Makila Golf Club

Few courses announce their setting as dramatically as Makila Golf Club, where the foothills of the Basque Pyrenees rise visibly in the distance and the rolling Labourd countryside shapes every hole. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and opened in 1987, the course takes its name from the traditional Basque walking staff — a fitting symbol for a layout that feels deeply rooted in its landscape. The design follows RTJ Sr.'s characteristic thinking: generous fairways that narrow strategically, well-bunkered greens with multiple entry angles, and a routing that works with the natural contours of the Basque hills rather than flattening them.

Bassussarry sits just inland from Biarritz, within easy reach of the Basque Coast's celebrated resort golf corridor that includes Chiberta and the Golf de Biarritz. The climate here is mild and Atlantic-fed, keeping the course green through much of the year — though the Pyrenean winds can shift a round considerably.

Makila operates as a private members' club but welcomes visiting golfers, drawing a discerning international crowd that spills over from the Biarritz and Saint-Jean-de-Luz coastal scene. The atmosphere is relaxed but proud, with a strong sense of Basque identity informing everything from the clubhouse to the course's name.