Le Golf National

This weekend I was fortunate to go and watch the French Open in Paris, the venue for the Ryder Cup later in the year. Wow is the word for this venue, it’s like it was purposely designed to hold this great event, all the holes are set in bowls so viewing is easy to see. I can imagine that the first tee will be like a Stadium design and will create a fantastic atmosphere.

The opening few holes have water and deep rough in the hole designs the 1st hole a nice easy starter with water down and in front of the green but then the 2nd hole 210 yards over water into the prevailing wind some test. The 3rd being a two-shot par-5 chance for the bigger hitters but a landing area of 15-20 yards risk or reward; from what I saw this is going to be some Ryder Cup.

I met my good friend Stormy for lunch as he was there commentating, he told me to walk the last four holes and again what a finish. The 15th hole had water down the right and in front of the green and deep rough left and then a second shot over water to a very tricky sloping green easy to run up a score. The 16th par-3 over water with the wind factor will cause a few issues 175 yards, then the last two probably the toughest finish to a golf course I have seen. The 17th was a long par-4 with a fairway that looks about 5 five yards wide with deep rough either side I watched Lee Slattery hit his second shot 30 yards out of the rough not the place to be. The second shot to a green that sits above you with a slope at the front and left to feed the ball back off the green into the rough!

The 18th hole I’ve heard a couple of tales from Stormy and his then caddy Dom about how he played the last when he won the French Open in 2007, how he managed to hit the ball under all that pressure never mind getting the ball in the fairway and then hitting a shot from 170 yards to an island green is a feat on its own by the way when stormy played the last it was down wind it normally plays into the wind, this all makes for a great weekend at the end of September fingers crossed we can win the trophy back.

I took a couple of video’s for you to look at, one of our young hope Tommy Fleetwood playing with the American Justin Thomas and a slow motion of Sergio Garcia on the 5th Tee..