Duneland-inspired clubhouse design blends landscape with contemporary style and hospitality at Le Touquet Golf Resort, France’s #1 links course
In the ‘Roaring Twenties’ and 1930s, Le Touquet was Europe’s most fashionable coastal resort and a playground for Hollywood film stars and British aristocrats.
Nearly a century on, Le Touquet Golf Resort, home of France’s #1 links course, is ushering in a new golden age for European golf travel with the opening of a remarkable new clubhouse, designed to blend into the linksland environment while offering guests contemporary comforts and hospitality.
Inspired by the vast beaches and mountainous dunescape that characterises this stretch of France’s north east coast, the new clubhouse nestles at the heart of the resort’s three golf courses, La Mer, La Forêt and Le Manoir.
Its striking design features seven pyramidal peaks, a roofline reminiscent of the coastline, but also echoing the tented villages that accompany the world’s professional golf tours. While instantly delivering a contemporary look, the clubhouse remains fully connected to its dune and pine forest environment thanks to the wood that clads the exterior, including the roof.
An open-plan interior provides a series of self-contained zones, creating a sense of both space and privacy. This allows the main areas – locker rooms, pro shop, bar and restaurant – to feel separate, yet linked. The clubhouse is also bathed in light, with liberal use of glass affording glorious views of the golf courses from all points of the interior.
The build was masterminded by the Lille-based agency Pierre Louis Carlier Architectes, whose chief architect Benjamin Castelli explained: “The unique shape of Le Touquet Golf Resort’s clubhouse gave us plenty of challenges. Creating such a large open-plan area demanded considered design and precise engineering, as well as careful consideration to the materials used and how they complemented the surrounding landscape. The result is a clubhouse befitting its remarkable setting.”
The elegant interior, while contemporary, uses colours and fabrics to evoke the game’s tradition, as well as Le Touquet’s glamorous history as a playground for the rich and famous.
Leather, wood and tweed create a sumptuous and tasteful feel, while nostalgic images of the resort’s 1930s heyday adorn the walls. Soft whites, browns and blues are in harmony with a maritime region renowned for the quality of its light.
“Attention to detail has underpinned this entire project,” added interior architect Stéphanie Cayet, who conceived the internal spaces. “Though the clubhouse is open plan, its design and décor allow it to feel intimate and welcoming. Whether you are a golfer relaxing after your round or a visitor dining in the superb restaurant, it’s simply a lovely environment to enjoy.”
The new clubhouse and its acclaimed new restaurant, The Spoon, is part of a significant long-term investment programme at Le Touquet Golf Resort.
The classic La Mer course, France’s #1 links, has already undergone a major restoration project, including the discovery and restoration of four holes lost from Harry Colt’s original 1931 design.
The resort’s hotel, Le Manoir, will also undergo a transformation, with long-term plans to turn it into a boutique style hotel. A stylish new restaurant has already opened, with the hotel’s communal areas set for renovation during winter 2017/18.
Le Touquet Golf Resort, part of the Open Golf Club group, is less than an hour’s drive south of the Eurotunnel terminus, on the Côte d’Opale. With easy access to the A16 autoroute, it is easy for golfers to drive direct from the UK, Belgium and The Netherlands, as well as the rest of France.
For more information about Le Touquet Golf Resort, visit http://www.opengolfclub.com/en/Golf-du-Touquet