It has been over a decade since the Greencard Tour visited Hardelot in France. The area is easily accessible being located only 35 minutes drive from the channel Tunnel. We were based at Hotel du Parc, which is only two minutes from both Les Pins and Les Dunes courses. The golf programme included two rounds on each.
Golf D’Hardelot – A Lot’s Happened Since We’ve Been Away!
The first round was held on Les Dunes, this is the younger of the two courses and is more undulating than Les Pins. There have been several changes to the layout since our last visit and the sat navs were on overdrive trying to make sense of all these alterations which included a par 4 that is now a par 5 and par 5 that is now a par 4, then there was the new par 3!
Les Dunes Course Has Undergone a Re-design Since the Last Greencard Tour Visit
Jackie Carter seemed oblivious to any of these issues as she shot a superb opening 38 points. Janette Roe finished the day with a solid 35 whilst Roger Lascelles and Lorna Sharman both carded a very respectable 33.
New Hole-in-One Competition – What We Hadn’t Planned For!
Ace-Man Lodewijk Schlingemann with the 11th Green Flag at Les Dunes after his spectacular hole-in-one.
As many of you will know we have just launched our new hole in one accumulator. We were literally two hours into the first round since its conception when the unexpected happened. Lodewijk Schlingemann took a six iron from his bag and hit the perfect shot over water to the 11th green on Les Dunes. The ball bounced twice before disappearing into the hole!
For every person who attends a Greencard Tour event, we add £1 to the totaliser, until the amount is won by a hole in one. The total then reverts back to zero and we start again. Congratulations to Lodewijk who achieved the first hole in one of the year and won £210.00 in the process.
Breezy Predictions for Round 2
Hardelot town centre is only a five to ten minute drive from the hotel allowing what seemed like the only taxi in the area to complete shuttle runs ferrying the Greencard group to and from the nearby restaurants each evening.
The weather for the first round had been a little breezy but the sun had been out in force and in the evening, as we enjoyed our meal overlooking the beach and sea beyond, it was a little hard to believe that the forecast for the following day threatened high winds and rain.
It was therefore with a degree of trepidation that I drew back the curtains on the morning of the second round. However, the sky didn’t look too bad, it certainly wasn’t raining, and in the end it stayed dry all day. The wind, however, had certainly arrived in force.
Tough Conditions at Les Pins Impact Scoring
Les Pins offers a completely different layout from Les Dunes, it is far less undulating and has several excellent golf holes. The problem, however, wasn’t with the layout but with the greens and bunkers. The greens were very disappointing and the amount of sand in many of the bunkers was simply ludicrous. Add to this the wind factor and scoring anything near 30 points would be an achievement.
Les Pins Course at Golf D’Hardelot
Peter Roe took the day’s best score with 34 whilst Paul Speakman and Peter Sumner both finished on 31. Lorna had another solid round of 30 points. They were the only members of the group to hit the 30 mark and above, such were the difficulties of the day’s play.
At the half way stage Jackie Carter still held the lead with 64, having scored 26 in the second round. Lorna and Janette and Peter Roe were then all one shot back on 63. Paul’s 31 in the second round had moved him up to fifth place.
Jackie Carter Holds 3 Round Lead, But Speakman Experience Starts to Show!
We returned to Les Dunes for the third round. The sun had returned but the wind was still blowing which once again made scoring difficult. Paul Speakman showed that he is used to playing in the wind finishing the round with a superb 36 points. This gave him an overall total of 96 going into the final round and a share of the lead with Jackie Carter who scored a very respectable 32. Peter Roe’s 31 secured his place in the final fourball for the following day along with Lorna Sharman who were on 94 and 92 respectively.
All Set for a Classic Greencard Tour Final Round
Les Pins was the venue for the final day’s action. The weather conditions were perfect, sunshine, clear sky and no wind. The greens had improved since the second round but avoiding the oversanded bunkers was imperative if a high score was to be achieved.
It certainly promised to be an exciting finish but nobody predicted what was about to happen. As the first groups came in it became clear that the winner was going to come from the final group.
Jackie Carter Leads By 8 at Turn
At the turn Jackie had continued her great form of the week and had secured a tremendous 21 points. Meanwhile Paul had managed 14 on the outward nine holes but saw Jackie’s lead extend to 8 points. However, things were about to change.
Jackie started the back nine with a double bogey on the par 5, 10th hole. This was followed by a no score on the 11th with a bogey and double bogey to follow on the 12th and 13th. In contrast Paul started par, par bogey, par, birdie, birdie. Further pars followed on 17 and 18. It was a stretch of holes that turned the event on its head. By the time the final group had come to the 18th hole Paul had built a lead large enough to secure an unlikely victory. His total of 131 gave him a winning margin of 4 points.
Great Win For Paul Speakman but Tremendous Tournament From Jackie Carter
Top 3 From Greencard Tour Event in Hardelot (left to right Jackie Carter, Paul Speakman, Lorna Sharman)
Jackie had a wonderful tournament and either led or shared the lead for the majority of the event. The final few holes shouldn’t put a shadow over her great play and after finishing in second place, I am sure that we will see her gain the remaining point required to qualify for the finals later this year.
Lorna had another solid round finishing with another 30 points, enough to secure a great third place overall in her first Greencard event.
Congratulations to Paul, who qualifies for our Finals in Portugal. He played extremely well and managed to save the best until the last nine holes of the event.
