Royan

Overview: Golf de Royan lies in the forest of La Coubre near Saint-Palais-sur-Mer, where the routing follows natural dunes beneath maritime pines. It is not a links in the strict sense: the trees and sandy woodland create a more sheltered forest course, even though the Atlantic coast is close and wind can still alter the feel of the holes. The layout emphasizes accuracy, with relatively little rough but plenty of trees shaping the preferred lines into the greens.

History: The club’s own course page credits Robert Berthet with the design and dates the 18-hole course to 1977. That attribution is important because the target record had associated Royan with Robert Trent Jones Sr., a different architect. The course has retained its forest-and-dune setting, with the routing extending through the same broad natural environment that gives Royan its distinctive Charente-Maritime character.

Did You Know? The official course description gives Royan a par of 72 and a length of 6,005 metres from the white tees, approximately 6,567 yards. It also explains the unusual combination at a glance: natural dunes are present, but the course is classified as forest rather than links because the pine corridors dominate the play.