Three Holes That Will Decide Who Wins Gold at the Olympic Games

We asked the team at Shot Scope to pull on-course data from their database of 350 million shots for Le Golf National, the venue for golf at the Olympic Games, to see how the amateur golfer plays the course.

Le Golf National is no stranger to hosting big events. The 2018 Ryder Cup took place on the Albatross Course where Team Europe was victorious.

Ryder Cup 2018 – Grand Stand” by Cutkiller2018 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/?ref=openverse.

The French Open has been held at Le Golf National (on and off) since 199 but has been there every year since 2002 so we can see how the pros play the course compared to amateurs.

Three holes that will cause drama – 4, 17, 18

Despite many holes having some form of water feature, one of the hardest holes on the Albatross course does not have any.

The fourth hole, a long par-4, measuring at 486 yards in the 2023 French Open, played 0.17 strokes over par, making it the fourth-hardest hole of the week.

For the amateur, despite the tee shot being somewhat narrow, finding the short stuff does not present too many issues with an average fairways in regulation (FIR) percentage of of 57. However, the second shot is where the real trouble begins as the green is protected by several bunkers and undulations, resulting in just a greens in regulation (GIR) percentage of just 11.

From the fairway, players have a 22 percent chance of getting up and down: between a 1-in-4 and 1-in-5 chance. From the rough, golfers have a 1-in-4 chance of converting their up-and-down opportunity (26 percent). From the database, those with the misfortune of finding the sand have almost all failed to get up and down with fewer than one percent of golfers converting from the sand – amateur golfers, that is.

Once safely on the green, players typically get down in two. However, depending on where the pin is located in relation to your ball, there is some undulation to navigate so it is by no means an easy two-putt. In fact, if you get down in two, you should be happy.

No. 17

The 17th hole at Le Golf National is another long par 4, measuring 480 yards. In the ’23 French Open, it played 0.16 strokes over par making it the fifth hardest hole of the week.

The hole features no water or bunkers so why is it so difficult?

The narrow fairway is tough to find, with only 44 percent of players finding it of the tee. Should you avoid the rough off the tee, you can still be punished with an awkward lie with mounds peppered along the fairway and rough.

Only seven percent of golfers found the relatively small green in regulation due to the combination of a long second shot, awkward lies and runoff areas that protect the fairly small green. Players missing the green fail to get up and down 82 percent of the time. 

Players typically take two putts on the 17th so, when they walk off the green, it’s no surprise that the average score is well above par at +1.33 for the amateur golfer.

At last year’s French Open, the field recorded 75 bogeys and 11 doubles or worse. It’s tough for the pros, too!

No. 18

The closing hole, where three players will cement their place in history as Olympic medalists, is the hardest hole on the course.

Playing 471 yards and with a scoring average 0.47 over par at last year’s French Open, the field recorded 106 bogeys and 53 doubles or worse. For our Olympians, it isn’t over until it’s over as shots are easily dropped here.

For the amateur golfer, the hole plays an incredible 1.37 strokes over par when played as a par-4, the highest of any hole on the course.

If you have a tendency to miss left, be sure to get your drop technique perfected as water runs adjacent to the fairway up the entire left side and protects the front of the green.

Depending on the tee box you choose to play from (let’s use the whites for the example), a 260-yard drive will leave you with roughly 190 yards for the second shot, entirely over water. There is always the option to lay up and try to put a wedge close (the hole can be a par-5 depending on tee selection).

The dataset for the amateur golfers in this blog is based on a 14.6 index golfer. From this distance, their likelihood of hitting the green is 11 percent so, basically, there’s a 90 percent chance they put it in the water and a 100 percent chance of a bad time.

Shot Scope GPS watches give players distances to the front and carry of every hazard helping golfers pick the correct club with confidence every time.

If going for the green, the best miss is left as there is nowhere to go right unless you miss mega right and then have to play over the water. In terms of getting up and down, across all lie types, players have a 1-in-4 chance.

The average number of putts taken is slightly lower on 18 at 1.89, potentially as a result of players laying up and hitting a wedge on. By laying up, players would likely have a closer first putt than when they go for it in two, making it easier to get down in two.

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 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?

Professional data taken from europeantour.com/dpworld-tour

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