Arcangues and the Arkéa Omnium,
- laurencejob
- Sep 17
- 6 min read
Enhancement of the Basque environment and heritage
By Didier Picot
In the 1980s, brothers Guy and Jean d'Arcangues decided to start building the Arcangues golf course on land that had belonged to their family since the 12th century.
The primary objective of this golf course was to preserve the integrity of the vast natural and agricultural spaces from real estate pressure and the covetousness of public authorities.
The attentive observer can only applaud this approach to environmental protection before the letter: the Arcangues family could have sold at great cost over the decades its magnificent hilly land surrounding the village and satisfied the fashion for apartment blocks or housing developments. Fortunately for our natural environment, its biodiversity, and the protection of our Basque heritage, they did nothing. The choice made in agreement with the Commune of Arcangues was to freeze an area of 67 ha around the village and the Château devoted to the Golf and to reserve 3 ha so that the town of Arcangues could expand and offer the expected services to the inhabitants (shops, social housing, retirement home, nursery, etc.).
Environmental preservation and economic model
The Arcangues brothers understood before others that even if it is partly shaped by man, a golf course is first and foremost anchored in a natural space. National Geographic has been demonstrating for decades that, for a national park or other project to work, local people must derive greater economic benefit from it than they would from its exploitation. We now know that successful environmental protection projects are those that do not close off spaces and exclude the local population, but rather that involve them and propose an economic model that allows them to benefit from them while preserving them.
So, even if we are not used to seeing it from this angle, a golf course is, through the sport, an economic model for preserving biodiversity. It allows for the long-term protection of an area of 30 to 100 hectares in one piece, at the expense of the players. The golfer is probably the sportsman who, in order to practice, pays the most to maintain and protect our natural heritage. This is what contributes to making its practice a little expensive.
A proactive environmental approach
The Arcangues golf course has included the issue of environmental protection from its design, pursuing three objectives:
➔ be self-sufficient in terms of water,
➔ preserve large spaces in one piece or communicating with each other,
➔ preserve the historical heritage and natural beauty of the site.
Several hill water reservoirs were created
to collect rainwater from the surrounding slopes, but also from the roofs of buildings and waterproofed surfaces. The course's design emphasizes vast perspectives and winds its way through groves, vast untended meadows and century-old oak trees. It highlights the surroundings of the Château d'Arcangues and preserves the breathtaking view of the foothills and the Basque Pyrenees that visitors can enjoy from the village cemetery. Finally, the Golf's reception facilities have been installed in Jaureguiborda, a magnificent old 16th-century farm overlooking the course.
Arcangues innovates from generation to generation
ECOLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS AT THE GOLF D'ARCANGUES
The ecological diagnosis carried out in 2023 and 2024 at the Arcangues golf course by the naturalist structure EcoGIS as part of this certification is based on an inventory protocol developed with the technical and scientific support of the MNHN. Of the 67 ha of the site, 67% are covered with mesic meadows (i.e. with a moderate or well-balanced supply of moisture), nearly 26% with forests, woods and hedges while 2.5% are surface standing water. The areas dedicated to play and covered with sports stadium turf (fairways, tees, greens) or receiving bunkers are approximately 28%. The biodiversity that finds refuge there is abundant: 169 species of fauna and flora have been identified on the site including 112 plants, 39 species of birds, 5 species of dragonflies and as many butterflies. " Among these species, 8 birds have heritage status and there are 34 protected species ," explains EcoGIS. The report made a number of observations and recommendations, and the Golf d'Arcangues has implemented concrete actions: the fight to eradicate invasive exotic species (pampas grass, nutria, Florida turtles), planting local species, etc. It has also committed to a long-term action plan designed to protect and enhance the natural qualities
of the site.
The next generation took on the difficult task of growing and bringing the Arcangues golf course to life, and the early years were not easy. Arnaud took over management of the entire facility, while his brother Avelino managed and maintained the course from day one.
Today, it is their younger brother, Benjamin d'Arcangues, who has taken over and continues the dual approach of promoting golf and preserving its natural and historical heritage.
Under his leadership, Arcangues received the Golf Label for Biodiversity in March 2025, awarded to it by the French Golf Federation (FFG) following a long and rigorous evaluation process.
Golf for biodiversity
Golf and the environment: a program supported by the FFG*
The FFG signed an initial partnership in 2016 with the National Museum of Natural History, which paved the way for the launch of the “ Golf for Biodiversity ” program in 2018.
" The ambition that the ffgolf has for the Golf for Biodiversity Label is excellence in terms of knowledge, preservation and promotion of the natural heritage of golf courses. The Label commits clubs to concretely implement management and development measures favorable to the biodiversity of the golf course, but also to raise awareness among players, ” explains the Golf and Environment team of the FFGolf led by Gérard Rougier.
Almost 20 years ago, the FFG initiated a national action plan for the environmental management of golf courses, based around three axes: the preservation of biodiversity, which we have just discussed, the rational management of water, and the sustainable maintenance of courses.
Water management
An initial Water Charter was signed in 2006 between the FFG and the Ministries of the Environment and Sports. It was supplemented in 2023 by the Golf Industry's Water Sobriety Manifesto, which sets out its commitments with regard to the 53 measures presented by the President of the Republic in March 2023.
Between 2006 and 2020, the volume of water withdrawn by golf courses decreased by 14%. The Manifesto's number one objective is a further 15% reduction in the volume of water withdrawn by golf courses by 2030. As we have seen, since its conception, the Arcangues Golf Course has been 90% self-sufficient in water, thanks to rainwater harvesting. The golf course's water management system also provides water to the market gardening crops of neighboring farmers.
Sustainable lawn maintenance
The vast expanses of golf course turf actively contribute to the transformation of CO2 into oxygen, preserve water quality, refresh the atmosphere, and can act as fire barriers. Between 2008 and 2017, the use of synthetic sanitation products on golf courses was reduced by more than 50%; it represents only two out of ten thousand of the phytosanitary products used in France. None of those used on golf courses are carcinogenic or dangerous to humans. Nevertheless, the 2025 objective is to successfully eliminate the use of synthetic phytosanitary products for all sports turf, in accordance with the Labbé Law. Temporary marginal exemptions are granted while waiting for the various research programs on new turfs, on the detection and eradication of harmful organisms on turf and others, to allow for a complete elimination of them. The Arcangues golf course obviously complies with legal requirements.
*The factual and numerical information in this article comes mainly from the website www.ffg.org and from the document “Overview of golf in France and environmental management of courses” published by the FFG.
The Arkéa Omnium
at the Arcangues golf course
The Arkéa Omnium subscribes to the "Charter of 15 Eco-Responsible Commitments" applicable to golf competitions. This desire to limit the environmental impact of the event, to take eco-responsible economic actions and to communicate about our approach reflects the strong commitments of its sponsors to environmental protection and action against global warming.
“The Crédit Mutuel Arkéa group has adopted the status of a mission-driven company. This means that we are committed to ensuring the positive impact of our activities and to concretely accelerating the environmental and societal transitions of our clients,” explains Nathalie Motsch, Director of Communications and Institutional Relations.
In this respect, given the quality of the environmental commitments of the Arcangues golf course, playing the Arkéa Omnium there makes perfect sense.
SOME INFORMATION
The French Golf Federation is the 7th largest sports federation in France in terms of number of members, and the first in the Basque Country. 70% of golf courses are maintained without the use of phytosanitary products. In accordance with the Labbé 2 Law, golf courses will no longer use them by 2025 (except for marginal temporary exemptions). 50% of the 33,000 hectares of golf courses are natural ecosystems and constitute refuge areas for flora and fauna. 2,293 species, including 85 heritage species, have been identified there as part of the FFG's partnership with the National Museum of Natural History. In 20 years, despite the effects of global warming, golf courses in France have reduced their water intake by 14%. They aim to reduce it by a further 15% by 2030. 90% of golf courses use water unfit for human consumption. During periods of drought, 98% of the golf course surface area is not watered.