The two-year countdown to the 2018 Ryder Cup is underway
Andy previews the 2018 Ryder Cup venue and samples a pair of Gallic gems
In a little under two years’ time, the 2018 Ryder Cup will be in full flow at Le Golf National close to Paris. Their L’Albatros course is an ideal venue with many similarities to previous European Ryder Cup layouts at Gleneagles, Celtic Manor and four-time host, The Belfry.
I have just returned from a trip, hosted by Brittany Ferries, to showcase the 2018 Ryder Cup course and the wonderful city of Versailles, home to centuries of history and, of course, the famous .
The trip started with an overnight sailing from Portsmouth to Caen, which provided a refreshing way to arrive in France – no airport hassles, no extra baggage charges and you can take your own vehicle.
Le Golf Parc Robert Hersant
The first golf course we visited was the Robert Hersant at Le Golf Parc, in La Chaussée-d'Ivry. This is a strong layout that’s currently ranked #76 in our French Top 100. The biggest challenge facing golfers here is water – and there’s plenty of it – with only two holes (5th and 6th) that have no aquatic danger.
My favourite three holes at the venue named after the late media magnate are all spectacular. The 4th is a big par four at around 450 yards with the last 120 yards all-carry over a massive lake. The par five 12th is, in my opinion, the best hole here bar none, a shortish par five arcing all the way around the lake, to an island green – you have got to be brave to take this green on in two!
The 15th is another par five, which on paper does not have distance as protection. In a similar vein to the 12th hole, there’s water on the right, but there are also two lake tributaries to cross on the way to the hole – the term “risk and reward” could have been coined for this three-shotter.
A few holes would benefit from a little attention in terms of presentation but I believe Le Golf Parc Robert Hersant has many memorable holes, a very smart clubhouse and is well worth a visit.
We moved on towards Paris and stopped around 20 miles to the west of the romantic city at Versailles. Hotel Le Versailles then became our home for a couple of nights and it’s very well positioned to explore the wonderful city on foot.
Golf de Rochefort
The next experience was Golf de Rochefort, a course designed by Fred Hawtree and operated by the Exculsiv Golf group. Currently the layout is not featured in our French rankings, but I feel this is an error as it’s a good course in a Woburn-like style, with majestic tree-lined holes sweeping this way and that. The 9th could be the hardest par four I’ve played for many years, which doglegs to the left with a fairway sloping to the right. After the dogleg, there’s a long uphill shot to a well-protected green. It’s a brilliant hole.
The Woburn feel is definitely in mind on the very next hole. The par three 10th is similar to the par three 9th on the Duke’s course – just a tee, a huge dip and then the green. The par five 11th ends a strong run of three holes. From an elevated tee, the hole turns a little left and it was just about reachable for me – although I did still manage to three putt!
If you visit Golf de Rochefort I recommend spending spend some time off of the course, the property’s buildings are impressive. Surprisingly, Golf de Rochefort was the course highlight for me on this visit to France.
Our final round was played on the 2018 Ryder Cup course at Le Golf National and it’s always a real privilege to play on any course that has staged golf’s greatest team spectacle. To have intimate first-hand experience when it all unfolds again in 2018 will be very special.
L’ Albatros has hosted the French Open for the last quarter of a century and the tour pros love the layout. It’s a very technical course, where the yardage book needs to be close to hand for the whole round because knowing the exact distances is the key to attack the greens in the best possible way. The course is bound to evoke exciting Ryder Cup drama right from the start with water on the opening par four and then more water on the par three 2nd. I would not be surprised if some matches are either two up or two down after these two holes.
Not too far away from these dramatic opening holes are the closing four. I sincerely hope that many matches reach this latter part of the course, as it promises much excitement. The 15th, 16th and 18th are among the best on offer at Golf National, all with greens cut close to lakes. This layout was fashioned for tournament golf and in two years’ time it will host the greatest golf show on earth.
We then made the return journey from Caen to Portsmouth and overall it was a memorable trip. I thoroughly recommend the ferry crossing option and if you’re considering a French golf holiday, here are some headline points from our hosts at Brittany Ferries:
Andy Newmarch
Top 100 Golf Courses
Westwood sees red over Gleneagles' greens Lee Westwood said the greens were unacceptably wet and that the 2014 Ryder Cup here would be a disaster "unless they rip them up and re-do them". By Lewine Mair at Gleneagles 28 Aug 2008 Daily Telegraph Lee Westwood, whose 72 left him four shots behind Gregory Havret on the first day of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, made it plain that the greens on this PGA Centenary course were not in the same five-star league as the hotel. When the question first arose as to what Westwood thought of the soggy surfaces, Westwood said a hazy "Mmmm" before quoting his grandfather. "He always told me that if you didn't have anything good to say, you did better to say nothing." Yet it was not too long before his grandfather's words had been forgotten and he was saying precisely what he thought. Predominantly, his greatest fear was that they might try to patch things up over the next few years instead of taking more extreme measures. "I've put a green down at home which is like concrete and we have had almost as much rain as they've had here," he said. "They really do need to dig them up and put in the right kind of construction underneath. If you are going to build a course in a Scottish valley you must expect rain, so rain is not an excuse for having bad greens I'm afraid." One way and another, he deplored a situation in which the best professionals in Europe – he in fact was one of them – were struggling to hit the hole from two feet. "This is no good for the sponsors, it's no good for the Tour and it's no good for Gleneagles, which is fabulous." Westwood's major putting mishap occurred at the fifth, where he was on the green in two before taking four putts, three of them from 18 inches. Oliver Wilson, one of his playing companions, did virtually the same thing – and it was for Wilson and others still trying to make this year's Ryder Cup side that Westwood felt the most strongly. "Getting in the Ryder Cup for the first time is a big deal. They are going to be feeling pressure as it is and you don't want to be standing over a three-footer with so much doubt in your mind." As he said, there were not just heel prints and spike marks to contend with, but ruts and extra imprints left by the hole-cutting implement. Martin Kaymer, the man best-placed to knock him from the top 10, did no better but Ross Fisher did. Fisher, who is lying 13th behind Kaymer and Ian Poulter, recorded a 72. Of those in the hunt for a Faldo wild card, Darren Clarke returned a 72 and Colin Montgomerie a 74. At a time when Gleneagles were busy compiling a statement about the record amount of rain and a strong agronomy plan, neither Clarke nor Montgomerie wanted to be drawn on the greens. Clarke backed up Westwood to the extent that he confirmed that it was possible to build surfaces which could shrug off any amount of water, but he said that he needed to stay positive. "I'm trying to love this place," he explained. As for Montgomerie, he has an official role with the Johnnie Walker people. "I'm chairman of the tournament committee, not a green-keeper," he advised.
Top 10 Golf Courses in Perth & Kinross 2015 Perth & Kinross Best in Region rankings updated Gleneagles, in Perth & Kinross, is one of the brightest jewels in the Scottish golfing crown. Only last year, it played host to the 40th edition of Ryder Cup matches between the top professional players of Europe and the United States of America and nobody will surely ever forget how magnificent the resort looked over the course of that fantastic three-day event. All three 18-hole courses at Gleneagles feature prominently in our newly updated regional chart for Perth & Kinross, with the King’s course retaining its number 1 position. Designed by James Braid and constructed by C. K. Hutchison, this wonderful moorland course actually hosted the first informal Britain v USA professional competition back in 1921, when the home team defeated their American opponents with a score of 9 points to 3. Moving up one place to number 2 in the listing, the Queen’s course at Gleneagles is a shorter track that’s more suited to the average club golfer, offering a little respite from the championship rigours of the other two 18-hole courses on the property. Designed and built at the same time as the King’s course, the Queen’s is another beautiful moorland layout that’s capable of providing more than a decent test of golf. The PGA Centenary course at Gleneagles retains the number 4 position in our new Perth & Kinross standings, and this Jack Nicklaus-designed layout (originally called the Monarch’s when it opened in 1993) was actually a redesign of the old Glendevon course, along with some holes from the Prince's. Extensively remodelled a couple of years before the 2014 Ryder Cup matches, it will certainly be remembered in very fond terms by supporters of the European team. The only other upward movement from lower down the chart comes from the course at Alyth, which advances one place, from 9 to 8. The original 9-hole layout was designed by Old Tom Morris, soon after the club formed in 1894, then James Braid added six holes in 1934 when he fashioned the 18-hole course that still retains many of the design traits from both eminent architects today. There’s one new entry on the chart at number 10 and it’s the Rannaleroch course at Strathmore Golf Centre, which won praise from a sizeable number of respondents to our recent regional course survey. Opened in the mid-1990s, the 18-hole layout is part of a 27-hole golf complex which was designed by John Salvesen and constructed using minimal earth movement. We’re very grateful to all the clubs and professionals in this region who contributed to our re-ranking process. To view more details of the courses in our newly updated Perth & Kinross Top 10 rankings, click the link. If you’ve played extensively across this region and would like to help shape the next edition of the chart then please drop Editor-in-Chief Keith Baxter an email at keith@top100golfcourses.com. We don’t publish definitive course rankings but we do like to think we present the most informed listings. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses
Changes planned for 2018 Ryder Cup course 2018 Ryder Cup course design preparations under way at Le Golf National Sunningdale, UK – March 21, 2012 Preliminary course design work to prepare the venue of The 2018 Ryder Cup, Le Golf National, Paris, for one of the world biggest sporting events, has begun. It may be six and a half years away, but the European Tour Destination’s Albatross Course is benefiting from the expertise of European Golf Design (EGD) whose senior design team is liaising with the European Tour and the French Golf Federation as planning commences. EGD was widely praised for producing the Celtic Manor Resort’s Twenty Ten Course, which enabled the 2010 Ryder Cup to be completed despite extraordinary rainfall, is now assessing masterplans for the golf course as well as the logistics and facilities required to make the venue a global sporting arena. Ross McMurray, Designer of the Twenty Ten Course, said: “There are many aspects to the course that golfers, professional and amateur, really enjoy, so we don’t wish to alter its popular appeal and the overall experience. However, there are a number of bunkers that will need to be moved for strategic reasons, because they are no longer in play for the longer hitters, while others will be upgraded. “Some tees may also be placed in more interesting positions, and the Ryder Cup will demand a greater variety of flag positions than the existing greens currently offer.” As the course is in regular use on the European Tour, the main challenge facing the designers relates more to the scale of the event and the consequential increase in footfall rather than re-modelling what is already a world-class course. Jeremy Slessor, Managing Director of European Golf Design said: “Le Golf National is a very different project compared with Celtic Manor, but the experience that we gained in Wales will be crucial as we embark on delivering another Ryder Cup venue. “Planning a course for a Ryder Cup is quite unlike typical tour competitions as the vast crowds only have a limited amount of golf to follow. “Put simply, it’s a case of forecasting what might occur and finding the best solution. For example, the Alstom Open de France is played in summer when it’s less likely to rain. However, given that the Ryder Cup will be held in September, we need to ensure that the drainage system is up to coping with more substantial rainfall – something we were insistent on at The Celtic Manor Resort.” The Alstom Open de France has been hosted at Le Golf National on 18 occasions since 1991 and is a popular event in The European Tour schedule, boasting many former Ryder Cup stalwarts as past champions including, Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie, Sam Torrance and 2012 European Ryder Cup Team captain, José María Olazábal. EGD, which is the golf course design company of The European Tour and IMG, is now aiming to make it an iconic course and an historic Ryder Cup venue. Pascal GRIZOT, President of the FFGolf Ryder Cup 2018 Committee said: “Hosting the Ryder Cup is a tremendous honor and an enormous responsibility. It seems that the venues get better and better with every passing event and European Golf Design will be invaluable in preparing Le Golf National for the world’s media, the vast crowds and of course, the best players from America and Europe.” “The Albatros Course, built in 1990, was the brain child of Hubert Chesneau. From the early days Hubert and the French Golf Federation have pursued the ambition for the Golf National to become a Ryder Cup venue. It is now a reality, however a great deal of work remains, if we want this to become a dream come true”. For more information about European Golf Design, visit www.egd.com
