Chantaco golf course Saint-Jean de Luz

Full Description: November 1, 1928, the inauguration of the Golf of Chantaco brought together 300 people come to attend a formidable part: Arnaud Massy, first pro of the club and only French winner (still today!) of a tournament of the Large Slam, Jean Gassiat, Aubrey and Percy Boomer.

This golf was the concretization of a dream: that of Rene Thion of Thatch, highly skilled fencer, international traveller who discovered Saint Jean-of-Luz and the golf of the Bubble in 1922. It bought grounds and moors of several farms, in particular Etcheverria, Urchabaleta, Kantia, Mochobaita, Coyoénia and Chantacoénia. This farm, of which the origin of the name would be a deformation of Santiago, pointing out the way of Compostelle, gave its final name to the golf.

Harry Colt drew the course and Jean Walter the club-house whose achievements were supervised by Emile Picot. Celebrities started to attend the course: the Prince of Wales, Charlie Chaplin, the Prince of Bourbon, Jacques Thibaud... Mrs Rene Lacoste, champion of Great Britain in 1927 and, thereafter, 13 times champion of France, succeeded his/her father, Mr Thion of Thatch, with the presidency of the club since 1930.

It had the heavy responsibility to ensure the survival of the course during the war, and then its restoration since 1945. Her husband, the champion of tennis Rene Lacoste, discovered that it could avoid obligatory work in Germany with the workmen of the golf in their making supplement the initial plantations by more than 40.000 new trees!

Telephone 0033 5 59 26 14 22 Fax 0033 5 59 26 48 37

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