Bondues (Hawtree)

Overview: The Hawtree Course at Golf de Bondues is an 18-hole parkland layout north of Lille, shaped by Fred Hawtree and planted with the help of British landscape designer Russell Page. The course is longer and more tree-lined than its Bondues companion, with narrow fairways, raised greens and bunkers that make approach angles especially important. The eighteenth climbs toward the perspective of the château, giving the finish a strong visual relationship with the estate. Its identity is one of controlled movement through a planted parkland, with enough variety in the holes to avoid the repetitive feeling that can affect long tree-lined courses.

History: Golf de Bondues was created in 1968 on a large property north of Lille. The club presents the Hawtree course as one of Fred Hawtree's French creations, following his work at Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche, and identifies Russell Page as responsible for the planting and landscape contribution. The course was developed as part of an early French project linking a new golf course with a residential operation. Unlike the Trent Jones course, which was built in two nine-hole stages, the Hawtree routing has a single architectural identity across its full 18 holes.

Did You Know? The eighteenth hole is designed to return toward the château, so the closing approach is played in the estate's architectural perspective rather than toward an anonymous clubhouse. The club also describes the course as a long, narrow routing with large plateau greens and substantial bunker protection, a combination that makes the final hole as strategic as it is scenic.