Le Golf National Aigle

The verdict

Every great championship venue needs a second course, and at Le Golf National the Aigle is far more than a warm up. Hubert Chesneau, the architect who shaped the whole resort from flat farmland near Versailles, opened it in 1990 alongside the Albatros, and gave it the same vocabulary of water, mounding and bold green sites in a friendlier register. A par 71 of about 6,224 yards, it rewards the visitor who wants a real test without the brutality of its neighbor.

It matters more than ever in 2026. With the Albatros closed for its redesign until September, the Aigle is the course that keeps Le Golf National open to traveling golfers, and it stands up to the attention. Water threatens on roughly half the holes, the bunkering is clever rather than punishing, and the closing stretch has its own quiet drama. For a Paris golf break it pairs naturally with the classic clubs west of the city. See our best of France ranking and the golf in France guide.

The holes worth the trip

The Aigle opens gently, winding through low mounding that asks for position more than power, the wide fairways letting you find a rhythm before the water starts to bite. Chesneau routed it so the challenge builds, the angled greens and run offs around them rewarding the player who thinks a shot ahead rather than the one who simply hits it far.

The middle and closing holes are where it earns its keep. Lakes edge several greens, forcing real decisions on the approach, and the par 3s ask for a committed strike over water to firm targets. It never reaches the amphitheater intensity of the Albatros, and that is the point. The Aigle is the course a visiting group can enjoy and score on, while still feeling they have played a course built for the highest level.

Played off the right tees it is a fair, varied and genuinely pleasurable round, the kind of layout that flatters good golf and punishes only the careless. For most traveling golfers it is the smarter half of a day at Le Golf National, and through 2026 it is the only half on offer.

Where to stay nearby

The on site Novotel at Le Golf National is the obvious base, steps from the first tee and built for golfers who want to play the Aigle now and add the Albatros when it returns. 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 Aigle with the classic clubs west of the city such as Saint Nom la Breteche and Saint Cloud. See more in our golf in France guide.

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