Golf de Biarritz Le Phare

Biarritz Le Phare — a historic urban course where Harry Colt prioritised precision and green speed

Le Phare occupies an urban plateau between Biarritz and Anglet. The terrain is open, gently undulating, and exposed to Atlantic winds, but several plantings carried out in the late 1960s now give it a more wooded character.

The golf course was inaugurated on the Phare plateau on March 13, 1888, by the British colony of Biarritz. Tom and Willie Dunn quickly redesigned the initial links. In 1920, Harry Colt was commissioned to modernize and lengthen the course; his work was unveiled in 1924. After World War II, the holes at Chambre d’Amour were not reconstructed, and the course adopted its current more compact configuration.

Colt worked within a limited space. He employed deep bunkers, subtly sloped greens, and strategic tee shot angles to create difficulty without excessive length. The compactness of the site promotes a fast-paced and highly technical round.

The course is short by modern standards, but its fast greens and well-placed bunkers maintain a high level of challenge. Pin positions can radically transform the holes.

The club is located in the heart of Biarritz, offering a restaurant, driving range, golf academy, and a strong sporting tradition centered around the Biarritz Cup. The experience is urban, historic, and very different from isolated resorts.

The Round selects it for the richness of its history and its ability to remain relevant: a short, fast, and intelligent course in the heart of a golf-centric city.

Inaugurated in 1888; initial redesigns by Tom and Willie Dunn; Harry Colt’s transformation unveiled in 1924; strong tradition surrounding the Biarritz Cup.

Biarritz Cup; grandes compétitions amateurs françaises