Golf d’Hardelot and Le Touquet Golf Resort on France’s northern coast have reported significant increases in visitors, underpinned by growing business from the UK, Belgium, The Netherlands and Scandinavia.
Hardelot and Le Touquet Golf Resort reported 18% and 6% rises in green fees respectively in 2018, continuing an upward momentum that started in 2017, where Le Touquet Golf Resort saw an 8% rise on the previous year.
Le Touquet’s refurbished Le Manoir Hôtel, voted France’s Best Golf Hotel for three consecutive years, also experienced an uplift in visitor numbers, reporting a 30% increase in bookings for 2018.
Le Manoir’s refurbishment was part of a multi-million Euro renovation programme across Le Touquet Golf Resort, which has seen the award-winning restoration of La Mer course, France’s No.1 links course, and the construction of a stylish new clubhouse.
Hardest (pictured above) has enjoyed increased popularity after major course renovation project. Architects Frank Pont and Patrice Boissonnas used old photographs and aerial views to restore Les Pins course to Tom Simpson’s original 1931 routing and design, recreating the shaping and contours of greens, surrounds, fairways and bunker edges.
Le Touquet Golf Resort CEO Laurent Boissonnas commented: “The Ryder Cup has undoubtedly put the focus on France, with courses and resorts around Paris and in northern France benefitting from an increase in travelling golfers. However, thanks to our own investment projects, this positive trend had been building at our venues since the end of 2017, was noticed throughout 2018, and early bookings indicate it is continuing in 2019.”
He added: “Our goal has been to create a new golden age of golf travel on France’s northern coast, and it means so much to see, not just the increase in visitors, but also a broader range of international golfers discovering golf on the Opal Coast.”