The home of the 2018 Ryder Cup, France’s stunning Le Golf National, is the newest member of the flourishing World of Leading Golf (WLG), a member association dedicated to maintaining the highest levels of quality.
The club’s outstanding L’Albatros course will play host to the biennial team event in September 2018 and is regarded as one of the finest championship courses in Europe. On the outskirts of Versailles, near Paris, Le Golf National – previously home of the Alstom Open de France – will become only the second continental venue, after Valderrama, to welcome the contest, worldwide TV’s third biggest sporting event after the Olympics and FIFA World Cup.
It also features a second 18-hole layout, L’Aigle, a less-testing, but still enjoyable, sister course to L’Albatros.
Le Golf National is just one of several members of the group to have hosted European Tour events and Claus Feldt, WLG’s general manager, said: “To have the next European Ryder Cup venue join as a member of World of Leading Golf illustrates perfectly, I feel, the standards to which the association is dedicated to attain.
“Many clubs have contacted us to seek membership but it is our ethos that only those committed to maintaining the highest standards – standards we confirm ourselves by means of mystery shopper testing – are permitted entry. So we are delighted to be able to welcome Le Golf National and hope the club and association enjoy a long and mutually beneficial relationship.”
The idea of a Leading Golf Courses association in individual countries was born some years ago, and the creation of a European ‘umbrella’ association was a natural, organic progression. It established itself as the leading European quality certification group, providing travelling golfers in Europe with peace of mind and a stamp of quality assurance.
Now branded as WLG, the association focuses on marketing and communication platforms for certified premium clubs in order to promote awareness throughout Europe. Print and on-line publications – such as the new WLG guide and regular newsletters – serve as reference guides for the demanding golfer, while ‘members only’ travel offers and other advantages help deepen the relationship between the designated golfers and WLG member clubs.
Le Golf National www.golf-national.com