Hardelot (Les Pins)

A long drive will leave a blind second shot from inside 200 metres at the par five 2nd hole

The fearsome drive at the otherwise sedate par four 8th

A diagonal ridge fronts the green of the par three 12th, flowing in fron the front right to the back left

The par five 16th is reachable, but good luck finding a way to access and hold the green with a long club on your second shot

Approaching the home green, with ample undulation beginning about 70 metres out

Course name: Hardelot (Les Pins)
Location: Hardelot-Plage, Normandy, France
Four Word Course Review: Trees choking Simpson's greatness

Les Pins is a 1930s Tom Simpson course at Hardelot, just south of Boulogne near Calais on France's Channel coast.

The great bunker placement and well-chosen greensites that Simpson is known for are present, but several holes are choked by trees, particularly the par three 5th and 17th holes. There's lesser land in the middle of the back nine, but the small amounts of interest in the ground are well used to build excitement - along with some great bunkering and tricky greens.

It's infinitely playable, moreso than London's heathland gems due to the absence of heather, and the undulating sand terrain and towering pines make it a great place to play golf.

It rained Biblically the day before I played, yet at 8am the next morning it was not only dry but very firm under foot. Exceptionally impressive as I had been worried the course might be sluggish, or even worse - closed.

The course opens with a pair of par fives, the 2nd reachable in two, but in driving long enough to have a go, the golfer renders the green blind behind a cavernous bunker, while his more judicious playing partner might hit a shorter tee shot that ensures the entire hole remains visible.

The two front nine par threes, both under 120 metres, are a highlight of the outward half, as are the bunkering at the par five 6th and the nerve-racking semi-blind drive at the short par four 8th, played over two sandy dunes that drop in from either side.

Making the turn, the driveable par four 11th poses a lot of challenge for its modest 280m, while the 12th continues the run of great one-shotters. After a slight lull - puctuated by another quality par three at the 14th, the final two holes raise the quality back to the highs of the early stretches.

All told the course plays to a par of 73, with six par fives and five par threes, leaving just seven par fours, and there's wonderful variety in each group of holes.

90mins or so from Paris, 45mins from Calais, the great resort town of Le Touquet (with its Colt and Hutchinson courses) just 15mins away, €75 midweek summer green fees... there really is no reason for UK golfers to stay on the boring side of the Channel all the time!