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Golf guide • France • Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Golf in Bordeaux: Médoc heathland, the pines of Pessac and the great wines

Within half an hour of the centre, Bordeaux offers two heathland courses among the best in France, Châteaux (Bill Coore, 1989) and Vignes (Rod Whitman, 1991), at the Cabot Bordeaux resort in Le Pian-Médoc, as well as the Pessac course among the pines. Golfers come to combine golf with the vineyards of the Médoc and Pessac-Léognan and a UNESCO-listed city, from April to June and in September and October.

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Bordeaux long turned its back on its river; it made its peace with it by restoring its quays, and the city of honey-coloured stone, a World Heritage site since 2007, is now explored on foot or by tram. It is an ideal base for a trip that mixes golf and wine: the great growths begin at the city gates, Pessac-Léognan to the south and the Médoc to the north, and the courses lie among these vineyards.

The region's golfing heart beats at Le Pian-Médoc, some twenty kilometres to the north-west. The Golf du Médoc, renamed Cabot Bordeaux after its purchase by the Canadian group Cabot, has two heathland courses on sandy soil there: heather, gorse, broom and maritime pines, with firm fairways where the ball runs. Châteaux is Bill Coore's only design in Europe and hosted the 1999 French Open. Closer to the centre, Pessac offers a flat, wooded course, ideal for half a day.

The rhythm of the trip sets itself: a round in the morning, a château visit in the afternoon, the city in the evening. Three to five nights are enough to play both Médoc courses, add Pessac and keep a day for Saint-Émilion. You can stay at the resort, among the vines at Martillac or in town, depending on whether you want to tee off at dawn or dine late.

The courses

Firm fairway between maritime pines, heather and sand bunkers, morning mist lifting

Cabot Bordeaux, Châteaux Course

  • Architect: Bill Coore
  • Opened 1989
  • 18 holes
  • Par 71

Designed by Bill Coore and opened in 1989, Châteaux is a par 71 of more than 6,500 metres, conceived as a tribute to Tom Simpson's heathland courses, Morfontaine first among them. Sandy soil, heather-fringed bunkers and firm, wide fairways that leave you a choice of line: every hole offers a safe option and a more rewarding one. Its holes are named after great Médoc wines. Retief Goosen won the French Open here in 1999, and it regularly ranks among the best courses in continental Europe.

Signature hole. From the 1st, a par 4 of around 400 yards, you have to choose: go right of a string of bunkers to open up the green, or play safe to the left.

Official website

Cabot Bordeaux, Vignes Course

  • Architect: Rod Whitman
  • Opened 1991
  • 18 holes
  • Par 71

The estate's second course, Vignes, is the work of the Canadian Rod Whitman and opened in 1991. Shorter than Châteaux and also a par 71, it is tighter: narrower fairways, sterner greens, deeper bunkers and heathland of heather, gorse and juniper beneath the maritime pines. Several holes are more wooded than on its neighbour. It is the course for precise players, and the natural companion to Châteaux on a two- or three-day stay at the resort.

Official website

Golf Bluegreen Pessac

  • Opened 1989
  • 18 holes
  • Par 72

Opened in 1989 on some 120 hectares of pine woods and lakes, the Pessac course is close to the centre, about twenty minutes away, and to Mérignac airport. The main course, a par 72 of just over 6,000 metres, looks easy on flat ground, but reed-fringed water and raised greens call for precision. It is complemented by a 9-hole course and a compact course. Ideal on arrival day or before a château visit in Pessac-Léognan.

Official website

Where to stay

Cabot Bordeaux

The resort hotel has 79 rooms, six of them suites, beside the two courses at Le Pian-Médoc. Ask for a room on the Châteaux course side: the classic first-floor rooms have no balcony and look onto the inner patios. A spa with heated indoor pool, a bar whose cellar holds over 130 rarities and a training centre: no need for the car. Margaux is twenty minutes away, Bordeaux half an hour.

Les Sources de Caudalie

At Martillac, amid the vines of Château Smith Haut Lafitte, this estate of 62 rooms and suites blends wood, stone and country décor around the Caudalie vinotherapy spa and a two-star restaurant. The suite to ask for is L'Île aux Oiseaux, a cabin on stilts over the lake, reached by a jetty and modelled on the cabanes tchanquées of the Arcachon Bay. Pessac golf course is some twenty minutes away.

Hôtel des Quinconces

An 1834 townhouse on Cours du Maréchal-Foch, a short walk from the Esplanade des Quinconces and the Chartrons. Only nine rooms, honey-coloured stone, high ceilings and a hidden garden at the back with its original dovecote. A discreet five-star town house for enjoying Bordeaux on foot between two days of golf.

Pale stone château with a slate roof above rows of vines in autumn colours

Where to dine

La Grand'Vigne

The restaurant of Les Sources de Caudalie, with two Michelin stars, sits beneath a glasshouse inspired by 18th-century orangeries, facing the vines. Nicolas Masse cooks vegetables from the permaculture kitchen garden and sustainably caught fish, and the wine list runs to some 1,200 references, led by Pessac-Léognan.

Le Chapon Fin

Founded in 1825, Le Chapon Fin is one of the oldest restaurants in Bordeaux. Its 1901 rocaille décor and glass roof make it unique, and in 1933 it was among the first houses to earn three Michelin stars. Younesse Bouakkaoui, a son of the Médoc, cooks French cuisine with south-western accents. In the evening, choose the Histoire menu, which retraces the key dates of the house in five or six courses.

Le Quatrième Mur

Philippe Etchebest's brasserie occupies a wing of the Grand Théâtre, beneath high ceilings and columns. Generous cooking from a menu that changes every week and more than 500 wines make it the ideal address before or after a performance at the Opera. Open Tuesday to Saturday only; in fine weather, extra tables are set beneath the theatre's peristyle, so ask for one when you book.

Beyond golf

Bordeaux, Port of the Moon

The UNESCO-listed 18th-century city unfolds along the quays: Place de la Bourse and its water mirror, the Saint-Pierre quarter, then the Chartrons, the old merchants' district, with its antique dealers and converted wine warehouses. At the end of the quays, the Cité du Vin tells the story of wine from around the world and offers a glass on the top floor, facing the Garonne.

The Médoc château route

From the resort, the D2 heads for Margaux, Saint-Julien and Pauillac, past châteaux whose names appear on the Châteaux scorecard. Many of the great growths receive visitors by appointment: plan one or two visits per afternoon, with tasting, and book a driver for the day.

Saint-Émilion

Three quarters of an hour to the east, the medieval town and its wine jurisdiction have been a World Heritage site since 1999. Sloping lanes, a monolithic church carved into the limestone, cellars and walled vineyards as far as the eye can see: an ideal rest day between two rounds, with lunch on the village square.

Narrow street lined with honey-coloured stone façades and wrought-iron balconies, rattan café chairs on the pavement

When to go

The oceanic climate allows golf almost all year round. April to June is the best period: the heathland is in flower, the fairways are firm and temperatures hover around 18 to 25°C. September and October bring beautiful light and the buzz of the harvest, but the vineyard hotels fill up fast. Summer is hot, often above 30°C; winter is mild and damp, with heavier courses.

Getting there

Bordeaux-Mérignac airport (BOD) is about twenty minutes from the Pessac course and the Médoc, and about twenty-five minutes from the centre. From Paris, the TGV reaches Saint-Jean station in just over two hours. A car remains essential to move between the courses and the châteaux.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course near Bordeaux?

Châteaux, at the Cabot Bordeaux resort in Le Pian-Médoc: a heathland course designed by Bill Coore, opened in 1989, host of the 1999 French Open and regularly ranked among the best in continental Europe.

Has the Golf du Médoc changed its name?

Yes. Bought by the Cabot group, the Golf du Médoc Resort is now called Cabot Bordeaux. Its two courses, Châteaux and Vignes, keep their names.

How many golf courses are there around Bordeaux?

Three major 18-hole courses lie within half an hour: Châteaux and Vignes at Le Pian-Médoc, and Pessac to the south-west. Golf Bordelais, in town, is a private club open to visitors on Tuesdays.

When is the best time to play golf in Bordeaux?

From April to June and in September and October, when the courses are firm and temperatures mild. Summer is hot, winter damper.

How many days do you need for a golf trip to Bordeaux?

Three to five nights: two days in the Médoc for Châteaux and Vignes, half a day at Pessac and a day for Saint-Émilion or the châteaux.

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Your golf trip: Bordeaux

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