Avenue du Golf,
Guyancourt, Ile-de-France F-78286
Office
+33 (0)1 30 43 36 00Pro shop
+33 (0)1 30 43 36 00Fax
+33 (0)1 30 43 85 58Website
Visit websiteGolf pro
Paul Armitage (Director of Golf)Academy
Golf National School of GolfThe Course:
18 holes. Open parkland. Undulating terrain - a few slopes to climb.
Surroundings:
Rural countryside.
Designer:
Robert von Hagge & Rick Baril (of von Hagge Design Associates), with input from French Golf Federation project manager Hubert Chesneau.
Above distances are for the Albatros course. Also at Le Golf National are the 18-hole Aigle/Eagle course (par-71; 5,961 m from back tees) and the 9-hole Oiselet/Little Bird course (par-32; 1,955 m from mens tees).
48.753141
2.075249
25 km SW of centre of Paris.
From the N12 in the southwest of Paris, take exit 4 (Versailles-Centre) onto the D91 and head south direction Guyancourt. After 5 km bear right off the D91 and follow Toutes Directions; do not follow direction Voisins le Bx into the underpass. At roundabout take the third exit, direction Golf National. After o.7 km turn left into golf.
Le Golf National (Albatros course): Selected as the 2018 Ryder Cup venue, Le Golf National's Albatros course, is the best and arguably toughest public access golf course in France. Many would say it is actually France's best course, period. Morfontaine and Les Bordes are rated higher by some golf writers, but these are private clubs, only open to the scrutiny of their well-heeled members.
With a "wingspan" that can stretch to well over 7,300 yards from the tips, the Albatros's opening par-4 drops down to a water defended green, then its back across the same small lake at the challenging par-3 2nd. And so you enter this wonderfully natural park and golf oasis, where your game will be tested to the full. The open linksy environment and undulating terrain (originally quite flat) contrasts with many of Paris's flatter tree-lined layouts. Excellent definition is given to the holes by an array of water hazards, rolling mounds and stylish bunkering, while long fescue grasses and gorse-like bushes lie in wait for wayward drives.
Dune-like mounding has given a British links feel to much of the course, while the water-laden closing stretch is more American in character - a perfect balance for the Ryder Cup. Water hazards not only threaten at the opening duo, but also return with a vengeance on the very testing closing four-hole stretch. The par-4 15th doglegs right onto what is virtually an island green, while the island also plays home to the green of the longer par-4 18th.
The putting surfaces here are large and fast, and the whole site excellently maintained as a standard-bearer for golf in France. The Albatross is a must play course if you are in the Paris area, and one that will develop even greater notoriety once the 2018 Ryder Cup has been played-out.
Stay & Play at Le Golf National: onsite accommodation available, see Where2Stay section below.
Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends.
Must book in advance. Maximum handicap: men 24.5; women 28.5.
Credit cards accepted. Contact club for full details, discounts, Stay&Play packages, etc. [Last updated: 2020].
Players generally walk this course. Golf carts available for hire. Caddies available.
Excellent
Golf National's Albatros course has hosted many top-level tournaments including the French Open championship on many occasions. As venue for the 2018 Ryder Cup matches, the Albatros joined an elite band of golf courses in Europe and America that have hosted this most famous of golfing events. For more details view Top Golf Tournaments at Golf National, Albatros course.
Albatros course:
France: 2nd best course in France (Golf Digest, 2020).
Europe: 40th best course in Europe (excl Britain & Ireland) (Golf World, 2021).
1 ave du Golf, 78114 Magny-les-Hameaux
+33 (0)1 30 57 65 65
Visit websiteLocated alongside the prestigious courses of Golf National (annual host to the French Open tournament), the hotel offers 131 modern rooms, 12 meeting rooms and an auditorium for hosting a full array of professional and private events. The restaurant, clubhouse, bar and swimming pool are centers for relaxation, dedicated to your well-being.
Golf National (Albatros, Aigle and Oiselet courses)
No
La Boulie; St Nom-la-Breteche; St Cloud; Feucherolles; Joyenval; Bethemont; St Germain; Courson; Rochefort.
1 Boulevard de la Reine, 78000 Versailles
+33 (0) 1 30 84 50 00
Visit websiteThe Trianon Palace Versailles, a member of The Waldorf Astoria Collection, is one of Paris's leading luxury retreats. Located close to the Chateau de Versailles, this fashionable hotel recently benefitted from a full-scale redesign, adding an air of modern elegance to an atmosphere of regal luxury. Here you can enjoy lavishly appointed accommodation, an excellent Gordon Ramsay restaurant, the Spa Guerlain and a beautiful, heated, indoor swimming pool.
No
No
St Nom-la-Breteche; La Boulie; Golf National; St Cloud; Feucherolles; Joyenval; Bethemont; St Germain
Tournaments:
European Tour: 2021 marks the 50th and last season of the world renowned European Tour, launched in April 1972 at the Spanish Open. From 2022 the Tour will be sponsored by Dubai-based global supply chain and ports operator DP World, and will be known as the DP World Tour.
South African Open: December 2021 events in South Africa have again been impacted by the Covid pandemic. The South African Open (Dec 2-5) will no longer be played as a DP World Tour event, and the Alfred Dunhill Championship (Dec 9-12) has been cancelled.
Who's Who:
Bernhard Langer: at age 64, Langer collected a record sixth Charles Schwab Cup, the only player to have won the season-long points chase more than twice. He also topped the PGA Tour Champions money-list for the 11th time out of a possible 13 since 2008.
Carlota Ciganda: the five-time Solheim Cup star was delighted to record a fourth Ladies European Tour win in her home national championship, the Ladies Spanish Open.
Lee Elder: Trailblazer, Ryder Cup player, four-time PGA Tour winner and eight-time Senior PGA Tour winner, Lee Elder died on November 28, aged 87. In 1975 he became the first African American golfer to play in the Masters tournament, and in so doing provided one of the pivotal moments in the history of professional golf.
Golf World Top 100: Best Golf Courses in Europe. From France to Spain to the Netherlands and Norway, the Golf World Top 100 panel reveals the places you have to play (published 20 October 2021).
New 27-hole golf complex to be built in southern Belgium
A new golf complex in southern Belgium, close to the border with Luxembourg, will start construction in June 2021.
Marco Simone Golf & Country Club "makes its tournament debut with the hosting of the Italian Open on the European Tour" by Richard Humphreys
Gamble Sands opens short course:
David McLay Kidd’s 14-hole QuickSands short course has opened for play at Gamble Sands in Brewster, Washington.
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