The operators of the Channel Tunnel have won a competition to build a golf community in Sangatte Bleriot-Plage, the French end of the undersea passageway. The centerpiece of the to-be-named, 400-acre community will be a tournament-worthy golf course designed by Kyle Phillips, one of golf architecture’s rising stars. Phillips, who apprenticed with Robert Trent Jones, Jr., has created two tracks ranked on Golf Digest’s list of the best courses outside the United States: Yas Links in Abu Dhabi (#24) and Kingsbarns Golf Links in St. Andrews, Scotland (#34). His latest endeavor may never reach such heights, but a consultant to the developers believes it’ll be “France’s first authentic links course.” Groupe Eurotunnel, the publicly traded firm that has a concession on the tunnel through 2086, hopes to break ground on it next year.
Some information in the preceding post first appeared in the April 2013 issue of the World Edition of the Golf Course Report.