Best golf courses in Normandy

Golf d’Etretat and Omaha Beach Golf feature is our list of the best golf courses in the beautiful region of Normandy in north-west France.

Stretching along the English Channel coastline and southwards west of Paris, Normandy’s varied landscape provides wonderful scenery for some great golf courses. The region has so much to offer visitors on a golf break, with idyllic coastal villages, historic market towns, unspoiled rolling countryside and superb gastronomy.

In this picture-perfect landscape, golfers will find great coastal links courses as well as high-quality parkland layouts.

Golf d’Etretat

This beautiful course in Normandy made it to No. 5 in our countdown of the Top 10 most breathtaking golf courses in Europe. A glorious championship links laid out along chalk cliffs to the north of Le Havre, with awesome views of the English Channel. The whole course is blessed in natural beauty, but the back nine is especially dramatic with many holes running right along the cliffs climaxing in a superb final hole that doglegs downhill to the green.

Omaha Beach Golf Club

Omaha Beach is home to two 18-hole golf courses made up of four loops of 9-holes laid across stunning scenery combining seaside, woodland and hilly landscapes. The club is close to the famous D-Day beaches and each of its 36 holes pay homage to the allied landings of June 6th, 1944.

The most commonly played combinations of the 36-holes available are L’Etang / Le Manoir and La Mer / Le Bocage. La Mer is possibly the most scenic 9 with the club’s signature 6th hole overlooking the channel, set high up on the cliffs with views of the village of Port-En-Bessin. In contrast, other holes are hilly and wooded with ponds surrounded by farmland and fruit trees. All together, the club is classic French golf and it’s steeped in history.

Golf Barrière Deauville

Designed by legendary course architect Tom Simpson in 1929, this fine club is home to 27 holes of stunning parkland golf. There’s also a few luxury hotels nearby, such as the on-site Hotel du Golf Barrière. The charming seaside resort town of Deauville is also close by, filled with boats, shops and restaurants.

Golf Barrière has tree-lined and open parkland holes set across undulating terrain. The main course is a par 71 which makes its way through parkland with some of the quickest and finest quality greens in the region. A great option for beginners and more casual players, there is also the 9-hole layout, a par-36, 3322-yard gem designed by famed architect Henry Cotton in 1964.

Golf Barrière Saint-Julien

Opened in 1989, this 18-hole parkland course in Normandy around 10km inland from Deauville begins gently, but by the 12th it starts to really challenge golfers. Upgraded over the last decade, the fairways and greens are in top condition. The clubhouse onsite is first class, serving regional Normandy classics with large windows and a terrace looking out to the golf course. 

Golf du Vaudreuil

35km from Rouen on the banks of the Seine, Golf du Vaudreuil is one of the most beautiful 18-hole courses in France and one of the few that is PGA certified. There’s also a bijou hotel and a superb restaurant set in a 17th-century barn.

Golf Club du Champ de Bataille

This woodland course is carved out of large mature trees with the occasional water hazard and it has drawn comparisons with Wentworth and Woburn, two of England’s finest courses. Designed by American Robin Nelson, the greens and fairways are in excellent condition and the tall trees hugging the fairways provide an incredibly scenic and peaceful round of golf.

Granville Golf Club

Around 7km north of Granville, this club has 27 holes of classic links golf. When the wind blows it will test all levels of golfer. On the bay of Mont St-Michel around one hour from Omaha Beach, this is golf in the best Scottish links tradition. The longest 18-hole combination of nines presents a golf course of 6,380 yards.

Golf de l’Amiraute

This course is unique in Normandy. Just a few minutes from Deauville, this Par 73 championship track opened in 1992 and is a Florida-style marshland layout with many water hazards, large greens and bunkering. The clubhouse is modern with a panoramic restaurant. To emphasis the originality of this course for the area, several holes are floodlit, so you can play well into the evening.

Golf de Saint-Saens

A lovely country setting with a great golf course and accommodation. The layout winds through beech trees close to the Eawy Forest and presents a pleasing variety of holes. Just a couple of hours south of Calais, you can stay here at the gorgeous Chateau du Vaudichon which has rooms with views over the course.

Golf de Deauville Saint-Gatien

27-holes which track across a lower valley to higher ground. There’s natural water and forest and each 9-hole loop is different, set on the banks of the Seine’s estuary. This is a great option for a golf break as it’s close to the resorts of Trouville and Deauville.