With the economic downturn forcing golfers to look a bit closer to home for value for money, there has never been a better time for people to head to northern France and discover what it has to offer in the way of top-quality courses.

Golfers from the UK can experience some of the best-value courses anywhere in Europe by making the short trip across the English Channel to Brittany and its spectacular Emerald Coast.

And Saint-Malo Hotel Golf & Country Club provides the ideal place for them to stay and play some of the finest courses in the region at attactive rates thanks to its High Pass Golf Package Britain offer.

Saint-Malo's 27-hole complex provides the backbone of the package, which also gives golfers the chance to play at any one of another nine courses within an hour's drive of the club including Granville, Pleneuf-Val Andre, Les Ormes and Saint Cast.

Prices for the pass start from 105 euros per night in low season based on a minimum two-night stay at Saint-Malo, which includes bed and buffet breakfast and one green fee per day at one of the venues - plus a free round of golf on Saint-Malo's nine-hole Old Course on the day of arrival or departure.

Philip Petersson, general manager at Saint-Malo Hotel Golf & Country Club, said: "We know it's going to be a difficult year for those operators not prepared to put some great offers together. But we also know that we have a superb clientele that keep coming back to us on a regular basis because they are confident in the golf, accommodation and our service levels at St-Malo."

Set in the Mesnil Forest, Saint-Malo's 18-hole course 'L'Etang' was designed Hubert Chesneau and opened in 1986, with the 2,626-metre Old Course being created two years later.

Built around a 30-hectare lake, the L'Etang course features wide fairways, tricky greens and water hazards on 13 out of 18 holes, while the 30-room three-star hotel is situated overlooking the lake and course and offers the ideal place to unwind after a hard day on the fairways.

And Saint-Malo's facilities on and off the course are matched elsewhere in Brittany, with the region offering high-quality golf on both links and parkland venues in stunning scenery.

Granville, Pleneuf-Val Andre - host for a European Challenge Tour event in May - Saint Cast and Sables D'Or are links courses that will provide a challenge all levels of golfers, while parkland venues Les Ormes, La Freslonniere and Rennes Saint Jacques will leave you anxious to come back for more.

With Cice Bloissac and Cesson Sevigne completing the list of courses available in Saint-Malo's pass, Brittany offers some of the most breathtaking surroundings, warm hospitality and high-quality facilities anywhere in France.

Petersson added: "For those dedicated golfers who haven't visited us before, this is the ideal time to do so. Bookings for the rest of 2009 are up from last year , especially from the UK, with many golf groups showing interest."

For full details of Saint-Malo Hotel Golf & Country Club's High Pass Golf Package Britain offer, visit their website at www.saintmalogolf.com .

Information for media: Issued by Andrew Tremlett Associates. For more details, please contact Andy Tremlett on 07775 842716 or Pete Simm on 07747 012539, or e-mail ajtrem@aol.com or simm_6@msn.com