The Open de France has been played at Le Golf National on 30 occasions since being established in 1906, with each of the most recent 21 runnings held at France’s premier layout.
Racing Club de France La Boulie in Versailles is second on the list overall with 20 while Golf de Saint-Cloud (13) and Golf de Chantilly (11) are the only other venues to have welcomed the national open championship more than 10 times.
However, in 2025, work is taking place near Le Golf National which has caused the layout to shut up shop for around 18 months. Therefore, Golf de Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche will step up to become the first different course since Lyon Golf Club in 2001 to stage the Open de France, doing so for only the fourth time.
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Located 25km west of Paris, Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche is a town which was home to fewer than 5,000 people during the most recent census (2022) and is more commonly known nowadays because of the golf course that was built there.
Below, we’ve listed a handful of facts about the 2025 Open de France host so you can learn more about this hidden gem near Paris.
ESTABLISHED IN THE 1950s
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The site of former rolling farmland was transformed into one of France’s top golf courses in the late 1950s after Daniel Féau bought the land in 1954. He and the town’s mayor took the idea of building a golf course to the council three years later, and the first course at Golf De Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche opened in 1959.
According to the golf club’s website, the location of the practice putting green is where the old courtyard once lay, the chipping green was built on top of former chicken coops and the old draft horse stables were replaced by the caddie-master’s office.
IT (TECHNICALLY) HAS FOUR COURSES
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The first 18-hole layout to open at Golf De Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche was the Rouge (Red) Course, with the Bleu (Blue) Course opening in 1960. The architect of both was Fred Hawtree.
Then, in 1986, a composite course was created via a combination of holes from the Blue Course (seven holes) and the Red Course (11 holes). This is the layout which will be used at the 2025 Open de France.
The fourth and final course at Golf De Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche is the Blanc (White) Course, which is a five-hole pitch-and-putt layout used by members or coaches for lessons.
ATTACHED TO FRENCH GOLFING LEGENDS
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Despite being a tiny town 25km west of Paris and just a stone’s throw north-west of Versailles, Golf De Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche has welcomed a couple of golfing icons as members over the years.
As well as touring professionals such as Marc Pendariès, Marine Monnet and Cassandra Kirkland, Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche is where the enigmatic Victor Dubuisson and the history-making Catherine Lacoste practiced earlier in their careers.
Dubuisson was a two-time DP World Tour winner and a member of Team Europe’s victorious 2014 roster, while Lacoste remains the first and only female amateur to have won the US Women’s Open.
HOSTED THE WORLD CUP
Arnold Palmer (left) and Jack Nicklaus won the Canada Cup at Golf de Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche in 1963
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Not quite as famous as the FIFA World Cup, admittedly, but Golf De Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche has hosted the golfing equivalent, then known as the Canada Cup, when it staged the event back in 1963.
The World Cup was first played in 1953 and last featured in 2018, with the inaugural French hosting occurring as the legendary duo of Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer won the team title while Nicklaus secured the individual prize over 63 holes.
Among the other prestigious tournaments to have been played here have included the Trophée Lancôme (1970 – 2003), the World Amateur Team Championship (2022) and the Seve Trophy (2009, 2011, 2013).
THREE-TIME OPEN DE FRANCE HOST
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Closely linked to the above category, Golf De Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche has hosted the Open de France on three previous occasions – first doing so in 1965. The two subsequent runnings happened in 1969 and 1982.
Spaniard Ramon Sota won in ’65 thanks to an albatross on the Blue Course’s par-5 16th hole before Frenchman, Jean Garaialde tasted success on home soil four years later. In 1982, Seve Ballesteros won the second of his four Open de France trophies by four strokes over Scotland’s Sandy Lyle.
IT ENDS IN AN UNUSUAL WAY
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Very much the exception to the rule as far as golf courses go, and especially those which host professional tournaments, but Golf De Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche’s composite course culminates in a par-3 hole. It’s an awkward length, too, starting at 209 yards (191 meters).
Whoever wishes to close out the tournament on Sunday will have to forget the looming buildings close by as well as the vast greenside bunkers which are waiting to swallow up any mildly wayward tee shots and concentrate on finding the sloping green 200 yards away.
Why Is The French Open Not At Le Golf National In 2025?
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Following a year where Le Golf National’s L’Albatross Course hosted the men’s and women’s Olympic golf tournament as well as the Open de France, it closed for roughly 18 months in October 2024.
The course itself will remain untouched, although the ground staff will continue to maintain the layout to its incredible standard, but work is being carried out nearby so that a route on the new Greater Paris Underground can be built.
As a result, the Albatross Course joined the French Golf Federation’s Performance Centre and Elite Short-Game Area in shutting for more than a year. It is planned to reopen next summer, with a provisional date of July 1, 2026.
But, for now, the nearby Golf De Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche will host the 2025 Open de France with a view to handing the reigns back over this time next year.
