How to Play the Best Golf in Normandy
Normandy stacks a century of golf architecture along its coast: a real Harry Colt links at Granville from 1912, the clifftop drama of Etretat from 1908, and Tom Simpson's grande dame of 1929 above Deauville, all open to visitors and none with a published fee above about 125 euros. Here is how to get on each one, what it costs, and how to route the trip from Paris or the ferry.
Photograph: Club de golf d'Étretat, via Google
The short answer
Three courses justify the trip, and all three take direct visitor bookings. Golf de Granville, on the dunes at Breville-sur-Mer in the far southwest, is the find: a Harry Colt design from 1912 and one of the very few true links in France, played over an 18 hole Links course with a nine hole Dunes course alongside, looking out to Granville, its rock and the Chausey archipelago. Published 2026 fees run 65 euros in low season to 105 in high season. On the Alabaster Coast north of Le Havre, Golf d'Etretat has hugged the clifftop above the famous chalk arches since 1908, a par 72 where the sea is in view for most of the round, at a published 75 to 105 euros in 2026. And above Deauville on Mont Canisy sits Golf Barriere Deauville, Tom Simpson's 1929 course of 5,919 meters, par 71, with a Henry Cotton nine added in 1964; it has hosted the Open de France and now stages the Lacoste Ladies Open de France, and its 2025 tariffs published 69 euros low season and 125 high.
Behind those three, the supporting cast is unusually good. Golf d'Omaha Beach at Port-en-Bessin near Bayeux plays 36 holes on the cliffs above the D-Day coast, the Yves Bureau designed La Mer course (par 72, 6,122 meters, opened 1986) staring down at the Arromanches landing harbor, at 60 to 80 euros in 2026. Golf de Deauville Saint-Gatien offers 27 holes between sea and forest, an Olivier Brizon design from 1988 whose main Rouge-Blanc routing is a 6,175 meter par 72. And inland in the Eure, Golf du Champ de Bataille runs through the grounds of one of Normandy's grandest chateaux at 60 to 80 euros. For where these sit nationally, see our ranking of the best golf courses in France, and for the wider country picture start at the France destination hub.
Normandy's courses: who built them and how to get on
| Course | Pedigree | Location | Indicative fee, 18 holes | Booking note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golf de Granville | Harry Colt, 1912; true links | Breville-sur-Mer, near Granville | 65 low season, 105 euros high season, March 16 to November 15 (2026 club rates) | Book direct or via the club's online page; Tuesdays discounted to 74 euros outside July and August |
| Golf d'Etretat | Founded 1908; clifftop par 72 | Etretat, Alabaster Coast | 75 low season to 105 euros high season (2026 published rates) | Book direct; a handicap certificate is requested; summer mornings go first |
| Golf Barriere Deauville | Tom Simpson, 1929; Henry Cotton nine, 1964 | Mont Canisy, above Deauville | 69 low season, 125 euros high season, mid April to early November (2025 club tariffs) | Book online via the club; Barriere hotel guests save 30 percent on the green fee |
| Golf d'Omaha Beach | Yves Bureau, 1986; 36 holes | Port-en-Bessin, near Bayeux | 60 low season, 80 euros from April 10 to October 31 (2026 rates) | Visitors daily; handicap required; ask for La Mer, the clifftop course |
| Golf du Champ de Bataille | Chateau parkland, par 72 | Le Neubourg, Eure | 60 low season, 80 euros from March 16 to October 31; 95 without a federation license (2026 club rates) | Book direct; pairs with a visit to the chateau and gardens |
| Golf de Deauville Saint-Gatien | Olivier Brizon, 1988; 27 holes | Saint-Gatien-des-Bois, near Deauville | Published on the club site by season | Book direct; the quieter 27 hole alternative across the Touques from Deauville |
Access rules, designers and fees verified June 2026 and subject to change without notice. Always confirm current rates and tee times directly before booking. Check Normandy tee time availability.
How to book Normandy, step by step
- Fix the route first. The natural line runs west from Paris: Etretat on the Alabaster Coast, across the Seine estuary to Deauville for Barriere and Saint-Gatien, on to Omaha Beach near Bayeux, and finally Granville in the far southwest near Mont-Saint-Michel. Driven in order it is a comfortable five to seven day loop; a long weekend takes either Deauville plus Etretat, or Bayeux plus Granville.
- Book Granville and Etretat before anything else. Both are single course clubs with small tee sheets and strong member play, so summer weekends fill well ahead. Both take direct online bookings; midweek mornings are the easy times, and Granville's discounted Tuesday rate is the best value round in the region.
- Carry your handicap certificate and license. French clubs ask more often than British or Irish ones: Omaha Beach requires a handicap, Etretat requests a certificate, and the rest can ask at busy times. A home club card or federation app screenshot is accepted everywhere.
- Time Deauville around its calendar. Barriere's high season tariff runs from mid April to early November, and the town's racing, polo and festival weekends spike demand; if you are staying in a Barriere hotel, use the 30 percent guest reduction on the green fee and book the golf when you book the room.
- Aim for May, June or September. Daylight is long, the turf is at its best and the tee sheets breathe. July and August work fine midweek, and the coastal courses stay open and playable all winter at low season rates.
Dress is standard French club golf, collared shirts and no denim, and every course here walks easily by links and clifftop standards; trolleys are universal and buggies are available where the terrain bites, with Granville hiring carts at 36 euros for 18 holes in 2026. Drives are short too: nothing on this route is more than about 90 minutes from the next tee.
Getting there, and where to stay
Deauville is roughly two hours by car from Paris, with direct trains from Paris Saint-Lazare to Trouville-Deauville; Etretat sits half an hour north of Le Havre, and ferries from the UK land at Le Havre, Caen and Cherbourg, which is why Normandy has been the classic first golf trip on French soil for a century. A car is essential. Base one half of the trip in Deauville, where the Barriere hotels beside the course are the famous names and Trouville across the river is the saner value, and the other half in Bayeux, which puts Omaha Beach ten minutes away and the D-Day museums and cemeteries on your non golf mornings. Granville works as a final night paired with Mont-Saint-Michel, 30 minutes further south.
Normandy also extends naturally. Le Touquet and its great links lie two hours up the coast, covered in our profile of Le Touquet La Mer, and the capital's heavyweights are a detour on the drive home via the best courses around Paris. Budget for the whole country with our France green fees guide, or contrast the north with the courses of the French Riviera. The full regional picture, course by course, lives on the Normandy destination hub.
Plan a Normandy golf trip
Tell us roughly when and who is travelling, and one concierge sequences Granville, Etretat and Deauville around your dates, books the hotels and the D-Day day, and costs the trip to the head. We reply within one working day, with no obligation.
Normandy golf access questions
Can visitors play Golf de Granville?
Yes. Golf de Granville, the Harry Colt links from 1912 on the dunes at Breville-sur-Mer, takes visitor bookings direct with the club and through its online booking page. Published 2026 fees on the 18 hole Links are 65 euros in low season and 105 euros in high season, which runs March 16 to November 15, with Tuesdays discounted to 74 euros outside July and August. Book ahead for summer weekends, and always confirm directly before booking.
How much does golf cost in Normandy in 2026?
Less than almost anywhere of comparable pedigree. Published 2026 rates run 65 to 105 euros at Granville, 75 to 105 at Etretat, and 60 to 80 at both Omaha Beach and Champ de Bataille, with 95 euros at Champ de Bataille for players without a federation license. Golf Barriere Deauville published 69 euros low season and 125 high season in its 2025 tariffs. Fees move by season and demand, so treat all numbers as indicative and always confirm directly before booking.
What is the best golf course in Normandy?
Golf de Granville is our pick. The Harry Colt design from 1912 is one of the very few true links in France, running through real dunes with views to Granville, its rock and the Chausey archipelago, and it costs 65 to 105 euros in 2026. Etretat, perched on the Alabaster Coast cliffs since 1908, is the most spectacular setting, and Tom Simpson's 1929 course at Golf Barriere Deauville is the grande dame with the championship history. Always confirm tee times directly before booking.
When is the best time to play golf in Normandy?
May, June and September. You get long daylight, firm turf, open tee sheets and high season conditions without the August crowds that follow the Deauville season and the summer beach trade. The clifftop and links courses stay open year round and drain well, so October to April golf is realistic and cheap, with Granville at 65 euros and Omaha Beach at 60 in low season, though you will want full waterproofs. Always confirm conditions directly before booking.
Related
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Access rules, designers and fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed: June 2026.