The landscape of golf has changed since the 2018 Ryder Cup. The host venue for Europe’s rout of the Americans, Le Golf National, returns to the spotlight again as the host of the 2024 Olympics for the men’s and women’s competitions—and the course will play differently than the last time most American golf fans saw it.
None of the four Americans representing the U.S. at this Olympics, the third edition since the 112-year hiatus from the Olympic Games, were on that Ryder Cup team—but they will face a different type of setup than what the world saw in 2018 at Le Golf National, outside of Paris.
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The setup for that 2018 Ryder Cup was one of the biggest storylines in the European rout—Phil Mickelson calling the 15- to 20-yard wide fairways and thick rough off the short grass “almost unplayable.” We spoke with Le Golf National superintendent Lucas Pierre, who explained that the first cut of rough (2.5 inches) and second cut (3.5 inches) that was eliminated back in 2018 at European captain Thomas Bjorn’s choosing has been re-implemented for these games.
Over four-inch rough posed quite the challenge for the Americans in 2018 after Davis Love III had set up Hazeltine National to include almost no rough for the 2016 Ryder Cup.
David Cannon
Pierre reassures American fears by confirming that the Olympic course will return to its original rough levels that Bjorn had eliminated, utilizing three gradual cuts of rough instead of maintaining a single level. Though the width of the fairways haven't changed, the effective landing areas will be more forgiving with the first cut back.
“For the Ryder Cup, the course was very narrow with the natural rough much closer to the fairway,” Pierre told Golf Digest. “It will be opened a bit more for the Olympics.”
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Pierre and International Golf Federation executive director Antony Scanlon explained that there will be minimal changes to the course’s length except for moving the women's tees closer on holes 9 and 16 to better differentiate landing areas for men and women. Pierre emphasizes the importance of landing areas to ensure both tournaments have equal landing conditions.
“Because they don't play from the same tees the landing area will hopefully differ,” Pierre said. “There are some holes the players will have the same landing area, but people must understand we only have 60 men then 60 women, a field of 120 people. When we have the French Open sometimes, we have a field of 160 guys at once, so trust me, 160 guys, make more of a mess than 60 men. So, managing the course for both men and women is feasible.”
Thomas Samson
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Le Golf National: Albatros
Guyancourt, France
The championship 18 at the multi-course Le Golf National may well be an albatross around the necks of 2018 American Ryder Cup teammates, given their lopsided loss to the Europeans. But they couldn’t blame the Albatros Course, a Florida-style design of the late Robert von Hagge, who delighted in sculpting courses with massive humps and bumps that cast shadows at high noon and carving out water hazards at every turn. What the European team had going for it was familiarity with the design, as it has hosted the European Tour’s French Open for decades. In advance of the Ryder Cup, French officials insisted that sole design credit should be given to French landscape architect Hubert Chesneau (who was a consultant on the project), but that was soon debunked, as von Hagge’s style is clearly evident. Le Golf National will host the 2024 Olympics for both the men's and women's competitions.
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From 2014-2018 the course underwent a significant top-dressing program (application of sand to improve soil structure and drainage). After hosting the Ryder Cup in 2018, there was a decision to reduce the amount of sand and aeration on the course. This reduction led to an increase in organic matter content in the top inch of the soil. The increase in organic matter caused issues, particularly creating greens that were too soft for tournament play.
Starting in fall 2023 and continuing into spring 2024, efforts were made to reduce the organic matter content back to a low level for Olympic play. Pierre explained this involved extensive work to remove organic matter from the top inch of the soil such as more frequent aeration.
“We used to conduct aerations twice a year. However, the International Golf Federation and Le Golf National asked me to reduce maintenance costs by removing one of our annual aerations," he said. "As a result, from 2018 to 2022, we started to lose firmness on the greens. Last year, they requested that we return to our original aeration frequency. Now, we are back to a good moisture level and organic matter balance on the top inch."
Fans can expect an Olympic-quality product at Le Golf National over the next few weeks. (The men's competition is Aug. 1-4, the women's competition is Aug. 7-10.) Depsite some changes, five members of the victorious European Ryder Cup team will compete at the French venue. While the setup may differ, the vibes will undoubtedly still be strong for that group and those who have played the course in past DP World Tour events.
