Lots of great seaside places left?

[Tom_Doak]

Anthony:

There has been a fair amount of golf course development in France over the past 15 years, but not much in the way of seaside courses.  Is it possible to get permits for that land?

[Anthony Butler]

Tom,

You would be in a much better situation than myself to know about permitting. The French have a specific government department whose job it is 'to minimize the impact of coastal development'... given France's highly beauracratic nature I wouldn't be surprised if this group operated under the idea "It's a beautiful spot, why bother with a golf course?" To your point that the French have done most of their golf development in the interior of the country.That has always been the way in France. Only one major city in France is on the ocean and that Marseille.

I didn't get the sense there was a golfing or golf club culture in France similar to the US, UK or Australia. Sitting on the terrace at Morfontaine, no one looked like they had dropped by the club for a bite before playing. A fabulous lunch in the countryside was the focus of the day's activity.

With the great French tradition of taking a two months off in the summer, most of their holiday places along the coast are filled with people from Paris etc... if they were in desperate need of tourism francs from the UK or the US, you might see golf course development like Spain or the Baja Peninsula.

That said, let's hope some crazy Frenchman will give give a seaside opportunity over the next 10 years. Brittany and northern part of the Bay of Biscay would provide some great locations.

[A_Clay_Man]

John, Looking closely at those dunes, I believe a course, or two, could be routed between the sandy hills. Not really traversing over the dunes, but through them.
The shifting sand only happens when it really blows. I suppose a super smart designer could utilize the wind pattern and effectively have top dressing done by mother nature.  

[Steve_ Shaffer]

How about Croatia on the Adriatic Sea?

 Jack Nicklaus to design his first course in Croatia

Signature Golf Course to be centerpiece of Porto Mariccio, a luxury resort and residential community on the Western coast of the Istrian Peninsula

NORTH PALM BEACH, Fla.—Jack Nicklaus made a visit to Croatia over the weekend that included a meeting Saturday in the capital city of Zagreb with the Prime Minister, Dr. Ivo Sanader, and other government officials to celebrate the official signing and announcement of the first Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course in the Republic of Croatia. A contract-signing ceremony Sunday officially launched the relationship between Nicklaus Design and Porto Mariccio Resort, an upscale community on the country's Western coast of the Istrian Peninsula.

Jack Nicklaus and the world's leading golf course design firm were chosen to bring to life the first integrated resort in Croatia to consist of a luxury hotel that will include a spa, wellness center and meeting facilities; a variety of residential offerings totaling more than 460 units; a 350-berth marina; and an 18-hole golf course. Porto Mariccio Resort, which is being developed by the real estate-investment firm AB Maris, will be situated between the town of Rovinj and Pula, and near the archipelago of the Brijuni Islands.

Jack Nicklaus and Nicklaus Design have courses open for play in 28 different countries, but this is the firm's first in Croatia. Nicklaus Design currently has 80 projects under development outside the United States, including 20 new countries.

"This is one more country that five years ago we, as a firm, never dreamed we would have the opportunity to be involved in as far as developing golf," said Tim Kenny, Executive Vice President for Nicklaus Design. "It is exciting for Jack, the family and Nicklaus Design to continue our efforts to introduce and grow the game in new markets throughout the world."

There are currently just three golf courses to service the country's population of roughly 4.4 million. Yet since 1993, Croatia has sported one of the highest growth rates of any transitional country of Central and Eastern Europe, and over the last decade, tourism continues to grow annually. In April, more than 413,000 tourists visited the Adriatic Coast, which is a 25 percent increase from the same month a year ago, and room nights are up 35 percent from a year ago.

Industry experts have pointed to Croatia as being one of the most rapidly growing tourist destinations in Europe, and National Geographic labeled Croatia as the top destination for the 2006 season. It is estimated that several billion dollars of tourism infrastructure projects are being planned throughout the country over the next three to five years.

Golf seems to be a perfect fit with the country's fast-growing tourism industry, especially with more than 3,600 miles of coastline and a prevailing Mediterranean climate on the Adriatic coast that includes dry, sunny summers with temperatures averaging 77 degrees and mild winters with an average temperature of 54 degrees.

"This is both exciting and an honor that the developers of Porto Mariccio have chosen our firm," Jack Nicklaus said. "This area is beautiful, and has so much untapped potential. We are honored to be given the opportunity to help unlock that potential and to create a golf destination and something that will further enhance the growing tourism industry of Croatia. The site itself is ideally located on the Adriatic Sea, and with the combination of the shoreline and the gentle contours of the property, we have a chance to create something special."