tendency of the 21st century has made this template a less-likely choice for new courses, but a few true Biarritzes have emerged. One of the more straightforward versions is the 16th at Streamsong's Red Course in Florida, featuring a 70-yard green that plays between the property's dunes. Tom Doak included a Biarritz-based hole at Bandon Dunes' Old Macdonald, but the Oregon resort's naturalist aesthetic raises some doubts amongst purists. The green does take a pill shape and features a swale through the middle. On either side of the swale, however, Doak enacts rolling features more in keeping with his Pacific Dunes design than the relatively plain planes of traditional Biarritz. And, at 180 yards, it is short even by Dunn's old-fashioned standards. Contested Variations: Where Does the Template End? The most famous examples of the Biarritz don't leave much room for subtlety. Accordingly, some of the more debatable examples are guilty of underdoing rather than overdoing. There is no doubt that a Biarritz green can accomplish its purpose as part of a long par 4 or short par 5, but two of the more notable examples raise questions about whether the template can survive a change in par. For example, A.W. Tillinghast included one at Somerset Hills Country Club in New Jersey. Perhaps because of the 13th hole's two-shot nature, his swale is much shallower than the holes referenced above. This alters the approach, but is it watered down enough to strip the "Biarritz" title? The architecture community remains divided. The "Gate" hole at North Berwick Golf Club in Scotland does more than inspire questions about the nature of the Biarritz; it inspires questions as to the template's origin story. The approach shot on this par 4 is much shorter than a typical Biarritz, but the green is much more severe. Similar to the course's iconic Redan, the green tilts down from front-right to back-left, and is divided by a gully reaching Yale-level depths. If the concept alone weren't enough to stir the pot, some suggest that Gate may be the true inspiration behind the Biarritz. North Berwick was founded in 1832, and Macdonald had decisively visited, unlike the Chasm hole. Two facts take some wind out of this theory, however: first, most historians agree that Gate was added in the 1930s, and it's suspected that Bernard Darwin didn't mention the green during his 1920s visit. Second, Macdonald named the template "Biarritz," not "Berwick." The Bottom Line Despite the mystery surrounding its origins and the ongoing debate about what constitutes an authentic example, the Biarritz remains one of golf architecture's most compelling templates. At its best, it presents a thrilling all-or-nothing shot that separates the bold from the cautious—a test of both distance and precision that has captivated golfers for well over a century. Whether you believe the front plateau should be pinned or consider North Berwick the true inspiration, Biarritz's dramatic swale continues to spark conversation and challenge players at some of the world's finest courses. Originally written by R Book. Edited by J Miners.
Producing a Top 100 chart for Europe isn’t easy as there aren’t many golfers with a broad enough range of playing experience across all the countries. Still, we’ve managed to find a select group of well-travelled panellists who have assisted with this chart and we’re grateful for their input. Normally, we produce these continental listings at the start of a ranking cycle then work our way through the constituent countries. This time, we began with the Nordic countries last year then – after something of a hiatus in the second half of 2022 – we eventually worked through the remaining nations until all were refreshed. Doing things that way made it a good bit trickier to assemble the top-level chart now (as recently revised country positions must remain intact within the pan-national framework) but we think we’ve produced a cohesive ranking list that stands up well against those that have gone before in previous iterations. So, in our new-look European Top 100, twelve courses remain in the same position, twenty-nine move up, forty-two drop down and seventeen make their first appearance in the standings. We’ll now concentrate our overview on most of the big upward movers, along with our highest new entry which arrives comfortably inside the Top 10. Morfontaine But first, we introduce the course which has held the coveted European #1 slot since 2012, the Grand Parcours 18-hole layout at Golf de Morfontaine in France. Golf was first played here in 1913 but it was Tom Simpson’s late 1920s remodelling of the layout that brought the course to prominence. Relatively recent Kyle Phillips improvements have ensured the course keeps pace with modern technology, at the same time retaining much of the original design intent. This 5.5-ball review was posted a few months ago: “Played this course last year around September. Amazing course. Every hole is beautiful. We were all alone with our 4-ball and a caddy. They were blowing away the leaves in front of us, just as if it was just for us. Perfect conditions. We played the championship course in the morning and the [9-hole] Vallière in the afternoon. An amazing experience.” Lofoten Links The remote course at Lofoten Links in Norway was listed just inside the top half of the table last time around in 2020 but it now makes a prodigious 43-place leap up the listings to the #4 position – which is not that surprising when you consider it was a new entry in our World Top 100 when it was refreshed last year. Designed by Jeremy Turner, this 18-hole layout in the Arctic Circle enjoys one of the most stunning locations imaginable. Les Bordes Entering the standings for the first time, the New course at Les Bordes Golf Club in France is our highest new entry at #6. Laid out by Gil Hanse on the site of a former 36-hole set-up close to Robert von Hagge’s Old course, the New is a heathland-style track featuring expansive waste areas, formidable bunkers and captivating green complexes, with great emphasis placed on the ground game in a firm and fast playing environment. Visby A few folk probably raised an eyebrow when we published our Swedish Top 100 last year as the 18-hole layout (called “The One”) at Visby Golfklubb on the island of Gotland took over the #1 position from the Stadium course at Bro Hof Slott. It now rises twenty-nine places to #17 in our continental standings, improving on the #25 position it held in 2014. Pierre Fulke and Adam Mednick deserve great credit for the remodelling work caried out at the club. Royal Antwerp The Tom Simpson course at Royal Antwerp Golf Club in Belgium climbs nineteen spots to #22 in the new chart. It’s hard to imagine this place fell from our European Top 100 in 2014 and only reappeared when we last reappraised the standings three years ago – all credit to the club for its willingness to restore the layout to its original design objectives, removing a vast number of trees to greatly improve the overall agronomy on the property. Palmares The Praia and Lagos nines at Palmares Ocean Living & Golf Resort in Portugal found favour with our Portuguese panel a few months back (rising two to #3 in the national chart) and it now makes substantial progress in the continental listings, moving up eleven places to #27. Situated on the Atlantic coast in the eastern half of The Algarve, the original 18-hole course was revamped into a 27-hole complex in 2010 by Robert Trent Jr. and the club has never looked back since. Les Aisses The 18-hole Les Aisses course at Les Aisses Golf in the Sologne region of France jumps twenty-five places up to #31 in the chart. Hawtree Limited was engaged in 2010 to reimagine the original Olivier Brizon design, recreating an old-style layout in the spirit of the heathland tracks found in England around London. Woodland management, heather regeneration and remodelling of bunkers have all contributed to the new look here. Real Moraleja Real Club La Moraleja in Madrid owns the largest private golf facility in Europe, with four Jack Nicklaus-designed 18-hole golf courses operating across three locations around the Spanish capital. The club’s #3 course now advances fourteen places to #40 in our chart, with sand-capped fairways routed around four large lakes on a rather flat site where a fair amount of soil was shifted to create contouring during construction. Royal Limburg The course at Royal Limburg is another Belgian track that has dramatically turned its ranking fortunes around. Positioned at #33 in 2018, it plummeted inexplicably to #88 in 2020 but it’s now back with a bang, soaring 47 places up to #41. Designed by Fred Hawtree in the mid-1960s then subsequently altered by his son Martin, the course underwent a complete bunker renovation by architect (and club member) Bruno Steensels in 2018 – so it’s taken a full five-year period for that work to be fully appreciated now! Real Puerta de Hierro The Abajo course at Real Club de la Puerto de Hierro in Madrid (up fifteen to #48) has benefitted from the design talents of several top architects since 1912, starting out with Harry Colt and Tom Simpson in its formative years, followed by John Harris and Kyle Phillips in more modern times. Frank Pont consults currently as the club continues to revise and refine both the Abajo and its sister layout, the Arriba, at a wonderful 36-hole facility close to the city centre. Pärnu Bay The 18-hole layout at Pärnu Bay Golf Links in Estonia (up twenty-three to #52) is a Lassi Pekka Tilander design, shaped by Mick McShane, that first opened for play in 2015. Situated on a sandy coastal strip of land where the forest meets the sea at Pärnu Bay, the raised fairways weave around expansive sandy waste areas and small lagoons, leading to multi-tiered, sand-protected greens. Drought-tolerant fescue ensures firm and fast playing conditions all-year-round. Linna The top track in Finland is the course at Linna Golf (up fourteen to #65) which Tim Lobb designed when he worked with European Golf Design in the early years of the new millennium. Located halfway between Tampere and Helsinki, the course is routed through a pine and birch forest next to the famous Vanajan Linna Hotel, with views across Lake Katuma to the west of the property. Royal Bled The 18-hole King’s course at Royal Bled in Slovenia (up sixteen to #79) dates back to the late 1930s but it was largely abandoned until Donald Harradine redesigned the layout in 1972. Fast forward almost forty-five years and the club commissioned Swan Golf Designs to reconstruct tees, green and bunkers, install new irrigation and introduce new water features on the back nine. It’s pleasing now to see this extensive upgrade receive the recognition it fully deserves. Olgiata Located half an hour’s drive northwest of Rome city centre, the 18-hole West course at Olgiata Golf Club in Italy (up eleven to #87) is a 1960s Cotton & Pennink parkland track that Jim Fazio renovated in 2010. The club has hosted the World Cup twice (in 1968 and 1984) and staged three Italian Opens, the last of which was in 2019 when Austrian Bernd Wiesberger won the event by one stroke from Matt Fitzpatrick. To view the entire detailed list of our latest Top 100 Golf Courses of Continental Europe click the link. View list here. If you have any comment to make on the above article then please use the “WRITE A RESPONSE” link at the bottom of this page. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses
