Photo: DR

The Médoc Resort golf course

Opened in 1989 in the town of Pian-Médoc, a few kilometers north-west of Bordeaux, the Médoc Resort golf course quickly established itself as one of the best golfing destinations in France. Provided among other things with a beautiful hotel with 80 rooms, a spa, reception areas, a golf academy and an entertaining second course called Les Vignes, this modern resort is above all renowned for its golf course. Castles, a demanding championship course (par 71 of 6 m black) created by the American architect Bill Coore. It is on this ground that the South African Retief Goosen won the Novotel Perrier Open de France in 574, that the grand final of the Challenge Tour was played between 1999 and 2001, and that the last ten editions of the Grand Prix Schweppes PGA.

Recently equipped with a state-of-the-art irrigation system, it will offer the European female elite one of the best tests of the season.

The route of the castles

By MARION RICORDEAU, player of the Ladies European Tour and the Symetra Tour, winner of the Grand Prix Schweppes PGA France in 2014 and 2015 at the Médoc golf course.

HOLE N ° 1 - Par 4 of 400 m

An interesting hole, since it puts us directly in the mood! You have to think about it from the start, because the green being across the second shot will be more or less complicated depending on where the drive lands. The green is difficult.

HOLE N ° 2 - Par 5 of 523 m

There are bunkers in play all over the place from the start, depending on the location of the tee boxes. When the ground is dry, you can take it in half, otherwise you have to hit a wedge on the third shot which is not easy because the green is undulating. But it's good to have a par 5 right after the first difficult hole, to make up for it if you've made a mistake.

HOLE N ° 3 - Par 4 of 358 m

The difficulty of the hole is in the faceoff, since there is a bunker on the left. After that, you have to go get a fairly undulating green, but you don't necessarily have a very long shot to catch it, so you can easily create a birdie chance.

HOLE N ° 4 - Par 4 of 443 m

A long par 4 with a long bunker on the left. The fairway is not quite flat, so you usually hit a second shot with your feet on a slope. The green, all uphill, is not very complicated, but it is the length of the approach that makes this hole difficult. You have to play a little on the defensive, not to take risks.

HOLE N ° 5 - Par 3 of 144 m

A very nice hole, which can be considered as the signature hole of the course. The whole green is bordered by water on the right, and depending on the location of the departure, the water obstacle is sometimes frontal, sometimes lateral. The green has several plateaus, so you have to judge the depth of your shot, even if you hit a small iron, to get a birdie putt.

HOLE N ° 6 - Par 4 of 410 m

The main difficulty is the bean green, with a big bunker in front and on the right side. When the flag is in the bowl to the right behind the bunker, it's complicated! It is a hole on which the important thing is to place the ball well.

HOLE N ° 7 - Par 4 of 324 m

You have to place the face-off on the left side of the fairway to open up the green, but it's not a very complicated hole, nor a very long one.

HOLE N ° 8 - Par 3 of 144 m

Second par 3, with water again. We are visually impressed by the presence of this lake, and the green is quite exposed since there are no trees around. The shot is not very long, but here you also have to place the ball on the green, which has several targets.

HOLE N ° 9 - Par 4 of 433 m

The faceoff is a little narrower than on the other holes because of the trees that line the fairway. It's a fairly long hole, with a long green, so you may have to hit a medium iron or a long iron. But it's not a particularly difficult hole, you just have to know not to be too greedy.

HOLE N ° 10 - Par 5 of 463 m

An interesting par 5, because in light right dogleg. If you take a straight line from the start, you can give yourself a chance to take the green in two. If you play to the left, beware of the bunkers, but the birdie is quite possible with a good approach. However, you must aim for the right area on the green, which is quite wavy.

HOLE N ° 11 - Par 4 of 350 m

We hit the face-off beyond the stream which cuts the fairway in half crosswise. You have to aim for the area a little to the right of the trees, from where you get a second shot that is not very long nor very complicated. It is a hole that is more visually impressive than in reality.

HOLE N ° 12 - Par 3 of 170 m

The green is a bit raised, so you can just see the flag sticking out in the distance, but not the ripples. It's a pretty long shot to hit, but on the other hand, the green is less severely defended than on the par 3s of the first leg. Once again you have to aim for the right area of ​​the green to have a clear birdie opportunity.

HOLE N ° 13 - Par 4 of 414 m

The face-off is not very complicated, but the approach is a bit more complicated because the green is raised and positioned askew in relation to the line of play. However, if you control the depth of your second suddenly, the birdie can happen quickly.

HOLE N ° 14 - Par 5 of 473 m

It all depends on the location of the tee: depending on the configuration, you can attack the green in two. This is a typical “risk and reward” hole, because if you hit a good second shot you have a real chance of eagle, and if you deviate a little you find yourself confronted with the many traps that border the green. A spectacular and fun hole to play!

HOLE N ° 15 - Par 4 of 385 m

A hole in dogleg left quite interesting, because if the game is actually quite simple, visually it seems more delicate. The green is a bit crooked, with a lot of slopes, but overall not too complicated.

HOLE N ° 16 - Par 4 of 413 m

A long hole with a slightly raised start. The attack on the green is not very difficult in itself, but since you often have a long iron in your hands and the green is uphill, you have to dare to go.

HOLE N ° 17 - Par 3 of 217 m

The longest of the par 3s, which is also the one with the least difficulty around the green. The green is large, with lots of little bumps and pits, so you can quickly end up far from the flag with complicated putts. But it's a very good hole to finish, where you have to be in the right area without looking for the feat.

HOLE N ° 18 - Par 4 of 400 m

The faceoff is fairly straightforward, but the approach to this elevated green positioned across the line of play is quite demanding. Once again, you have to hit the right area on this wavy green. A very nice hole to finish!

3 questions to Agathe Sauzon, 6th and best Frenchwoman of the Lacoste Ladies Open of France 2017

What memories do you have of your 6th place last year, obtained thanks to an exceptional card of 63 (-7) on Sunday?

It was an incredible day… I don't really know what happened: I started to do birdies, and I felt like I was in another world! I had the impression that nothing could happen to me, that everything was going in my favor. I didn't think about the result at all. This sixth place, acquired in front of the French public, my parents and my friends, is a very nice memory. This result was important in my season, because it allowed me to defi nitely secure my card and integrate the top 50 of the order of merit, which was my goal. It put me in full confidence for the future.

In 2018, the Lacoste Ladies Open of France is played at the Médoc golf course and offers an increased allocation. How do you judge this development?

It's nice to change golf, because even if Chantaco is a very good course, there are plenty of others in France that are worth the detour. I don't know the Châteaux course, but I've only heard rave reviews about it, so I can't wait to find out! The evolution of the tournament this year shows that in France, we really help the women's game. It will make us French players even more eager to progress and to take women's golf as high as possible.

For a Frenchwoman, the fact of playing her national open is necessarily particular. How would you describe it?

We feel that people are there to see us. I remember a moment, the second day I think, when when I left the recording I was suddenly surrounded by lots of children who said "it's Agathe Sauzon, it's Agathe Sauzon!" It was only my second year in the pros and I don't think I'm that famous… (laughs) It was very cool.

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