Golf de Chiberta

Chiberta — Tom Simpson’s hybrid course between the Atlantic, dunes and Basque pine forest

Chiberta is located in Anglet, between Bayonne and Biarritz. The course begins and returns through the pine forest, but several holes lead directly to the Atlantic on sandy linksland.

In 1924, the Biarritz Anglet la Forêt company acquired approximately 150 hectares of dunes and woodland with the aim of creating a golf course. Tom Simpson designed Chiberta in 1927, as part of a project associated with the Duke of Windsor. The club quickly became a major hub for sport and elegance on the Basque Coast. The design has since been renovated while respecting its original spirit.

The strength of the design lies in its hybrid character. Simpson alternates between woodland holes framed by pines, links fairways exposed to the wind, and transitions around a lake. The bunkers and changes in texture demand different strategies over the course of a single round.

The initial holes quickly lead towards the sea before the course re-enters the pines. This alternation prevents any routine: the wind, visibility, and ground type constantly change.

Chiberta is an important club in the Basque Country with over a thousand members, a golf school, an eighteen-hole course, and the nine-hole Impératrice course. The experience combines club culture with proximity to the resorts of Biarritz and Anglet.

The Round selects it because it brings together, in a single round, two families of golf rarely so well married: Atlantic links and pine forest courses.

Land acquired in 1924; course designed by Tom Simpson in 1927; blend of links and inland course; modern renovation respecting the original design.