⛳ The French cities with the most golfers

Per inhabitant, the town with the most licensed golfers in France is Arcachon, with 58.7 / 1 000 hab., ahead of Biarritz (56.4 / 1 000 hab.) and Neuilly-sur-Seine (52.8 / 1 000 hab.).

What are the 10 French cities with the most golfers per inhabitant?
In order: Arcachon, Biarritz, Neuilly-sur-Seine, Divonne-les-Bains, Garches, La Baule-Escoublac, Mouvaux, Saint-Raphaël, Anglet and Saint-Jean-de-Luz.
What is the top 5 of French cities with the most golfers per inhabitant?
Arcachon (58.7 / 1 000 hab.), Biarritz (56.4 / 1 000 hab.), Neuilly-sur-Seine (52.8 / 1 000 hab.), Divonne-les-Bains (47.2 / 1 000 hab.) and Garches (45.6 / 1 000 hab.).
Which city is 2nd in the ranking of French cities with the most golfers per inhabitant?
Biarritz, at 56.4 / 1 000 hab., just behind Arcachon (58.7 / 1 000 hab.).
Is Arcachon really the French city with the most golfers per inhabitant?
Yes, at 58.7 / 1 000 hab., ahead of Biarritz (56.4 / 1 000 hab.) and Neuilly-sur-Seine (52.8 / 1 000 hab.).
In which département is Arcachon?
Arcachon is in département 33, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.
What is the difference between Arcachon and Biarritz?
Arcachon is at 58.7 / 1 000 hab., Biarritz at 56.4 / 1 000 hab. The table gives the same figure for all 100 places, so any two of them can be compared the same way.
Which city is 10th in the ranking of French cities with the most golfers per inhabitant?
Saint-Jean-de-Luz, at 38.8 / 1 000 hab.
How many French cities does this ranking compare?
1,034, with the top 100 listed in full in the table below.
What are the French cities with the most golfers per inhabitant in 2026?
This ranking uses the most recent official figures published as of 2026: Arcachon leads with 58.7 / 1 000 hab.
Is there a complete ranking of French cities with the most golfers per inhabitant?
Yes, the table below: the top 100 of 1,034, each with its département and its region, and the exact method and scope stated underneath it.
Which French towns have the highest golf licence rate?
Arcachon (58.7 / 1 000 hab.), Biarritz (56.4 / 1 000 hab.), Neuilly-sur-Seine (52.8 / 1 000 hab.), Divonne-les-Bains (47.2 / 1 000 hab.) and Garches (45.6 / 1 000 hab.). Coastal resorts and affluent western suburbs of Paris dominate, which says as much about who lives there as about the courses.

The table below ranks the top 100 of the 1,034 cities in the dataset, each with its département, its region and the figure it is ranked on (golfers per 1,000 inhabitants), so you can see not just the order but how far apart the places are. The numbers are official public data: INSEE legal populations and the IGN commune registry, with the exact method and the exact scope stated under the table rather than left to be guessed at.

The same data answers neighbouring questions too: see The French cities with the most hikers and The French cities with the most chess players, or all rankings for the full list. All of it comes from Hexagone, a free daily game that gives you five French cities and one of these statistics and asks you for the order.

Top 100 of 1,034 cities
#CityRegionGolfers / 1,000Population
133ArcachonNouvelle-Aquitaine58.7 / 1 000 hab.11,092
264BiarritzNouvelle-Aquitaine56.4 / 1 000 hab.26,206
392Neuilly-sur-SeineÎle-de-France52.8 / 1 000 hab.59,538
401Divonne-les-BainsAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes47.2 / 1 000 hab.10,464
592GarchesÎle-de-France45.6 / 1 000 hab.17,743
644La Baule-EscoublacPays de la Loire45.6 / 1 000 hab.16,912
759MouvauxHauts-de-France45 / 1 000 hab.13,369
883Saint-RaphaëlProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur41.4 / 1 000 hab.37,113
964AngletNouvelle-Aquitaine39 / 1 000 hab.43,271
1064Saint-Jean-de-LuzNouvelle-Aquitaine38.8 / 1 000 hab.14,857
1192Saint-CloudÎle-de-France38.4 / 1 000 hab.29,855
1278Le VésinetÎle-de-France37.8 / 1 000 hab.15,554
1359Marcq-en-BarœulHauts-de-France36.8 / 1 000 hab.40,184
1483Sainte-MaximeProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur36.6 / 1 000 hab.14,118
1535DinardBretagne34.8 / 1 000 hab.10,772
1606Mandelieu-la-NapouleProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur33 / 1 000 hab.21,640
1706MouginsProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur32.9 / 1 000 hab.19,782
1876Bois-GuillaumeNormandie32.5 / 1 000 hab.14,539
1978Croissy-sur-SeineÎle-de-France31.4 / 1 000 hab.11,013
2078Maisons-LaffitteÎle-de-France30.7 / 1 000 hab.23,093
2183Roquebrune-sur-ArgensProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur30.4 / 1 000 hab.15,442
2233La Teste-de-BuchNouvelle-Aquitaine29.8 / 1 000 hab.27,566
2344PornicPays de la Loire29.1 / 1 000 hab.18,745
2492Ville-d'AvrayÎle-de-France28.7 / 1 000 hab.11,089
2506ValbonneProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur28.6 / 1 000 hab.11,939
2683Saint-Cyr-sur-MerProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur27.7 / 1 000 hab.11,658
2740BiscarrosseNouvelle-Aquitaine27.3 / 1 000 hab.15,836
2806BiotProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur27.2 / 1 000 hab.10,511
2978Voisins-le-BretonneuxÎle-de-France27 / 1 000 hab.10,624
3063ChamalièresAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes26.4 / 1 000 hab.17,509
3178Saint-Germain-en-LayeÎle-de-France25 / 1 000 hab.45,931
3278Le Chesnay-RocquencourtÎle-de-France25 / 1 000 hab.30,689
3391Verrières-le-BuissonÎle-de-France25 / 1 000 hab.15,057
3469ÉcullyAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes24.8 / 1 000 hab.17,944
3578La Celle-Saint-CloudÎle-de-France24.7 / 1 000 hab.20,460
3692Boulogne-BillancourtÎle-de-France24.4 / 1 000 hab.119,019
3733Le BouscatNouvelle-Aquitaine23.7 / 1 000 hab.25,081
3833Andernos-les-BainsNouvelle-Aquitaine23.4 / 1 000 hab.12,710
3930Villeneuve-lès-AvignonOccitanie23.1 / 1 000 hab.13,148
4064UrrugneNouvelle-Aquitaine22.8 / 1 000 hab.10,661
4177FontainebleauÎle-de-France22.5 / 1 000 hab.15,583
4276Mont-Saint-AignanNormandie22.2 / 1 000 hab.20,165
4391Gif-sur-YvetteÎle-de-France21.8 / 1 000 hab.22,544
4417RoyanNouvelle-Aquitaine21.6 / 1 000 hab.19,425
4559WasquehalHauts-de-France21.4 / 1 000 hab.20,726
4606Mouans-SartouxProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur21.4 / 1 000 hab.11,015
4760SenlisHauts-de-France21.3 / 1 000 hab.15,157
4883La Londe-les-MauresProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur21.3 / 1 000 hab.10,584
4944GuérandePays de la Loire21.2 / 1 000 hab.16,804
5033Gujan-MestrasNouvelle-Aquitaine21 / 1 000 hab.22,153
512APorto-VecchioCorse20.7 / 1 000 hab.11,198
5234Saint-Gély-du-FescOccitanie20.6 / 1 000 hab.10,472
5344PornichetPays de la Loire20.5 / 1 000 hab.12,800
5492Rueil-MalmaisonÎle-de-France20.2 / 1 000 hab.82,874
5578VersaillesÎle-de-France19.9 / 1 000 hab.84,095
5631BalmaOccitanie19.8 / 1 000 hab.17,772
5713CabrièsProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur19.8 / 1 000 hab.10,240
5835BruzBretagne19.5 / 1 000 hab.19,683
5987PanazolNouvelle-Aquitaine19.4 / 1 000 hab.11,342
6078GuyancourtÎle-de-France19.1 / 1 000 hab.29,778
6160ChantillyHauts-de-France19.1 / 1 000 hab.10,591
6292SèvresÎle-de-France18.8 / 1 000 hab.22,303
6392Levallois-PerretÎle-de-France18.7 / 1 000 hab.68,092
6478ChatouÎle-de-France18.5 / 1 000 hab.30,598
6531TournefeuilleOccitanie18.3 / 1 000 hab.30,168
6637Saint-Cyr-sur-LoireCentre-Val de Loire17.9 / 1 000 hab.17,029
6769Sainte-Foy-lès-LyonAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes17.8 / 1 000 hab.21,692
6895L'Isle-AdamÎle-de-France17.8 / 1 000 hab.12,493
6906Villeneuve-LoubetProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur17.7 / 1 000 hab.17,548
7066Saint-CyprienOccitanie17.7 / 1 000 hab.12,068
7159WambrechiesHauts-de-France17.6 / 1 000 hab.11,012
7259CroixHauts-de-France17.1 / 1 000 hab.20,566
7329FouesnantBretagne16.8 / 1 000 hab.10,436
7478MontessonÎle-de-France16.7 / 1 000 hab.14,549
7535Cesson-SévignéBretagne16.6 / 1 000 hab.18,761
7695Enghien-les-BainsÎle-de-France16.6 / 1 000 hab.11,432
77974L'Étang-SaléLa Réunion16.4 / 1 000 hab.14,464
7869Tassin-la-Demi-LuneAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes16.3 / 1 000 hab.23,200
7983Sanary-sur-MerProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur16.2 / 1 000 hab.18,538
8085Les Sables-d'OlonnePays de la Loire15.9 / 1 000 hab.49,603
8191IgnyÎle-de-France15.9 / 1 000 hab.10,833
8292SceauxÎle-de-France15.7 / 1 000 hab.20,884
8306CannesProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur15.6 / 1 000 hab.74,350
8449AvrilléPays de la Loire15.6 / 1 000 hab.15,251
8594Saint-Maur-des-FossésÎle-de-France15.5 / 1 000 hab.76,572
8692SuresnesÎle-de-France15.5 / 1 000 hab.48,956
8795MontmorencyÎle-de-France15.5 / 1 000 hab.21,763
8892PuteauxÎle-de-France15.4 / 1 000 hab.44,002
89971Saint-FrançoisGuadeloupe15.1 / 1 000 hab.13,942
9050GranvilleNormandie15.1 / 1 000 hab.12,510
9157Marly (57)Grand Est15.1 / 1 000 hab.10,286
9278Le PecqÎle-de-France15 / 1 000 hab.16,059
9331Saint-JeanOccitanie15 / 1 000 hab.11,261
9477Bussy-Saint-GeorgesÎle-de-France14.8 / 1 000 hab.27,498
9513Aix-en-ProvenceProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur14.6 / 1 000 hab.149,695
9633BordeauxNouvelle-Aquitaine14.4 / 1 000 hab.267,991
9769Caluire-et-CuireAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes14.4 / 1 000 hab.43,597
9878Montigny-le-BretonneuxÎle-de-France14.4 / 1 000 hab.32,465
9992La Garenne-ColombesÎle-de-France14.3 / 1 000 hab.30,197
10003VichyAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes14.3 / 1 000 hab.25,115

Scope: France, metropolitan and overseas, Corsica and the DROM included. This dataset holds every commune of 10,000 inhabitants or more, plus smaller communes famous enough to be household names, 1,131 in all. It is not the full list of 35,000 French communes, so a village can sit outside a ranking whose extreme it would otherwise hold. This particular ranking is a rate per inhabitant, so it covers towns of 10,000 people or more only: in a village of a hundred, three licence holders would read as thirty per thousand and outrank a town with a professional club, so no rate is published below that size rather than a meaningless one.

Method and sources: populations are the INSEE legal populations, boundaries and coordinates come from the IGN commune registry, both served by geo.api.gouv.fr. Density is the population divided by the commune's area; distances are measured as the crow flies from the commune's centre. Data read on August 11, 2026.

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FAQ

Which French city plays the most golf?

Per inhabitant, the town with the most licensed golfers in France is Arcachon, with 58.7 / 1 000 hab., ahead of Biarritz (56.4 / 1 000 hab.) and Neuilly-sur-Seine (52.8 / 1 000 hab.).

What are the top 10?

In order: Arcachon (58.7 / 1 000 hab.), Biarritz (56.4 / 1 000 hab.), Neuilly-sur-Seine (52.8 / 1 000 hab.), Divonne-les-Bains (47.2 / 1 000 hab.), Garches (45.6 / 1 000 hab.), La Baule-Escoublac (45.6 / 1 000 hab.), Mouvaux (45 / 1 000 hab.), Saint-Raphaël (41.4 / 1 000 hab.), Anglet (39 / 1 000 hab.), Saint-Jean-de-Luz (38.8 / 1 000 hab.).

How can a town with no course rank so high?

Because a licence is counted where its holder LIVES, not where they play. The ministry is explicit that this is a census at the place of residence and not the place of practice, which is why wealthy suburbs with no fairway of their own sit near the top: their residents are members of clubs elsewhere. It also means the ranking measures who plays golf rather than where the courses are.

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