A hole-by-hole guide to Le Golf National
Who better to take us through a hole-by-hole guide to Le Golf National than European Tour player Matthieu Pavon, who grew up playing the course, and the Paris club’s academy coach Jean-Pierre Marzelle?
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, the best angle to have most of 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.
