We are celebrating 40 years of offering great golf holidays in 2021.

As with every good business, Golf Planet Holidays began in a very humble way, offering golf holidays
to one destination, Hardelot in Northern France.

At that time, there was just one golf course, the excellent Hardelot Les Pins, and two hotels in the
town itself, Le Regina, which is still doing a brisk trade and the De L’Ecusson, which burnt down at
the end of the 1980s.

Of course, there was no Eurotunnel either! Keen golfers caught the ferry from Dover to Calais or the
Hoverspeed (remember that?) into Boulogne and could easily be on the first tee that afternoon.
The idea quickly took hold and before long golfers could also chose to play at Wimereux or Le
Touquet, staying at the Le Manoir hotel.

From there, expansion into the rest of France seemed a natural move. Golfers who had played and
loved Hardelot were keen to explore the other golfing delights in the country so French Golf Holidays
was born. Deauville in Normandy and Chantilly North of Paris rapidly became popular and from
there the door was opened to the rest of France, with its wonderful hotels, restaurants, culture and
perhaps most importantly, golf courses.

Of course, clients began asking us to organise their golf holidays elsewhere in the world. As a result,
Golf Planet Holidays was launched in the early 2000s to encompass the rest of the world.

Simon Crawley has been involved with Golf Planet Holidays since its early days: “The first
destinations were Belgium, Cyprus, Mauritius and South Africa. Belgium was a real unknown to
British golfers and has two great golf areas, around Bruges and Brussels. The golf courses offer a
variety of challenges, from classic links to strategic parkland styles, and of course there’s the
fantastic beer and chocolate, excellent!

“The award-winning Aphrodite Hills golf course in Cyprus opened in 2002, with the hotel following in
2005. Up to that point golfers stayed in nearby Paphos.

“As our first long-haul destinations Mauritius and South Africa were the perfect choices. Both are
popular winter sun selection with direct flights and similar time zones and best of all, fantastic
hospitality and golf courses.”

Twenty years on we are still seeking out new, exciting destinations. As part of our 2021 celebrations
we are arranging our first Baltic Challenge, a week long golf holiday, playing golf in Estonia and
Lithuania this August, led by our very own Pro, Nigel Burch.

2020 was a year like no other but over 40 years the company has encountered many changes and
weathered each storm, thanks to your loyal support.

Key points in our 40 years

1981: We started offering two-night holidays in Hardelot with three rounds of golf for under £50.
1991: Hardelot Les Dunes opened. This superb 18-hole golf course 2km from Hardelot Les Pins,
made Hardelot a complete golf destination in its own right.
31 December 1992: The European Union’s predecessor, the European Economic Community became
a single market, meaning there was no limit to the amount of wine and cigarettes you could bring
back to the UK. This led to a growth in golf day trips to France.
1994: Eurotunnel opened, offering seamless travel under the English Channel, with no worries about
sea sickness.
2000: Fuel protests in the UK caused a petrol shortage which led to holiday cancellations, though if
you got to France you could fill up! The Hoverspeed service Folkestone to Boulogne ended.
2002: The Euro currency became the official currency in France on 17 February 2002 after a
transitional three years when both the French franc and the Euro had legal tender status. The Euro
started off worth about 61 pence, it currently stands at 90 pence.
2003: Golf Planet Holidays started.
2008: Channel Tunnel fire lasted for 16 hours. Full service was finally resumed in February 2009.
Autumn is a very popular time for golf holidays and hundreds of clients had to re-routed to the
ferries.
14 April 2010: The ash cloud hit, closing most of European air space until 20 April and then causing
worldwide delays.
2018: The victorious European Ryder Cup at Golf National near Paris.
2020: Our first golf tour to South Africa. This highly successful trip led by Nigel Burch, was
thoroughly enjoyed by our 20 guests, who returned to the UK, just before Covid 19 changed our lives.