Golf National Albatros

The verdict

The Albatros was built to host golf at the highest level and has never pretended otherwise. Hubert Chesneau, with the American architect Robert von Hagge, shaped it from flat farmland near Versailles into a true stadium course, opened in 1990, moving vast amounts of earth to create the mounding, water and amphitheater greens that let tens of thousands of spectators watch. The result is a par 72 of about 7,331 yards that has defined French championship golf ever since.

It is best known for its finish, where water guards the 15th through 18th and the closing holes reward only the brave, the stretch that decided the 2018 Ryder Cup in Europe's favor and framed the 2024 Olympic golf. A redesign tied to the new Paris Metro line closed it in late 2024, with reopening set for September 2026, after which it returns as the centerpiece of a golf trip to Paris. See our best of France ranking and the golf in France guide.

The holes worth the trip

The Albatros is a tale of two halves of intensity. The earlier holes wind through subtler mounding, with bunkering and angled greens that ask for position, building the round without giving away the drama to come. It is a course that demands accuracy off the tee, the rough thick and the run offs severe around the greens.

Then comes the finish that made its name. The lake down the left of the par 4 18th, the island like green at the par 3 16th and the risk and reward water all along the closing stretch turn the last few holes into the amphitheater the design was built for. It is where matches turn, and standing on those tees as a visitor, with the grandstand ghosts of the Ryder Cup around you, is the reason golfers come.

The September 2026 redesign reworks several holes, including the 4th, 5th and 6th, and reshapes greens and lake edges on the famous water holes, while a turf conversion modernizes the playing surfaces. The bones of the great stadium test remain; the detail is being sharpened for the next generation of championships.

Where to stay nearby

The on site Novotel at Le Golf National puts you steps from the first tee, the natural choice for golfers who want to play the Albatros and the Aigle over a couple of days. Beyond the resort, Versailles and its palace are minutes away, and central Paris is an easy train or drive for a city and golf break.

For a fuller Paris golf trip, pair the Albatros with the resort's Aigle course alongside it and the classic clubs west of the city. See more in our golf in France guide and the best courses in France ranking.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Versailles and Paris.