As golf returns to the Olympic Games for the third time since a 112-year hiatus, 120 players are gearing up for a crack at landing a gold medal at Le Golf National.
The Olympic course – named L’Albatros – is located in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, 25 miles (41km) from the Olympic Village in Paris, and has hosted many prestigious golf tournaments since it opened in 1991, including the DP World Tour’s annual Open de France.
Meanwhile, it also welcomed the 2018 Ryder Cup – won by Team Europe – following its renovation in 2016.
And from August 1-4, plus 7-10, Le Golf National will stage the Olympic golf events as eight of the top-10 male players and 17 of the top-20 female competitors do battle in four days of stroke play.
The national training facility for the French Golf Federation was built to be a natural amphitheater, with each hole surrounded by mounds and hills which aid the viewing experience for fans.
The ninth hole of L’Albatross at Le Golf National in France
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The 2018 Ryder Cup in particular was said to have generated a raucous atmosphere throughout as Team Europe dominated 17.5-10.5 in the biennial contest. 270,000 people crammed in back then, but there will be far fewer spectators in attendance for August’s individual tournaments – despite a sell-out being expected by organizers.
Paris 2024 has allotted 30,000 tickets per day for both competitions, putting it in the lower half in relation to attendance figures at the four men’s Majors and likely out in front when it comes to the five women’s versions.
While Le Golf National’s natural landscape limits the need for grandstands, there will be one around the 18th green which has a seating capacity of 1,700.
Otherwise, the number of people out watching on course each day will outweigh that of The Masters – which sees a reported 90,000 total patrons flood through the gates all week at Augusta National.
The Open Championship is thought to be the highest-attended of all the men’s Majors as it has regularly welcomed more than 250,000 fans in recent years, while the US Open saw an estimated 225,000 and the PGA Championship somewhere in the region of 200,000 during 2024.
Justin Rose celebrates a putt in front of the grandstands at Royal Troon 2024
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Exact attendance figures are…
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