Golf éco domaine de Belle Dune

 Ecologists are often far off-target  when they criticize golf-course development projects: the use of fertilizers on greens (which generally cover no more than one hectare) is nothing in comparison to the quantities discharged on the agricultural lands that they sometimes replace. Indeed, the development of a golf course can sometimes have the effect of rehabilitating the surrounding landscape.
Bell-Dune Golf Club in the Côte d'Opale…a rehabilitated landscape? Isn't that taking things a bit too far? Isn't such a statement merely provocation directed at those who, fifteen years ago, opposed the development of this course situated just metres away from the Marquenterre Bird Sanctuary, and who forced the architect, Jean-Manuel Rossi, to abandon some of his ideas? The answer is a resounding "No": the 15th and 16th holes are laid out on a former campsite… and an unofficial one at that!
As for the rest of the site, one only has to walk around the Belle Dune Golf course to realize to what extent the initial criticism was unfounded. Whether the view is of fairways plunging into pine forests or stretching across dunes (each of these landscapes is totally concealed from the other), the sight can only be described as one that will delight the eye. Belle-Dune is a hymn in praise of Beauty. Here, the aesthete's pleasure is heightened even further since the course presents no major challenges… when the wind does not blow, that is! Sand? Practically inexistent… except for those players who wander off into the impressive, ubiquitous dunes in the playable area of the course. The fairways are covered with a 3- to 5-centimetre thick layer of topsoil and water is rare, resulting in a vivid green, compact surface. Bunkers proper are very much an exceptional feature, with "grass bunkers" -which fit in perfectly with the surroundings, particularly in the forests- being preferred. While the course as a whole calls for a consistent degree of accuracy, especially  in the forested areas, it is the greens that demand the most attention, so much so that one is easily tempted to discard one's score-card. But your disappointment will never last for long after completing such a course…