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In 1857 the town of Arcachon was established under the auspices of Napoleon III. Due to the rapid development of tourism in the town then frequented by crowned heads and aristocracy, the municipality decided to establish, as early as 1894, a Golf Society & Tennis Club; however the project of the golf course was later abandoned because no appropriate site could be found.
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 However a private golf course opened in 1895, belonging to the Exshaw family, of Irish origin, who settled in Bordeaux and Arcachon in the middle of the 19th century. This course was jointly founded by William Exshaw and the intrepid Reverend Samuel Radcliff, first chaplain of the Anglican church of Arcachon , who had been living in the town since 1866 and who was the leader in many aspects for the very large English colony residing there. He was also one of the most assiduous golfers of the time. In 1902 the mayor, Jean-Baptiste James Veyrier-Montagnères, laid down the foundations for the Golf & Country Club Society which was established definitively in 1903. On February 14th 1902, the town acquired the grounds of the Golf & Country Club from William Exshaw, thanks to the generosity of Mr. Matéo-Petit, father-in-law of Mr. Veyrier-Montagnères, who donated to the town the sum required for the purchase.
These vast grounds located at the entrance of Arcachon - nowadays known as Arcachon-Marine and the Jean Brousse and Matéo-Petit stadium in the Aiguillon district - welcomed the first golfers, over 9 holes, on the 1st of November 1903.
Photo : On the 1st tee, the Rev. Radcliff, Anglican minister
residing in Arcachon
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In 1925 the Golf Club wished to build 9 additional holes but did not succeed; on the contrary, a gradual lack of interest and maintenance led to the definitive closure of the site in 1937-38
In 1951 the Municipality, led by its Mayor Lucien de Gracia, again took up the idea of a Golf course and asked several prominent personalities to constitute a Golf Committee. On August 30th 1951, the town council granted a favorable decision to this project.
From 1952 to 1955 numerous negotiations between the Committee and the town concerning the acquisition of ground (a loan of 28 millions of Francs, guaranteed by the town) finally succeeded in reaching the final agreements necessary for the establishment of the Golf d’Arcachon.
This strong determination for Arcachon to have its own 18 holes golf course finally led to its creation on the grounds of the “Société Immobilière de la Côte d’Argent” (SICA), in the borough of La Teste de Buch. The course was designed by Cecil Blandford – the renowned architect of numerous courses in Europe, America and other famous golfing destinations such as Marrakech – and constructed under the direction of Pierre Hirigoyen , an eminent golf professional in Biarritz. On April 11th 1955 the first stone of the Club House of the Golf International d’Arcachon was laid down. However it was not opened to the public until 1960.
In the book “Louis Gaume, entrepreneur d’exception”, his son Jacques, remembering at the beginning of the 1980’s the long marathon which preceded the establishment of the Golf d’Arcachon, tells us “ If I were to paraphrase Winston Churchill, I would say : “It was long, it was difficult but we never, never gave in” ( free translation of the famous quote “never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never…).
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