Dinard Golf 1887

Although located in Saint-Briac-sur-Mer, Dinard Golf Club was founded by a small colony of British residents living in Dinard at the end of the 19th century. Having returned from service in India and Egypt, these army officers and their families enjoyed life on the Emerald Coast and set about organizing things so that they could play their favorite sports. This era marked the beginning of sea bathing, the arrival of the railway and a general desire for a new lifestyle. They created France’s first tennis club, developed the sport of sailing and began to search for a suitable site for a golf course. Their attention was drawn to some 50 hectares of broom – and gorse- covered heath and dunes overlooking the sea, and occupied by sheep and a few cows. Following many roundabout negotiations, the Scots architect Tom Dunn was engaged and completed the long-awaited course in 1887. It wasn’t long before the Dinard Golf Club at Saint-Briac became famous, hosting many tournaments and being described thus in an 1890 edition of the Saturday Review: “Its sandy soil makes it the best course in France today”… Dinard had become the epitome of “seaside golf”! Many well-known figures of the day flocked to the club and it was not unusual to see the Grand Duke of Russia playing on the same course as the local village craftsman. In the best British tradition, it was sport that came first, and it’s the same today. Having been mined during the Second World War, the course reopened in 1949. Since then, it has hosted many championships and other competitions and still retains its committed following of loyal British friends, many of them from the Channel Islands. The original small wooden clubhouse was replaced in 1927 by a concrete structure designed by architect and concrete pioneer Marcel Oudin. It houses the club’s prestigious trophies (British Amateur, the first Women’s World Championship, etc.) and still welcomes members into its traditionally friendly and sporting atmosphere.