The Châteaux Course (Par 71. 6461 metres)
Opened in 1989 in the town of Pian-Médoc, a few kilometres north-west of Bordeaux, Golf du Médoc Resort has quickly established itself as one of the best golf destinations in France. A beautiful hotel with 80 rooms, a spa, reception areas, a golf academy and a fun second course called the Vineyards, this modern resort is first and foremost renowned for its premier golf course. Le Châteaux, a demanding championship course (par 71, 6,574 metres long from the black tees) was created by the American architect Bill Coore and was the scene of South African Retief Goosen’s victory in the Novotel Perrier Open de France in 1999. It was also where the Challenge Tour Grand Final was played between 2001 and 2004, as well as the last 10 editions of the Grand Prix Schweppes PGA. Recently equipped with a state-of-the-art irrigation system, it will offer the LET members one of the best tests of the season.
By MARION RICORDEAU, Ladies European Tour and Symetra Tour player and winner of the Grand Prix Schweppes PGA France at Golf du Médoc in 2014 and 2015.
Hole 1: par 4, 400 metres
An interesting hole, since it creates the ambience for the round! We must think carefully, because the green is undulated and the second shot can be complicated depending on where you have driven the ball. The green is difficult!
Hole 2: par 5, 523 metres
There are bunkers in play everywhere from the get go, depending on the location of the tee-boxes. When the ground is dry, the green can be reached in two, otherwise it is necessary to tap a wedge in with your third shot, which is not simple, because the green is undulated, but it’s good to have a par five right after the difficult first hole, to catch up if we made a mistake.
Hole 3: par 4, 358 metres
The difficulty of this hole is putting the ball in play, since there is a bunker on the left. After that, you have to go for a pretty undulating green, but it does not necessarily have to be a very long shot to hit it, so it’s a great birdie chance here.
Hole 4: par 4, 443 metres
A long par 4 with a bunker along the left. The fairway is not quite flat, so you usually hit your second shot from a downhill lie. The green, while 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 and not take risks.
Hole 5: par 3, 144 metres
A very scenic hole, which can be considered as the signature hole of the course. The whole green is bordered with water on the right, and depending on the location of the tees the water hazard is sometimes at the front, sometimes lateral. The green has several tiers, so we must judge the distance of this shot carefully. Even if you hit a short iron, you want to have a putt for birdie.
Hole 6: par 4, 410 metres
The main difficulty is the kidney bean shaped green, with a big bunker in front and on the right side. When the flag is in the depression on the right, behind the bunker, it’s complicated! It is important to place the ball well on the green.
Hole 7: par 4, 324 metres
You have to play the ball to the left side of the fairway to open the green, but it’s not a very complicated hole, or very long.
Hole 8: par 3, 144 metres
The second par 3, again with water. The sight of the lake is impressive and the green is quite exposed, because there are no trees around. The shot is not very long, but it is also necessary to place the ball well on the green, which has several tiers.
Hole 9: par 4, 433 metres
The hole looks a little narrower than the other holes because of the trees lining the fairway. It is a fairly long hole, with a long green, so you may have to hit a medium or a long iron in. It is not a particularly difficult hole, you just have to know not to be too greedy.
Hole 10: par 5, 463 metres
An interesting dogleg right. If you take the right line from the start, you can give yourself a chance to hit the green in two. If you play to the left, you must be wary of the bunkers, but a birdie is quite possible with a good approach. However, we must aim for the right area on the green, as again, it is severely undulated.
Hole 11: par 4, 350 metres
You need to hit the ball beyond the stream which cuts the fairway in two. Aim for the area a little to the right of the trees, from where you can play a simple second shot in to the green. It’s a hole that’s more visually impressive and looks more difficult than it is.
Hole 12: par 3, 170 metres
The green is a little elevated, so we just see the flag, but not the undulations. It’s quite a long shot, but the green is less defended than the other par 3s. Again, aim for the area on the rigth of the green to have a simple birdie opportunity.
Hole 13: par 4, 414 metres
The first shot is not very complicated, but the approach is a little more tricky because the green is raised and positioned sideways compared to the line of play. That said, if you control the distance well, a birdie can be achieved here.
Hole 14: par 5, 473 metres
Everything depends on the position of the drive and accordingly, 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 we deviate a little we are faced with the many traps that border the green. A spectacular and fun hole to play!
Hole 15: par 4, 385 metres
A dogleg left which is interesting, because although the play is actually quite simple, visually it seems more delicate. The green has a lot of slopes, but overall it’s not too complicated.
Hole 16: par 4, 413 metres
A long hole with an elevated tee. Attacking the green is not very difficult in itself, but as we often have a long iron in our hands and the green is uphill, we must hit a confident shot.
Hole 17: par 3, 217 metres
The longest par 3, which is also the one with the least difficulty around the green. The green is large, with lots of small bumps and hollows, so we can quickly find ourselves 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 of the green without looking for glory.
Hole 18: par 4, 400 metres
The tee shot is quite simple, but the approach to this raised green, positioned across the line of play is quite demanding. Once again, you have to reach the right area on this sloping green. A very beautiful hole to finish!
