Golf holidays in Flanders - Lille & Arras
Golf holidays in Arras and Lille are a surprising contrast to golf in the rest of France, as the region of Flanders has a rather unique look and feel to the architecture and the cuisine. Buildings in the two main cities of Flanders appear strongly Flemish (i.e. Dutch) with their elaborate curved crenulations more reminiscent of Amsterdam than Paris.
Lille is a big city: Arras more of a large town. If you are taking your golfbreak in Arras you are sure to spend most of your evenings strolling the two central squares thronging with bars, cafés and brasseries: perfect for wining and dining after a hard day on the golf course! Lille has large central squares too, but these are wrapped in quite substantial suburbs. However the centre of Lille is very appealing with some wonderful brasseries and top-notch restaurants, not to mention a myriad of boutiques in every sidestreet.
Arras & Lille - Golf Clubs
The golf courses around Lille and Arras are plentiful and fairly evenly spread across the countryside. They offer a nice blend of premier private Clubs such as Bondues, Le Sart and La Brigode; commercial set-ups such as Arras, Lille-Metropole and Dunkerque; quiet, almost secret, Clubs such as Thumeries-Moncheaux and a few smaller 'start-up' Golf Clubs too - Merignies and Vert Parc for example. So there's plenty for everyone!
The overiding style of golf course in the Flanders region is parkland as you might expect from an inland destination! Albeit Mérignies has a linksy style loop of nine.
The private Clubs do very well for membership as this is one of the more densely populated regions of France. This means however that golf at the private Clubs is quite tricky at the weekends but often wide open during the week (and in August, the holiday month). That said, the more commercial Clubs will make you welcome whenever they have a gap on their startsheet so weekend golf is not totally out of the question.
Arras & Lille - where to stay
In Arras, by far the best hotel in town is L'Univers. A three-star hotel with a tremendous restaurant that was once a convent and enjoys a prime position just off the main shopping streets. It also has its own small car-park, which is very handy. If you would like to stay closer to Arras golf course, ask us about the rooms in their Pavilon de Golf, a boutiquey addition to the Arras hotel scene.
In Lille, the stylish place to stay is the Carlton Hotel. A four-star establishment that could not be more central, it even has a valet parking service to ease your comings and goings.
Arras & Lille - what to see, do and eat
In Arras the Hôtel de Ville (town hall) towers over the Place des Héros from where you can either go up the belfry for the panoramic views of Flanders or down into the labyrinthine tunnels under the city, dating from the Middle Ages they are as convoluted as their history - including a major role in the World Wars.
War historians may care to visit the trenches that have been preserved in several locations or the Military Cemetries which are, sadly, to be found all across the landscape in this much fought-over corner of Europe.
Flanders cuisine you will find quite sturdy with plenty of filling dishes such as the Potjvleesch - pressed meats in a thick pastry crust, Waterzooi - a local variation on a casserole theme and Flammekuche - sort of a pizza on bread, topped off with the local cheese Mariolles, which is both soft and strong.
This part of France is too cold for wine production, but don't panic as the area is renowned for its beers - some of which pack a hefty punch - so your thirst will not go unquenched.
Getting to Flanders
The very easiest way to access both Lille and Arras from the UK is via the Eurotunnel or P&O ferries to Calais. From here it is under an hour to Arras and only slightly more to the centre of Lille. Driving is easy on the motorways to both towns.
Golf courses can be a little trickier to find, especially the city centre ones like Le Sart and La Brigode, however our SatNav coordinates will help you find them all without too much trouble.
Let the train take the strain?
If you prefer to not to drive then relax on the Eurostar right into the centre of Lille from either London or Ashford.
