The Olympic Games – Amateurs at Le Golf National

2 August 2024

The Olympic Games 2024 in Paris are well and truly underway and we have looked at some on course data for Le Golf National to see what the competitors are up against.

This is not the first time Le Golf National has hosted a large golfing event, having hosted the 2018 Ryder Cup where Team Europe retained the Ryder Cup with a final result of 17.5-10.5.

Outwith hosting the Ryder Cup, Le Golf National has hosted the Frnehc open for the last 22yrs allowing for some comparison to how the pros play the course.

Two holes that could be the difference come the fourth round down the stretch

En route to the gold medal players will have to navigate two of the hardest holes on the course down the stretch, the 17th and 18th.

At last year’s French Open, the 17th measured at 480yds and played 0.16 strokes over par making it the fifth hardest hole of the week.

Despite water being a common feature over the course of the 18 holes, there is no water, or bunkers, on the 17th hole – how can it be so difficulty? 

Players must find a narrow strip of fairway from the tee box, Shot Scope users who have played the course miss this fairway nearly 60% of the time, making it one of the hardest to find. Should you find the short stuff, the undulations and mounds that sprawl across the hole can leave players with an awkward lie making the second shot equally difficult.

This potentially awkard stance combined with a long second shot and runoff areas that protect the green make finding it challenging. Our users record an incredibly low 7% GIR (Green in Regulation), on the 17th making it the hardest green to find on the course.

Upon missing the green on the 17th, which is more than likely for the amateur golfer, they typically fail to get up and down 82% of the time, highlighting just how difficult the hole is.

All of this combined with players typically two putting on the green results in the hole playing an eye-watering +1.33 over par for the amateur golfer.

In fairness to the club golfer, at the French Open, the field recorded 75 bogeys and 11 doubles or worse, by no means easy.

The 18th hole, the final hurdle

Lastly, the 18th hole, the sixth hardest hole at the 2023 French Open, is the final hurdle players must navigate to be crowned Olympic Champion. The field recorded 106 bogeys and 53 doubles or worse – it isn’t over until it’s over!

For the amateur golfer, this is the hardest hole on the course, playing an incredible 1.37 strokes over par, when played as a par 4. If you have a tendency to miss left then be sure to stock up on some balls as water lines the left side of the hole before framing the green with a picturesque island finish.

Depending on the tee box selection, let’s use the whites for this example, a 260yds drive will leave roughly 190yds for the second shot which is entirely over if you go for the green. Depending on tee selection, the hole can be a par 5, so playing it as a ‘three shotter’ is not necessarily a bad thing.

From 190yds, the chances of the amateur golfer hitting the green, from this dataset, is just over 10% (14.6 handicap). So basically, there is a 90% chance they hit it in the water and a 100% chance of a bad time if they do!

If you find yourself thinking about whether to layup or go for it, Shot Scope GPS watches will help you make the correct decision with front and carry distance to every hazard on the course.

Players going for the green should avoid missing to the right as the water wraps around this side of the green whereas there is some margin for error on the left. In terms of getting up and down, from all lie types, players have around a 1 in 4 chance.

Shot Scope performance tracking users can apply their on course data to the Albatross Course at Le Golf National and see exactly how they would perform at the Olympic Games venue with MyStrategy. 

With various methods of performance tracking to choose from including GPS watches, a laser rangefinder, and mobile enabled tracking tags, there is an option to suit every golfer – start tracking now and save 4.1 strokes with Shot Scope. 

Who do you think will take the gold in Paris?

After day one, Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama was top of the leaderboard but in the early stages of day two, the Champion Golfer of the Year, Xander Schauffele has made a charge and is right up there – not coming as much of a surprise to anyone.

The women’s golf commences on August 7th.

Professional data taken from europeantour.com/dpworld-tour

_{Featured / cover image: “London 2012 Olympic Games” by amsr_photography is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse.}