Golf in Bordeaux and the Southwest
Wine country golf finally has a world class anchor. Cabot took over the 36 hole Golf du Médoc resort in 2023, Tom Doak's Grand Saint-Emilionnais hides ten kilometers from the most beautiful wine village in France, and an hour south the Landes pine forest runs to the Atlantic past Moliets, Seignosse and Hossegor. Played between châteaux visits, it is one of the most complete short trips in Europe.
Photo: Cabot Bordeaux via Google.
Why golf here
For decades Bordeaux was the trip serious golfers skipped: world famous for everything except its courses. That changed when the Cabot group, the people behind Cabot Cape Breton and Cabot Highlands, bought the Golf du Médoc resort in 2023 and set about polishing its two excellent courses, the Châteaux by Bill Coore from 1989 and the Vignes by Rod Whitman from 1991. Coore and Whitman are two of the most respected names in modern architecture, and they were building firm, fast, links inspired golf in the Médoc pines long before it was fashionable.
East of the city, Grand Saint-Emilionnais gives France its only Tom Doak course, opened in 2016 in rolling woodland ten kilometers from Saint-Émilion itself. It is quiet, walkable, strategic golf with the village's grand cru vineyards just over the hill, and the green fee includes a cart and unlimited range balls, a rarity at this level.
Then there is the coast. From the Bassin d'Arcachon south through the Landes, the largest maritime pine forest in Europe rolls into Atlantic surf beaches, and the golf follows it: Moliets, with its celebrated ocean holes, von Hagge's Seignosse, and the 1930 Morrison classic at Hossegor. The region rewards a split trip, three nights of wine country golf around Bordeaux and three nights of forest and ocean golf in the Landes, with Biarritz and the Basque coast waiting another half hour down the road if you want to keep going.
The courses that matter
| Rank | Course | Why it makes the trip |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cabot Bordeaux, Châteaux | Bill Coore, 1989, par 71. The best course in the region: sandy, strategic golf through Médoc pines, now benefiting from Cabot's investment and conditioning. About €135 in high season, 2026, indicative. |
| 2 | Grand Saint-Emilionnais | Tom Doak, opened 2016, his only course in France. Wide corridors, wild greens, almost nobody on it midweek. €70 to €120 by season with cart included, 2026, indicative. Closed Tuesdays. |
| 3 | Cabot Bordeaux, Vignes | Rod Whitman, 1991, par 71. The quieter sibling, looser and more playful than the Châteaux, and the better warm up round. Shared fee structure with the Châteaux. |
| 4 | Golf de Moliets | Robert Trent Jones, 1989. Forest golf that breaks out onto the dunes for its famous run of ocean holes. From about €50 off season to roughly €90 in summer, 2026, indicative. |
| 5 | Golf de Seignosse | Robert von Hagge, 1989. A rollercoaster through cork oaks and pines, regularly rated among the best inland courses on the French Atlantic coast. |
| 6 | Golf d'Hossegor | John Morrison, 1930. The classic of the Landes: a flat, handsome, old school parkland in the pines, two kilometers from one of Europe's great surf towns. |
Green fees are indicative 2026 rates gathered from the clubs and their booking partners in June 2026. Rates move by season, day and demand; always confirm directly before booking.
When to go
| Months | What to expect |
|---|---|
| April to June | The best window. Warm days in the high teens to mid 20s, long evenings, courses in full growth and green fees still shy of peak. June is ideal. |
| July and August | Hot, busy and expensive on the coast as French holidaymakers arrive. Wine country courses stay calmer than the Landes. Book tee times and tables well ahead. |
| September and October | The connoisseur's choice. Sea still warm, crowds gone, and the harvest filling Saint-Émilion and the Médoc with energy. Late October brings more Atlantic rain. |
| November to March | Mild, wet, quiet. Courses stay open year round and winter rates drop sharply, with Cabot Bordeaux stay and play packages at their cheapest. Pack waterproofs. |
What it costs
This is good value by great golf standards. Indicative 2026 fees: about €135 for the Châteaux course at Cabot Bordeaux in high season, €70 to €120 at Grand Saint-Emilionnais depending on season with a cart included, and roughly €50 to €90 on the Landes coast, where the Golf Pass des Landes discounts multi course itineraries across Moliets, Seignosse, Hossegor and their neighbors, and a three round pass between Moliets and Seignosse ran €197 to €268 in 2026 depending on season.
Cabot Bordeaux's own 2026 packages give a useful benchmark for the whole trip: three nights with unlimited golf on both courses from about €1,122 per person in winter and about €1,824 in peak season, and a golf plus château wine tasting package from about €966. Build in roughly €150 to €250 a night for good independent hotels in Bordeaux or the wine villages, less in the Landes. All figures are indicative and always confirm directly before booking.
For context across the country, see our guide to green fees in France.
Getting there and around
Bordeaux-Mérignac airport has direct flights from most major European cities, and the TGV runs from Paris to Bordeaux in a little over two hours, which makes a no fly trip realistic from London via Paris. From the city, Cabot Bordeaux at Le Pian-Médoc is about 30 minutes north, Grand Saint-Emilionnais about 50 minutes east, and the Landes courses 75 to 100 minutes south down the A63.
Rent a car or book a driver. The drives are part of the trip here, through the Médoc's château gates, over the Garonne, and down long, dead straight forest roads to the coast. If the group plans serious tasting days, a driver pays for itself.
Where to stay
For the wine country leg, the obvious move is the resort hotel at Cabot Bordeaux itself, which puts both courses outside your door, or a boutique base in the city center with the Médoc and Saint-Émilion both within an hour. Saint-Émilion village is the romantic option, all limestone lanes and grand cru tables, and it sets up the Doak course perfectly.
On the coast, Hossegor and Seignosse have the surf town energy and the restaurants, while Moliets is quieter and more family shaped. Most groups base in or around Hossegor and reach all three courses inside 25 minutes.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts in Bordeaux and the Landes.
Build a Bordeaux golf trip
Wine country rounds, coast rounds, château tastings and the right bases in between. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge costs the whole thing to the head, with no obligation.
Bordeaux golf questions
Is Bordeaux a good golf destination?
Yes, and it is getting better fast. Cabot took over the 36 hole Golf du Médoc resort in 2023, Tom Doak's Grand Saint-Emilionnais sits ten kilometers from Saint-Émilion, and the Landes coast an hour south adds forest golf at Moliets, Seignosse and Hossegor. Add the wine, the food and a major airport and it is one of Europe's most complete short trips.
What does golf cost around Bordeaux?
Indicative 2026 green fees run from about €135 at Cabot Bordeaux in high season, €70 to €120 at Grand Saint-Emilionnais with a cart included, and roughly €50 to €90 on the Landes coast, where multi round passes cut the rate further. Always confirm directly before booking.
When is the best time to play golf in Bordeaux and the Southwest?
May, June, September and October are the sweet spot: warm, mostly dry and outside the August crowds. The harvest in late September adds wine country atmosphere. Winters are mild enough that the courses stay open year round.
How do I get to Bordeaux for a golf trip?
Bordeaux-Mérignac airport has direct flights from across Europe, and the TGV reaches Bordeaux from Paris in just over two hours. Cabot Bordeaux is about 30 minutes north of the city, Grand Saint-Emilionnais about 50 minutes east, and the Landes coast about 90 minutes south. A rental car or a driver is the practical way to cover it.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course designers, opening years and indicative green fees verified June 2026 against the clubs and their booking partners. Last reviewed June 2026.