Biarritz Green
A Biarritz green is a large putting green split across the middle by a deep swale, or gully, that divides the surface into two separate tiers. It is a classic feature of long par-3 holes in traditional golf course architecture.
What is a Biarritz green?
Picture a putting surface so long it looks like two greens stitched together, with a steep valley scooped out between them. That valley is the swale, and it is what makes a green a Biarritz. The front tier and the back tier sit at roughly the same height, while the swale between them drops several feet lower, so a ball that stops in the bottom leaves an awkward recovery either way the golfer plays it.
These greens almost always belong to long par 3s, the kind that ask for a 200-yard-plus tee shot to a target guarded by narrow bunkers down each side. The design turns a single hole into two different puzzles depending on where the flag sits that day. A pin on the front tier plays like a mid-length par 3; a pin on the back tier asks the golfer either to fly the ball onto a shallow shelf or to run it down through the swale and up the far slope.
The best-known example in the United States is the ninth at Yale Golf Course, a 213-yard shot played over water to one of the deepest swales in the game (Fried Egg Golf).
Where the name comes from
The Biarritz takes its name from the third hole at Golf de Biarritz Le Phare on the southwest coast of France, laid out in 1888 by Willie Dunn Jr., often credited alongside his brother Tom Dunn (Top100GolfCourses; Golf de Biarritz Le Phare club history). The hole was called “the Chasm.” It ran from a clifftop tee across an inlet of the Bay of Biscay to a huge green with a deep trough carved through the putting surface. The original no longer exists; the surrounding land was built over, and what remained was damaged during the Second World War (LINKS Magazine).
The concept survived because Charles Blair Macdonald admired it. Macdonald, regarded by many as the father of American golf course architecture, built “template” holes that adapted the best hole designs he had seen elsewhere, and he named this one the Biarritz (Golf Monthly). Most of his templates came from Britain, so a French original made this one unusual. Early on, other architects were unconvinced, and the design picked up the nickname “Macdonald’s Folly” (Fried Egg Golf). Macdonald’s first version appeared at Piping Rock Club on Long Island, and his protégés Seth Raynor and Charles Banks went on to build Biarritz greens at courses across the country.
What defines a Biarritz green
Four things separate a true Biarritz from an ordinary two-tier green. The swale is the heart of it: a pronounced depression, usually about three to five feet deep and several yards wide, cut straight across the putting surface (Fried Egg Golf; LINKS Magazine). The green itself is enormous, often stretching 50 to 80 yards from front to back, far longer than a standard green (Fried Egg Golf). The hole is a long par 3, classically 210 to 240 yards. And thin, deep bunkers run down both flanks, punishing any shot that leaks left or right.
Typical Biarritz specifications
| Feature | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Hole type | Long par 3 (occasionally a par 4) |
| Hole length | 210 to 240 yards |
| Green length | 50 to 80 yards front to back |
| Swale depth | About 3 to 5 feet (some deeper) |
| Bunkering | Narrow strips down both sides |
Not every Biarritz obeys the classic numbers. One of the most photographed sits on North Berwick’s 16th in Scotland, a 375-yard par 4 with a famous swale through the green, which shows the feature can appear outside the long par-3 mold (Golf Monthly).
Why the swale is such a challenge
Trouble starts when the ball and the hole end up on opposite tiers. A putt then has to roll down one slope, cross the flat bottom, and climb the other side, all while holding a line, which is why three-putts are common on these greens (Caddie HQ). Judge the pace even slightly short, and the ball can trickle back to where it started.
There is a second layer to the puzzle, and it is the reason architects loved the design. When the flag is on the back tier, the shallow shelf can be hard to hold from the air with a long club, so the classic route is to land the ball short and let it release through the swale and up onto the back level. That ground-game option is what gave the original its character, when players used a driver and chased the ball onto the green rather than flying it all the way there. Modern equipment lets golfers hit higher and land softer, which has changed how the hole tends to play, though the swale still rewards anyone willing to use the slopes rather than fight them.
Biarritz green vs. Redan green
The Biarritz is often mentioned in the same breath as the Redan, another famous template par-3 green that Macdonald and Raynor used, and the two are easy to mix up because both punish a straight-at-the-flag approach. They defend the green in different ways, though.
Biarritz and Redan compared
| Green type | Defining feature | How it plays |
|---|---|---|
| Biarritz | Deep swale bisecting a long green into two tiers | Rewards a shot that carries to the correct tier or runs through the swale |
| Redan | Green angled away and tilted, falling from front-right to back-left, with a deep bunker front-left | Rewards a shot that lands right and feeds down and left with the slope |
A Biarritz defends across the green with a valley; a Redan defends along a diagonal with tilt and a fronting bunker.
Related Golf Terms
- Drivable par 4 — A short par 4 that strong players can reach off the tee.
- Reachable par 5 — A par 5 that can be reached in two well-struck shots.
- Out-and-back — A links routing running nine holes out and nine back.
- Redan hole — A classic par-3 design with a green angled and sloped away.
- Risk-reward hole — A hole offering a bold line that can yield reward or trouble.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a Biarritz always a par 3?
Almost always. The template was built for long par 3s of roughly 210 to 240 yards, though a handful appear on par 4s, such as North Berwick’s 16th.
How deep is a Biarritz swale?
Usually three to five feet deep and several yards wide, though some plunge deeper still. Yale’s ninth is the classic example.
Why is it called Macdonald’s Folly?
C.B. Macdonald popularized the design in America, and rival architects who doubted the bold, divided green gave it that nickname in the early years.
Can you putt through the swale?
Yes, and many golfers do, but a putt that crosses the valley has to be struck firmly enough to climb the far slope. Some players choose to chip instead when the lie allows.
Are Biarritz greens still built today?
They are uncommon, but modern designers still use them. Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw built one on the Red Course at Streamsong in Florida.
Sources
- Fried Egg Golf. “The Templates: Biarritz.”
https://thefriedegg.com/biarritz-template-hole/. Accessed August 2026. - Golf Monthly. “What Is A Biarritz Green?”
https://www.golfmonthly.com/features/the-game/what-is-a-biarritz-green. Accessed August 2026. - LiveAbout. “Biarritz Green in Golf.”
https://www.liveabout.com/biarritz-biarritz-green-1564024. Accessed August 2026. - Top 100 Golf Courses. “B is for Biarritz – Template Holes.”
https://www.top100golfcourses.com/news/b-is-for-biarritz-template-holes. Accessed August 2026. - LINKS Magazine. “12 of the Best Biarritz Holes in the U.S.”
https://linksmagazine.com/12-of-the-best-biarritz-holes-in-the-u-s/. Accessed August 2026. - Caddie HQ. “What Is a Biarritz Golf Hole?”
https://www.caddiehq.com/resources/what-is-a-biarritz-golf-hole. Accessed August 2026.
