Le Golf National

The Albatros is Le Golf National's centerpiece, and is the annual host to the French Open. Ranked 4th in France and 9th in continental Europe, Albatros was designed by Hubert Chesneau with Robert Von Hagge’s consultancy and has hints of Florida, a splash of Ireland and a lot of France. The stadium course has been built in accordance with the most modern construction principles and joined the list of courses to have staged a Ryder Cup in 2018.

This is the toughest golf course around Paris, where the enormous, undulating putting surfaces are sculpted around great swathes of water and sand. The distinctly rugged feel of Albatros reminds you that this is a proper golf course, not a walk-in-the-park resort track, and is there to test even the best.

The Albatros Course at Le Golf National is ranked as one of the best courses in France

What the pros say:

“It’s a very dramatic and therefore a great course for The Ryder Cup. Especially the last few holes where everything will be decided. The 13th, with the water, then a par five which you can reach in two, then the last few holes are really breathtaking. On 15 and 16 you have water, 17 being a long par four and 18 water again so a lot of things can happen on the closing holes. It’s going to be quite thrilling.” – Jose Maria Olazabal

“I think Le Golf National is a fantastic Ryder Cup venue for many reasons. Firstly, I can think of worse places in the world to stay in than Versailles, the Trianon Palace and the great hospitality and great food that we enjoy here. But on the golf course, the last four or five holes, in the natural amphitheatre that this golf course creates, I can only imagine how good the buzz will be coming down 15 and 16. They are about as good and dramatic a risk-reward par three and four you'll get. Then the 17th is a great par four and for matches that do come down the last, there's not going to be a better par four on The European Tour than the last at Le Golf National. I can really picture 40, 50, 60,000 people up on those slopes around that little cauldron of the last four holes, and I think the atmosphere will be amazing.” – Graeme McDowell

The resort's second course is Aigle, which is certainly a more forgiving proposition than the neighbouring French Open venue. The Aigle is shorter, at 6,489 yards, and is more sympathetically set up to welcome the average player. In the same manner as the Albatros, the course is rough around the edges, and has a degree of links in its make up, but does not have the demanding hazards that make Le Golf National's main attraction so challenging.