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On a gorgeous spring morning, the tree-lined view of the 18th from the quaint Hardelot clubhouse conjured memories of playing at The Berkshire.
Indeed, as the round progressed, there were striking similarities to several premium English courses, but not in terms of price.
Hardelot Les Pins, in common with many top-rated French venues, offers exceptional value for money.
Consequently, it is no wonder that it is so popular with international visitors.
There were several British and Dutch number plates to be spotted in the car park, but Mrs W and I were amazed that only twice did we have to wait to play a shot.
Early on, we were bracing ourselves for a tough game because of the course's challenging layout.
I enjoyed playing off the whites at Belle Dune and Le Touquet because those tees offered more significant elevation and a different dimension, so I followed suit at Les Pins.
In all honesty, I should not have. The ball wasn't running as much, and the added length made an already challenging course even harder.
This was evident on the first hole – a bending 550-yard par-five down an avenue of trees into a small green, protected by bunkers and a tall mound to the right.
The par-four second is nearly 450 yards and just as intimidating with forest on either side. A Stableford point felt like an achievement as fears of a beating grew.
Thankfully, Les Pins has plenty of variety to match its beauty, and chances to score emerge as soon as the curving par-four third.
Narrow green entrances are a feature of the course, but fortunately, my driver and three-wood were behaving themselves, so I found myself on the front of the par-four fourth in regulation.
However, the necessary course maintenance meant the putting surfaces were covered with sticky sand, and I struggled to cash in.
The par-threes on the front nine have teeth despite being only a short-iron clip away.
For example, the fifth is only 130 yards but demands keen judgment because it is surrounded by sand.
I was pleased to find the middle of the green but missed birdie by an inch. This story was repeated several times on this trip to France.
The seventh is similarly short, and its green is a verdant oasis in a desert. But, despite a pleasing shot into the target, I failed to convert another potential champagne moment.
I believe the eighth and ninth are the stand-out holes of the opening nine – for very different reasons.
The eighth is a lovely short par-four inside thick copse on the right with a big fairway bunker lurking to catch bigger hitters on the left.
The approach must account for a narrow false front, which could deflect the ball to the right.
Stroke index one is the ninth, a bending par-four with cavernous bunkers down the left and tangly rough awaiting balls that leak right.
Meanwhile, the raised green is very tight, and I can testify that preventing the ball from running through is hard.
Hardelot's clubhouse is situated handily between the ninth green and 10th tee, so a few Brits took the chance for a halfway gin and tonic to revive their rounds.
Alcohol has previously made my golf worse, but I should have followed their lead because the par-five tenth was more of a struggle than it should have been.
I did like the par-four 11th, however, because of its dramatic finale. It turns a corner around trees before ascending into a tilted green past large bunkers.
Champagne was forthcoming on the par-three 14th. Mrs W found the correct level of the multi-tiered green and sank her putt from 25 feet.
The 15th is one of the course's picture holes with a fairway that turns between tree groups and snakes between bunkers.
I was pleased to hit a long straight drive that left me just a nine-iron shot into a high green that fell from left to right. Once again, I yearned for birdie, and once again, I was an inch or two short.
"A former par-five that will give you a hard time", warns the Hardelot website about the 16th hole with remarkable accuracy.
There was no way I could reach anywhere near this 450-yarder in two, and the green fell off so steeply down the right that it was nigh impossible to carve a chance of a score.
I thought I had made up for that disappointment when a three-wood shot arched towards the flag on the splendid 200+-yard par-three 17th.
I was incredulous when the ball skidded through the green, and I made a muck of the return.
The final hole is as daunting as any at Hardelot les Pins, probably because it is another former par five.
I played it as such anyway so I could maintain accuracy and miss the trees that line the hole and the bunkers that punctuate it.
With the clubhouse in the background, the 18th looks perfect when the sun shines.
Hardelot Les Pins has gone through a recent renaissance because of the work of expert course designer Frank Pont.
He was brought in after it became clear that the trees giving the course its name had become overgrown, and branches had invaded the play.
This was my first visit, but I presume the restoration was a success because it looked superb in March. As conditioning improves during the summer, it will become even better.
Yes, it was tough off the white tees, but I was far from deflated as we made our way to lunch.
We had paid just 45 Euros each to enjoy one of Continental Europe's top courses.
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