Pascal Grizot – President of the French Golf Federation ©ffgolf

The record of 445 licensees in 306

Pascal Grizot: “It’s a satisfaction, since it’s the third year in a row that we’ve broken the record. Our sport continues to gain new practitioners, which is no small thing in an economic context of inflation where people must make choices regarding their purchasing power. We can all congratulate ourselves on this record, but we must also remain humble. Because in percentage terms, the increase is low since it is less than 1%. Whatever happens, the Federation continues its role, which is to be in constant communication with its affiliates but also with the public authorities to manage crises like those we have gone through like Covid, or that that we are going through, such as that of global warming. »

The increase in the price of the license to 60 euros

P. G.: “It’s an increase that is linked to that of the cost of living. We look carefully at how the license of the French Golf Federation ranks among other federations, whether from other countries or other French sports. And we are about average. The increases that have been made have always been linked to economic inflation, except that of the year of the Ryder Cup in France. We were asked why the price did not return to "normal" after 2018, but when there are subjects like that of the ecological transition, we must be able to finance research, hire consulting firms, finance the expertise of certain players… All this is in the interest of playing golf in France. »

The use of water and phytosanitary products

P. G.: “I would like to remind you of one thing now: the use of water for golf courses in France represents 0,09% of what is taken from groundwater in France. So it is not by banning us from playing golf that we will solve the water problems in our country. At the end of the summer of 2022, I was summoned to the Élysée by the advisor to the President of the Republic on ecological transition to order us to find a solution so as to be even more virtuous in the use of 'water. We have therefore established new charters for the use of water during periods of drought. All the golf courses respected it this summer, but there is also a water police who come to check the application of the charter. And to date, there have been no incidents with public services related to the use of water, and I think that we have met the expectations of the ecological transition advisor. »

“As for phytosanitary products, from January 1, 2025, golf courses will no longer be able to use these products, unless they can prove that they are essential to treat certain grass diseases. The most knowledgeable golfers are familiar with dollar spot, a disease specific to greens caused by a fungus, and which is only curable with phytosanitary products. In this type of case only, golf courses should be able to obtain exemptions from the use of phytosanitary products. But those who used it for comfort on the rest of the route will no longer be able to do so. So there will be a big reduction, but not a total ban on use. On the other hand, the exemptions will work for a while, but it is important to find ideas for the future. And I remain convinced that by mobilizing the federations of other countries, we could bring together our financial resources to facilitate research in this field on a global scale, and find new solutions. »

Céline Boutier's victory in Évian

P. G.: “Seeing a French woman win a tournament is already fabulous. Seeing her win a Major is all the more extraordinary. This is exactly the kind of result you expect when you are president of a federation. It is necessary to underline the importance of his club the Paris Country Club, the Paris League but also the Federation in his training. It validates federal policy. For several years the idea has been around that it is easier to win a major tournament when you are in the top 20 in the world; and that's true. For Céline, who was in the top 10 in the world at the time of her victory, the experience acquired to reach this ranking allowed her not to tremble when it came time to win. If we compare the second places of Thomas Levet and Jean Van de Velde at the British Open – which are superb performances – both were beyond the top 100, and that may have played a role in converting the win. This is why my goal is to train amateurs so that they are part of the top 20 professionals in the world. »

Training in National Performance Centers

P. G.: “The Director of Performance, Jean-Luc Cayla, with the help of Maïtena Alsuguren (deputy national technical director, Editor's note), collected data to find out if our young people from the National Performance Centers are in line with the female players and professional players who are part of the top 20 in the world. Currently, we have eight girls between 14 and 18 years old who follow this performance curve, but also five boys between 15 and 16 years old. And among the pros, three boys and three girls are also in this lane. This is a density that we did not have before and which is the result of the work of the leagues and performance centers. These are the players that ffgolf supports, even when they become professionals. But we only help the best. Largely because resources are limited and I prefer to give a significant amount to fewer athletes rather than sprinkling in very small amounts of help that wouldn't make a difference to everyone. »

The retirement of Victor Dubuisson

P. G.: “It’s something we expected. It’s a courageous decision, because there is nothing worse than letting a situation drag on where he no longer wanted to perform at a high level. As he says, he and I alternated difficult times with memories of extreme happiness. I remember the 2007 European Championships where, despite losing in the final, we reached the final against the Irish of Lowry and McIlroy. I have good memories of it. Obviously, as president of the federation, I would have liked to see him win like Céline Boutier – I was sometimes sad to see him scratch at the last moment or not finish tournaments where he had more than the level to perform – but I respect his decision and I wish him to be happier elsewhere. I would also be very happy if he intervened in the performance centers to share his experience, as he proposed. It is important to know what led to his accession to the top 15 in the world but also what caused the desire to no longer be there. »

The evolution of the tricolor level in 2024

P. G.: “The level of French professional golf is evolving positively. Martin Couvra, Tom Vaillant, Oihan Guillamoundeguy, Nastasia Nadaud, Pauline Roussin-Bouchard are good examples. They are all on track to reach the top 20 in the world. And I take this opportunity to pick up on a question in the live comments: “How can we be satisfied without a player in the top 50? It's a lack of ambition. » No, that’s a lack of observation on your part. Already, because we have Céline Boutier who is well in the top 50 of the women's rankings. And then, because we have three players who will be on the PGA Tour in 2024 (Matthieu Pavon, Victor Perez, Paul Barjon, Editor's note). I trust them to use this to reach the men's top 20. I am proud of the results of our professionals, I do not lack ambition and I find their performance encouraging. »

The organization of the Paris 2024 Games

P. G.: “It’s not like the Ryder Cup which was organized by the Federation and the European Tour. There, it is the Cojo (Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games, Editor's note) which organizes the event and asks us with the IGF (International Golf Federation, Editor's note) to help organize the sporting event. But as far as the public is concerned, it is only Cojo who is in charge of things. And I must say that he lacks ambition. This is only the second time that the Olympic golf events have been played in France, there is going to be a field of players that will be much better than any event held at the Golf National. The Cojo chose to limit the number of spectators to 25, compared to a capacity of 000 spectators, which is not what a country which organized an event like the Ryder Cup deserves. »

The sponsor of the men’s French Open

P. G.: “Whether we have a sponsor or not, it is the DP World Tour which is responsible for organizing the tournament, and whatever the situation, the French Open will take place. Without a sponsor, the prize pool will be 3,5 million euros. Regarding the name of FedEx which may have come out on Golf Planète, I cannot say whether it will be the sponsor or not, because the potential future sponsor has postponed the signature several times. Which will not prevent us from having a very nice French Open in 2024.”

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