@ffgolf

With other sports federations, you have just sent a letter to the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister to stress that the practice of sport and outdoor activities constitute a solution and not a problem in this period of health crisis. . Are you worried about playing golf in France in the coming weeks?

Obviously, given the evolution of the disease and the latest figures which are not good. During the second confinement, we had already been very active and wrote to the executive power to reopen the courses and show that the practice of golf presented very little risk. Moreover, when the Prime Minister loosened the noose a few weeks ago, he even said publicly that we could play golf again. In history, I believe it is the first time that a Prime Minister talks about golf! Afterwards, it is not enough to send a letter to the President of the Republic to resolve the problems because the President receives a lot of letters and he has other things to do. We are in close contact with the sports advisers at the Élysée or at Matignon and we now even have the support of the CNOSF (French National Olympic and Sports Committee) and its chairman Denis Masseglia, which is a major asset.

What is the impact of the health crisis on the number of redundants?

We ended the year with a drop of only 3,5% in the number of licensees. It's never good to lose players but we are the sport that is doing the best. Some federations have lost more than 40% of their licensees, in particular team or combat sports. Clubs and licensees praised the work of the French golf federation, which was very responsive from the first confinement. We have done everything to keep the link with golfers, in particular by posting videos or advice on our site with Patrice Amadieu (head coach of the ffgolf Academy), Jean-Luc Cayla (performance director) or our physical trainers.

What about the impact at the level of golf clubs and structures?

It is very variable. Association clubs are little affected because the contribution was already paid at the beginning of last year, before the first confinement, and they have to face less expense thanks to partial unemployment. It is obviously more complicated for commercial clubs, which rely on subscriptions or green fees. During the deconfinements, the players massively go to the courses, but this does not compensate for all the financial losses.

You were elected president of the federation last December. What are your priorities during your term of office?

I have three priorities. Bringing out a champion at the highest level is something that is close to my heart and has been our goal for years. I will deal with it directly, which is rare for a president. After that, it is not necessarily because we have a great champion that it systematically attracts new players, we have the counter-example of Spain and Ireland who lose licensees despite Jon Rahm, Sergio Garcia or Rory McIlroy. But it is important because it shows that our policy of support at the high level is good. Another priority, the development of golf among the youngest, with Gilles Paris (vice-president in charge of development). Our young people are always long-term investments. And then there is the ecological transition with the vice-president, Sylvianne Villaudière. Golf has a close bond and a real responsibility towards nature. Twenty years ago, thanks to Jérôme Paris, we had already implemented measures to preserve biodiversity and recycle water while reducing its use. We are also committed to reducing the use of phytosanitary products, a country like Belgium has already banned them.

The National Golf Week * will take place from 1^er until April 3 at the Golf National. How did the idea for this great golf festival come about?

We noticed during the two confinements that when the world of golf speaks with one voice, it gives good results, unlike other sports which are more divided or in dispersed orders, with clubs, the amateur world , the professionals or the federation who each speak on their own. Afterwards, we are not starting from scratch because we have already had the golf fair at Porte de Versailles or the Mondial du golf, overseen by Charles-Henri Bachelier. Antoine Robin came to see me because he wanted to organize a big tournament at the Golf National with our best players, the week before the Masters, which is a bit deep in the calendar. As he is associated with Charles-Henri Bachelier, I suggested that he create a major event that would host the Mondial du Golf, the Golf Trophies on Canal + and various competitions for amateurs and our best players. And among our exhibitors, I can confirm that all the brands will be present, without exception!

Forgive me this question of "old con" in love with the French language, but why name this event in English?

(Laughs) “National” is in relation to the route where the event takes place. “Golf” is an international word and “Week”, we thought it sounded better. But there is another reason: we have the ambition to eventually make it a benchmark event in Europe, all proportion kept a bit like the PGA Show in the United States.

The share of female golfers in France is 29%, compared to 71% for men? In your opinion, is it possible to get more women to play golf and if so, how?

The lower proportion of women in golf is not a problem linked to France. The numbers are pretty much the same around the world. Society is changing, there is more equality in households today, I do not see why women could not devote more time to golf. There are obviously exceptions, but women tend to be less interested in competition and more in leisure activities such as scrambles. Women play more easily with four, it's more convivial, we are in a team, there is less pressure when playing your ball ...

Today, there is only one Frenchwoman in the world Top 100 (Céline Boutier, 57^e) and only one other in the Top 300 (Perrine Delacour, 103^e). How to have more French players at the highest level?

There are a lot of Koreans at the highest level among women, but that doesn't explain everything. I've always thought that in order to have as many of our players as possible in the top 100 in the world, we need more in the amateur top 100. And with Pauline Roussin-Bouchard who was n ° 1 a year ago, but also Lucie Malchirand or Agathe Laisné, we have a lot of potential.

In women's golf, we are fortunate to organize a major tournament in Evian. For men, on the other hand, apart from the enchanting parenthesis of the 2018 Ryder Cup, golf is the only major sport in France that does not regularly welcome the best players in the world. In tennis, we have Roland-Garros and even Bercy, in football we have Neymar and Mbappé, in cycling the Tour de France… Can we hope to organize a big tournament one day which will allow us to regularly see all the best golfers on our soil? of the planet ?

I hope so. Today I'm working on a World Championship project, a format that welcomes the 60 best players in the world without a cut. There is no such tournament in Europe yet. It is a mark owned by the PGA Tour, although the European Tour is represented. The objective is to succeed in bringing a World Championship to France every four years. Already, we had to fight to bring the French Open back into the European circuit calendar. On this subject, I must participate in a press conference next Monday with Keith Pelley (director of the European Tour), I hope that we can announce some good news ...

Power plays an increasingly important role in top level golf today. We think, among others, of Bryson DeChambeau. Some suggest a change of ball or equipment to limit this trend. What is your opinion ?

This does not worry me that much because we have long complained that golfers are not sportsmen. Guys like Dustin Johnson or Bruce Koepka might perform well in other sports today and most of the best players in the world are real athletes. This is also linked to the evolution of the material. It's a good thing that big brands are investing in research to improve clubs, drivers, etc. There have already been rules to limit the trampoline effect of drivers or to prohibit square streaks on sandwiches. I also knew a time when we played with English balls, smaller than the current American balls. The courses have evolved a lot in recent years to adapt to this new situation, the greens have become firmer and faster, the fairways narrower, the roughs more restrictive… The scores have not changed that much in the end. I think the preparation of the courses is the best way to resist this extra power. You really have to be careful when you want to change things. And then golf has evolved a lot in 50 years, it has become even more spectacular. Champions are like athletes and there are many more players who are capable of winning. Before, Nicklaus, Palmer and Player took almost everything between them.

Interview by Franck Crudo

*https://nationalgolfweek.com/