[Mark_Rowlinson]

Today's Daily Telegraph quotes Monty, playing in the French Open at Le Golf National :

'It's one of the best venues, if not the best, on the European Tour....The crowds and the facility are fabulous.  The whole thing has upped itself into a five-star resort and the Ryder Cup is certain to be played here one day.  It was built that way with stadium holes all over.  Imagine the carry-ons you would have here in matchplay.'

Do you remember Mike Clayton's wonderful thread on here when he produced aerials of Chantilly and Le Golf National and asked 'Why did we give this [Chantilly] up for this [Le Golf National]?'  

Any comments?

[Mike_Clayton]

Mark,

Monty is right - it is a very good venue.
There is lots of parking,a good practice fairway,good viewing for spectators, it's difficult, there is the mandatory cliche hole at the end to produce the death or glory finish and its very 'American tour' type course which the event has proved not to be any disadvantage to the Europeans.

Its just not that great a course and if it's one of the best on tour and its a sad commentary on the quality of courses.

Of course the tour no longer goes to the best courses on the continent as it used to the the seventies and eighties.

[David Stamm]

Notice that Monty didn't really say the course itself was great, he just talked about what a great VENUE it is. I haven't been there, so I can't comment either way. However, if the question were posed to him about the COURSE, I'm sure we would get the typical complimentary response and dodge the bullet. I don't think his response means that the quality of courses are poor on the European Tour. On the contrary, I think if one were to look at the courses collectively and compare it to the US Tour, I think it stacks up very well and in fact, I think it has alot more variety in style. When one looks at courses such as Valderamma, Wentworth, Loch Lomond, Barseback, the various courses used for the Irish Open and until recently, Royal Melbourne (remember, it was co sanctioned) which was used for the Heineken Classic, I think the courses are pretty good.

[James Edwards]

Personally, I think the course has fantastic variety and an interest to the viewing public!  The Green Complexes, undulations, pinch points, to name a few things all provide risk reward options, driver is not taken out of the equation, which is a nice change to some older courses... Im looking forward to watching this afternoon, especially as Zain is doing well!

[Adrian_Stiff]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, personally I think its a great course. It is definetly a favourite of the pro's on the European Tour who rate it very highly.
Its new and a man made inland links, negatively there are areas that dont blend with the exisiting/old landscape but its only visible from about 2 or 3 holes.
I think you should give credit to the fact it was made from nothing. A 9 on the stiffyscale.

[David_Tepper]

Mark -

For better or worse, it looks like the European Tour has, over the past 5 or 10 years, shifted from playing the older, more classic courses to playing more modern venues, where there is room for parking, spectator galleries, tented villages, etc. The US Tour made this type of change 10-20 years ago, with the advent of the TPC courses.

Change is not always progress!

DT

[Mark_Rowlinson]

As always, there is something behind my apparently innocent approach.  I was asked to include Le Golf National in a previous edition of World Atlas of Golf.  I went there, liked what I saw, and had no inhibitions about writing a piece about it.  There were rave comments from Ballesteros, Langer and others.  But, I am a rubbish golfer, incapable of distinguishing between a good hole and a great one, and I am not an architect.  I am easily swayed. Le Golf National may be expunged from any future updating of the Atlas, perhaps in favour of Chantilly or Morfontaine.  Would I be right to do so?

[Mike_Clayton]

Mark,

There is no contest between Morfontaine and Golf National.
The former is a classic old style French heathland course and the latter is a modern American style links made for pro golf,the attendent circus and a dramatic finish.

BTW I am hoping to play Morfontaine the week after next -and Fountainbleu as well.

[Frank Pont]

Mark, I think the only choice should be between Morfontaine or Fontainebleau, with Chantilly a good third.

Golf National is tough penal pro golf course, imitation Pete Dye, great to play once and lose 15 balls in a round, but nothing to get too excited about regarding the best course of France.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Today's Daily Telegraph quotes Monty, playing in the French Open at Le Golf National :

'It's one of the best venues, if not the best, on the European Tour....The crowds and the facility are fabulous.  The whole thing has upped itself into a five-star resort and the Ryder Cup is certain to be played here one day.  It was built that way with stadium holes all over.  Imagine the carry-ons you would have here in matchplay.'

Mark didn't he play rather well yesterday? What might he have said another day?

[David Stamm]

 Le Golf National may be expunged from any future updating of the Atlas, perhaps in favour of Chantilly or Morfontaine.  Would I be right to do so?

Mark, in a word, yes.  

[Andrew Mitchell]

Mark,
BTW I am hoping to play Morfontaine the week after next -and Fountainbleu as well.

Mike
I hope you have more luck getting on Morfontaine than Joe Rigo has had so far

[Mike_Clayton]

Andrew,

In my experience over the years I have found few clubs to be more accommodating.
We used to go over there after playing Chantilly during the French Open and they were terrific.

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