Designed by Hubert Chesnaeu and Robert Van Hagge, Le Golf National opened in Guyancourt on the outskirts of Paris in 1990 and has hosted the Open de France every year since 1991 – except for ’99 and 2001.
It hosted the Ryder Cup for the first time in 2018. You can get to know it a bit better with our Le Golf National hole-by-hole guide.
We have insight from PGA and DP World Tour star Matthieu Pavon and the club’s academy coach Jean-Pierre Marzelle take you through the Ryder Cup host venue.
Le Golf National course preview
Hole 1
En Avant (Forward), Par 4, 383 yards
Pavon: It’s a nice little hole to start on, all of the water is just on the left side. It could be a very difficult hole to start when the wind is blowing into your face because usually, you have to hit a 2-iron or 3 wood, but you can definitely hit a driver.
Marzelle: The first tee shot is very intimidating especially if the wind is blowing from right to left because you want to avoid the right rough.
Hole 2
L’Apontage (The Landing), Par 3, 192 yards
Pavon: The wind is usually blowing from the back so it is tough to spin the ball close to the flag you just need to take it easy and play safely on the right-hand side.
Marzelle: When the wind is blowing and the flag is at the back left it is a big shot. Most of the time the advantage at the Open de France is when they are taking this location.
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Hole 3
Le Merantais (?), Par 5, 510 yards
Pavon: A nice par 5, and a reachable one. You just need to hit as hard as you can down the left side to be able to reach the green in two. The bunker just short right of the green is pretty friendly so don’t be afraid to put it there.
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Hole 4
Chateaufort (Fortified Castle), Par 4, 445 yards
Pavon: A very hard hole, very long. It’s very important to find the fairway, the green is very big and uphill so don’t be afraid to pull one club longer and past the big hill because if you have a downhill chip it is really really bad.
Hole 5
Plein Gaz (Full Gas), Par 4, 370 yards
Pavon: A short dog leg left-to-right. You don’t need to hit a driver, a 2-iron is enough. You can go into it with a wedge so you can be pretty aggressive compared to other holes.
Hole 6
Mais ou Colza (Made from Oil), Par 4, 348 yards
Pavon: A short hole where you hit a 2-iron and a wedge. It’s the easiest hole on the course.
Hole 7
Le Dromadaire (The Camel), Par 4, 440 yards
Pavon: A tough one. You have an uphill fairway so you can’t really see it and it is narrow over there. It’s out of bounds all the right side of the hole so you have to keep the ball left. It’s a funny green because it is narrow but then gets bigger so a short flag is really interesting.
Hole 8
Le Green Keeper (The Green Keeper), Par 3, 190 yards
Pavon: A tough par 3 because the ball is just rolling off the green and you have to be very precise with the shot. The problem is you have a long iron like a 5 or a 4 so it is a difficult hole.
Hole 9
Vent Debout (Standing Wind), Par 5, 541 yards
Pavon: I was talking about No. 3 which is reachable, but 9 is definitely longer so stay safe with the layup and don’t be too aggressive. The third shot is very important to leave it to the left because anything on the right of the green is very hard to get up and down from there.
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Marzelle: You can reach the green in two if you are a good driver. You don’t need to hit it long because there are run-outs, you have hazards in play and all that.
Hole 10
Le Mare aux Foulques (The Bird Pond), Par 4, 343 yards
Pavon: A little tricky one because you have a 2-iron from the tee, or a 3- or 4-iron. If you find the rough on the right it is very difficult to put the ball on the green.
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Hole 11
Les Grenouilles (The Frogs), Par 3, 163 yards
Pavon: Everything goes towards the water. If you are hesitating between two shots then pick the one which is the longest one.
Hole 12
Le Goulet (The Gut) Par 4, 396 yards
Marzelle: Once again, whenever the rough is heavy you can’t get out of the fairway. You are one or two metres in the rough so a difficult situation.
Pavon: It’s a long one so if you’re not hitting the driver you have a pretty long iron. You have to choose aggressively or just carefully depending on the iron shot you want to have.
Hole 13
L’ile aux Chenes (The Island of Oak Trees), Par 4, 379 yards
Pavon: A tricky little tee shot because it is a dogleg right and the fairway is fairly firm so everything that hits the fairway can run into the rough in front.
Hole 14
Les Collines de Colin (The Hills of Colin), Par 5, 544 yards
Pavon: It’s pretty wide open from the tee but if you miss the fairway it will be difficult to get there in two.
Hole 15
Le Juge (The Judge), Par 4, 373 yards
Pavon: You just need an iron from the tee, but the green is really firm and narrow. We found out during the Open de France between the third and fourth rounds (if the pin is) on the back right, just hit the middle of the green. Many guys try and hit this flag and they’re out of the hole with a double bogey.
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Marzelle: When the wind is blowing it is hard because it is an island green and when the pin location is just at the front it is very narrow to stick to the flag.
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Hole 16
L’Appel (The Call), Par 3, 162 yards
Pavon: A nice par 3 which is just bad on the right side with the water. You can usually have a small chip from the left side so if the flag is back right it isn’t a big deal.
Hole 17
Le Verdict (The Verdict), Par 4, 439 yards
Pavon: Could be a par 5 – it is a really long one. The most important thing is to catch the fairway. If you miss the fairway it is so bad for you and is hard to hit the green in two.
Hole 18
La Foule (The Crowd), Par 4, 431 yards
Pavon: The nicest hole I have ever played. A really long one, and a tricky one. You can hit the 3-wood down the left side or try to be more aggressive with the driver.
Marzelle: The second shot is very demanding and very strategic. You have to really place your shot, anticipating the pin location, and the best angle to have most of the green to work with.
Pavon: It is a great finishing hole for a Ryder Cup because if a match is going there it’s going to be very exciting to see that.
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