[Scott Warren]

The battle of the French channel coast. Both 36-hole facilities. Both have golden age GCAs involved. Right next door to each other.

Which locale wins, and why?

[Paul_Turner]

Scott

Many think Hardelot has the edge and it looks really good from the pics, apart from having a bad tree encroachment problem.  I think Le Touquet never quite recovered from the war; it lay fallow for many years.   I've never seen any good photos of the original, short course, at Le Touquet and I wonder how much of Horace Huchinson's course is left.

[Ulrich Mayring]

I, for one, am firmly in the Hardelot camp and I do not see tree encroachment as a problem at Les Pins. Maybe some would feel that way, but the course is just too good for it to have any effect on me. The best thing you can say about any course that is, in fact, in a forest is: "It does not feel like playing in a forest." And it absolutely doesn't at Hardelot Les Pins. I haven't played the second Hardelot course, but it's an unheralded modern layout, so why would anyone forego a flamboyant Simpson for that?

That being said, Le Touquet has (IMHO) two great courses in La Mer (Colt) and La Forêt (Hutchinson). Both slightly below Hardelot, but there's two classic tracks and Hardelot has only one. Plus, there's a better selection of accommodation at Le Touquet and Belle Dune is closer. My recommendation would be: for a week-end go to Hardelot, for anything longer go to Le Touquet.

Interestingly, the weather can be a lot different there compared to Kent.

Ulrich

[Ally Mcintosh]

I prefer Hardelot Les Pins, the front nine especially... and the last few holes of the back nine... Lulls a little in the middle in my opinion but there is a huge variety of hole types and shots asked for... Pretty much a great course...

Hardelot does have another more modern course - Les Dunes... I forget the architect at the moment...

Le Touquet Le Foret (Hutchinson) I didn't play... La Mer (Colt) was damaged by the war and is now a grand course in every sense. This is the "championship length" layout in the area and it also heads much more in to links land and sand than Hardelot... But the variety in the holes isn't there... It felt a bit of a slog when I played it... Still, there are some crackers, the opening three (especially the one shot 2nd) come to mind...

[Scott Warren]

I played both Hardelot (Les Pins) and Le Touquet (La Mer) on Monday and have to agree with most of what you guys have said up above.

I'm not sure which I preferred but am inclined to plumb for Hardelot. I played both rounds with my 27hcp dad and Hardelot was just a lot more playable for him, though he returned almost identical scores (as did I), Hardelot was a slow death at the greens without either of us losing a pill, while Le Touquet had him reaching into his bag for another ball fairly often.

I do think Hardelot has a few tree issues that if fixed could raise it a bit. I have pics that I hope to post tonight.

Great contrast though, and Le Touquet is indeed a wonderful town with brilliant restaurants.

Le Touquet is yet another argument that Colt is the greatest designer of par threes I have seen. Just lovely holes.

Hardelot further increases my admiration for Simpson's bunker and green placement and flair. He was a master. Also a great set of five par threes all under 170m (186y) and two under 120m (131y).

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