Le Coq, on the other hand, is in that part of
the dune country which has least historical interest, and is chiefly
known as the place where the Royal Golf Club de Belgique has its
course. It is only twenty minutes from Ostend on the Vicinal railway,
which has a special station for golfers near the Club House. There
is no _digue_, and the houses are dotted about in a valley behind
the dunes. This place has a curious resemblance to a Swiss village.
A few years ago the owners of lands upon the Flemish littoral began
to grasp the fact that there was a sport called golf, on which
Englishmen were in the habit of spending money, and that it would be
an addition to the attractions of Ostend if, beside the racecourse,
there was a golf-course. King Leopold, who is said to contemplate
using all the land between the outskirts of Ostend and Le Coq for
sporting purposes, paid a large sum, very many thousands of francs,
out of his own pocket, and the golf-links at Le Coq were laid out.
The Club House is handsome and commodious, but, unfortunately, the
course itself, which is the main thing, is not very satisfactory,
being far too artificial. The natural 'bunkers' were filled up,
and replaced by ramparts and ditches like those on some inland
courses in England.
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