The Lacoste Ladies Open de France is fast approaching. Less than 8 days before the back-to-school golf event at Golf Barrière Deauville! On this occasion, here are some key elements to remember, to also share, with those who would like to discover and better understand this beautiful discipline, its universe and its jargon.

LLODF: Less than 10 days to understand everything about golf

Céline Boutier at the Lacoste Ladies Open de France 2021 // Credit: ASO/Timothé Renaud

Golf, what is it?

The simple objective of golf is to get a ball into a hole by hitting it as few times as possible with a club. With each shot, the golfer plays the ball from where it is, without moving it or taking advantage. She must analyze her environment (wind, slope of the terrain, obstacles, etc.) then develop a strategy (which shot to play, with which club, where to aim, etc.), and finally hit the ball. The objective in golf is always twofold, to succeed and to have fun.

The practice of golf: stop misconceptions

Often perceived as an elitist discipline, golf is nevertheless a modern and accessible sport that leaves no one on the sidelines.

  • Most practiced individual sport in the world (3rd in France behind tennis and horse riding).
  • 4th sport in France in number of licensees (436 800 in 2021 behind football, tennis and horse riding).
  • 740 golf courses in Metropolitan France and overseas.

Source: ffgolf

Who is it for?

For everyone ! The most competitive, in search of challenges and performance will quickly be "bitten" by this sport of eternal dissatisfaction. On the contrary, people looking for moments of relaxation between friends or family will find on the courses and in the clubhouses places of life with a unique conviviality.

Young and old, confirmed or beginners, whatever your level, you can play golf together. In training, on the pitch and even competing in the same game, but each with their own scorecard.

Far from the stereotypes that sometimes still weigh on the sport, golf is also one of the few disciplines where women and men can play together, in leisure as well as in competition.

Accessibility:

The practice (training area) and the putting green (training ground) are open to everyone.

Le parcours (9 or 18 holes) is on the other hand accessible to practitioners holding a green card (delivered by an instructor on condition of being licensed, having completed at least 5 9-hole courses in the same club. You must also obtain a certificate from a club teacher on your ability to produce trajectories and on the application of the rules of the game).

The golf course

A golf course consists of 18 holes, a hole being itself decomposed into a departure, fairway and green (this is where the hole is, indicated by a flag).

Each hole is defined by a number of generic strokes defined for the player; this is called the "by". Each additional stroke will result in penalties (bogey, double-bogey, triple bogey...), each less move will earn points (birdies, eagle, albatross).

The course is maintained by a team of gardeners, supervised by a land steward: the greenkeeper.

Equipment

To achieve the diversity of shots offered to her, the golfer has a variety of equipment in her bag. She obviously needs a ball, but also a gant as well as golf clubs. There are also specialized footwear (fitted with studs for good grip). Among the clubs, there are:

  • Wood : the ball will travel the distance in a fairly linear way, they are used at the start (mainly the n°1 or Driver) and on the fairway for the most distant shots.
  • The iron : the ball will travel the distance with a more arcuate trajectory, and the ball will rise more and travel a shorter distance than with the woods.
  • The putter: it has virtually no angle on its face, and is intended for play on the green.

A golf bag must have 14 clubs maximum, but to begin and during the first months of practice, the golfer will not need all these clubs.

A professional tournament, how does it work?

Professional tournaments are usually open to the public, accessible free of charge for the greatest pleasure of all. A professional tournament is:

  • 3 or 4 rounds competition.
  • Players playing by group (or part) of 2 or 3 professionals who do not team up; they play individually.
  • A group departure (or game) every 10 minutes.
  • 4 or 5 hours game to finish the course (18 holes).
  • 6km cut of course that the players complete on foot.
  • A cadet that accompanies each player.
  • A “cut” : at the end of the first two rounds of competition, a “cut” is made. Consequently, all the players who have not reached a given place in the ranking (generally Top 40, 50 or 60) will not be qualified for the rest of the competition. They are said to have “missed the cut”. For players who have "passed the cut", their scores are kept, as is their chance of winning the tournament.
  • The winner : player having made the fewest hits on all 3 or 4 rounds.

The Lacoste Ladies Open de France: decryption

One of the most elite professional women's tournaments on the continent, this Golf Open will undoubtedly impress spectators, regulars of the greens as well as neophytes. During 3 days, September 15 to 17 on the Diane Barrière course du Golf Barriere Deauville, the elite of European women's golf will try to succeed Céline Boutier, French n°1, world n°15 and defending champion.

  • 108 females at the start of the tournament, coming from more than 25 countries and 5 continents: list of participants
  • The tournament takes place over 3 rounds:
    • 1st round : Thursday, September 15.
    • 2nd round : Friday, September 16. (At the end of this day, only the first 60 are selected to play the 3rd and last round, the others are eliminated, this is the "cut").
    • 3rd round and last round : Saturday, September 17.
  • 2 groups of 54 players: the first will depart in the morning and the second in the afternoon. As explained previously, the games are played in groups of 3 professionals.

Unpublished on the 2022 edition: The Alliance Program

Ce Alliance Program is one of the novelties of this edition. Its principle is simple, during the competition each group will be accompanied by a guest playing with the proettes (each with their score card) in the 1st and 2nd Round.

LLODF: Less than 10 days to understand everything about golf

Click on image to enlarge – ©LLODF

The viewers :

Golf is a sport where the spectators are also on the move. Thus, everyone is free to follow the game of their choice and to navigate from one game to another so as not to miss anything and observe all the players. Although silence is required when the players are hitting the ball, the applause and encouragement are very much appreciated by the players.

All spectator information HERE

Upon arrival at the golf course, a Gazette is given to visitors. We find there the parcours (opposite) and the list of departures. And to know the scores of the different games in real time, go to the leaderboard, near hole n°1.

golf lingo

Like every discipline, golf has its own jargon and is full of expressions often borrowed from our friends across the Channel. In order to allow everyone to learn (or revise) before this big meeting, find the glossary containing the specific terms and the curious jargon of golfers.

Here is a link to a glossary to learn everything about golf jargon!

Pratical information

Key dates:

  • The Richard Mille Pro-Am: 14 September 2022.
  • The Lacoste Ladies Open de France: from September 15 to 17, 2022. Access to the tournament free for the public.

The place :

  • The course : Diane Barrière course, Golf Barrière Deauville.
  • The address: Mont Canisy, 14803 Deauville, France.

To know more : click here

To read our last article on the same subject :

Lacoste Ladies Open de France: A new chapter