Inaugurated in 1990 in the Yvelines, the Albatross is a course to play at least once in your life. Do you know many of the golf courses that have hosted the greatest during the French Open and the Ryder Cup, while waiting for the 2024 Olympic Games?

  • Golf National, so young and already legendary
    The hole n ° 18 of the Albatross at the Golf National - © Thierry Plassais / swing-feminine
You put your ball on the tee of hole 1, while the crowd cheers and chants “Europe, Europe! ", before suddenly being silent when you put yourself at the address. Well, that was on TV two and a half years ago. In fact, only your playmate, three ladybugs and a raven attend with more or less deference to your first shot. Because the Albatross du Golf National is obviously not a course like any other for ordinary drivers. It is the only 18-hole course in continental Europe, along with Valderrama in Andalusia (in 1997), to have hosted one of the biggest sporting competitions in the world: the Ryder Cup. It is also the theater of the French Open since June 1991 and continuously since 2002. From Tiger Woods to Nick Faldo,

passing by Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy and Greg Norman, all the biggest names have trodden its fairways. So yes, when it comes time to draw your wood 3, there are plenty of memorable memories that go through your mind. As if we were about to swing for nearly 4 hours in an open-air museum.

Sculpted in Guyancourt (Yvelines) on the former wheat fields of the Palace of Versailles under Louis XIV, this little golfing jewel which has not yet existed for half a century already has many stories to tell. On October 5, 1990, Ray Floyd, Greg Norman, Jeff Sluman and Marc Farry inaugurate the beast. Less than a year later, Nick Faldo returns a card of 71 in the rain and wind, in the first round of the French Open. "Hard but fair", such is the sentence of the British star to the false airs of Harrison Ford about the Albatross. In 2004 and 2005, it is the incredible double of Jean-François Remesy which makes vibrate this golf stadium designed by Hubert Chesneau and Robert Von Hagge. The clamor resumed again in 2011 during the triumph of Thomas Levet on his land. But the decibel record was undoubtedly broken on Sunday, September 30, 2018 on the green of the 16th, when Francesco Molinari defeated Phil Mickelson and the whole American team, bringing the decisive point of a one-sided Ryder Cup (17,5 to 10,5 for Europe).

Philippe Pilato (right) took over from Paul Ian Armitage in July 2020.

Director of the Golf National, Philippe Pilato has worked there since 1994 and has climbed all the levels one by one, from reception to responsibility for sports and commercial animation. He was even the starter of the French Open for fifteen years. So inevitably, he too has some great stories to tell. “I had the honor to announce Ballesteros for its last French Open, he remembers. It startshas from the 10th that day. After having receivedu an ovation from the public, he hit hard and make a direct phenomenal pullement… On the fairway at 9. He missed so much that he dodged the water hazard on the left. The public does "ooohh"  and there he turns to people and launches : "What? The ball is on the fairway!"And he managed to birdie on this hole anyway…"

Obviously, with such a pedigree, the Golf National has a standing to maintain. The course maintenance involves no less than 25 employees all year round, including 5 gardeners entirely devoted to the Eagle, the little brother of the Albatross, which is also designed as a links. “Our two courses are suitable for players of all levels, underlines Philippe Pilato. The Albatross is of course the # 1 choice for competitive players who want to take on a Championship and Ryder Cup course. The Eagle is perfect for casual golfers or "bogey players", with identical maintenance quality and excellent value for money. " Without forgetting l'Oiselet (9 holes) and a new training center dedicated to small games, with bunkers of different heights and greens of a quality and firmness similar to the Albatross.

Environmental challenges are also a priority, with the phytosanitary objective O within four years. "We will have to do education so that golfers understand that it will no longer be possible to have green courses all season long", specifies the director of the golf course, who plans to place solar panels and water fountains on the site. Eco-grazing obliges, sheep have already taken up residence there. The Golf National is determined to be at the top at all levels, with the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024 as the horizon. The Albatros will thus become the first course in the world to have hosted the Ryder Cup and the Olympic Games. Another great story to tell.

Frank Crudo

https://www.golf-national.com/