David J Russell has provided an exclusive hole by hole guide of Le Château course at Terre Blanche Hotel Spa Golf Resort in the south of France where he will be bidding to regain the French Riviera Masters title on the European Senior Tour this week.
Russell, the Chairman of the European Senior Tour Board of Directors, won the title in 2012 with scores of 69, 74 and a superb eight-birdie closing 65.
OVERVIEW - “Le Château is a particularly demanding golf course, especially off the tee. You need to drive well to position the ball in the right places on the fairways to have control of the ball hitting into the greens. It’s a beautiful, undulating course with the strongest collection of par threes you are ever likely to come across – each of them gets your attention.”
HOLE 1 – Par 5 (488 metres; 534 yards):"An excellent opening hole for any course. The drive needs to be aimed towards the bunker on the left – it is challenging to try and fly the big tree that stands guard by the bunker on the right - and from there the green is in range with a good second. It’s a generous green – 40 yards deep - although be aware of the bunker 30 yards short which offers additional protection."
HOLE 2 – Par 3 (167 metres; 183 yards):"The first of four unbelievably good par threes – and this is the most difficult! It plays uphill so I do think about hitting one or one and half clubs more and getting a good strike to keep the ball in the air. It is also a visually spectacular hole. However, even if the Mediterranean rock creek front and left is lovely to look at, you don’t want your ball to go anywhere near it so best to favour the right of a green which is smaller than most on this course."
HOLE 3 – Par 4 (427 metres; 467 yards):"First and foremost it is vital not to be mesmerised by the incredible view of the town of Fayence framed by the forest and the mountains beyond. This is the most difficult hole on the course and it requires your complete attention. I look for a very good tee shot to flirt with the trees on the left to find a relatively narrow – 28 yards – landing area with a bunker to the right because if you don’t quite catch it then you could be hitting a wood for your second. It’s certainly a long iron for the approach to a huge green - 36 yards deep and 16 yards across – fronted by bunkers left and right."
HOLE 4 – Par 4 (398 metres; 435 yards):"Another breath-taking view although once again concentration is the key. The massive bunker to the right might not be visible from the back tee but I do try to get my drive as close to the bunker as possible – without being in the sand! – and then go in with a seven or eight iron so taking the bunkers right and short of the green out of play. You’ve got to hit a very errant second to find the water further right but even when on the green the challenge is far from over with three criss-cross tiers which apply pressure on your putting."
HOLE 5 – Par 4 (377 metres; 412 yards):"A picturesque drive over the water in front of the tee which I aim to hug the trees on the right as the fairway bunkers left are best avoided with a group of trees also blocking the route from the sand to the green. Then it’s a short iron but it’s another one of those big greens – 31 yards deep and 26 yards wide - which sometimes finds you out because you can hit what you think is a good shot and finish 15 yards or more from the pin. This is a hole where it is imperative to keep an eye on your distance control."
HOLE 6 – Par 5 (492 metres; 538 yards):"There is a catalogue of decisions to make because this is a brilliant hole offering numerous options. There is a wonderful view behind the green of Le Château – which gives the course its name – and the first decision is to be brave with the drive and get as close as possible to the lake on the right. If the breeze is against this might not be possible as the bunker on the right needs to be avoided to get the ball to the lower level of the fairway from where it is a shorter distance to the green. From there I look at the opportunity of going for the generous green in two but if not then it’s most probably a lay-up with another tough decision on whether to go right or left – because neither one is a given!"
HOLE 7 – Par 3 (147 metres; 161 yards): "A gorgeous hole played uphill demanding a very accurate tee shot. It’s probably only a seven or eight iron but miss the green to the left where there is a line of trees and beyond which the land falls away steeply then you might not find a way back! So I would favour the right although with a touch of caution as there is a tricky little bunker back right. What’s more the green is a demon with the prospect of a pretty horrific sideways, downhill putt that can easily make a fool of you."
HOLE 8 – Par 4 (357 metres; 390 yards):"This can offer the prospect of a birdie but to do that you probably need to strike a good tee shot to carry the left hand bunker to increase the prospect of a three. The safe route is down the right as the hole dog-legs left. From short of the creek I look to play a positive second – maybe favouring one club more - from what can sometimes appear an awkward angle into a massive green made all the trickier by a small top tier."
HOLE 9 – Par 4 (367 metres; 401 yards):"There is a small bunker then a larger one further on down the right side of the fairway and both must be avoided. A hole where I usually leave the driver in the bag and take a three wood although it does mean that being further from the green only half the flag is visible for the approach. That approach can also be eventful because it’s a big, long green – 36 yards deep – encircled by trees so once again distance control is the key."
HOLE 10 – Par 4 (398 metres; 435 yards): "My preference is to hit an iron close to the lake on the right and short of the bunkers with the alternative route being to go with a driver down the left although there is a bunker there if you are slightly off-line. This is all about positioning the ball because the second shot is the key as it’s a very deceptive green which makes it that more difficult to get close to the flag."
HOLE 11 – Par 5 (463 metres; 506 yards):"A slight contradiction, maybe, but because it is a fairly easy hole to play safe I tend to attack it! The downhill tee shot is really challenging because you need to slide it a touch to avoid not only the rock creek/ravine but also to get it around the bunker and far enough down to make the second shot very much easier. Nevertheless, it is a drive fraught with danger and laying up short of the bunker is the other option although the second shot could be more than 80 yards longer to a tricky green. I do see it as one of those holes where you can transform your round because it does offer an eagle chance. I am very disappointed if I don’t walk off with a birdie."
HOLE 12 – Par 4 (343 metres; 375 yards):"Another hole where you’ve either got to take it on or hit an iron off the tee. Take an iron and that will leave a second shot with most probably an eight iron from where you cannot really see the flag. Go with the driver, get to within 50 yards of the green and it’s a relatively easy chip. Once again, however, it’s a big green – much wider than it is deeper – with two bunkers short and left and another to the right and which falls off quite sharply at the front so I always guard against getting too cute with the chip."
HOLE 13 – Par 3 (181 metres; 199 yards):"You need to have your wits about you here because depending on the wind and the conditions this could be a wood and most certainly it’s a long iron. To the left there is out of bounds and deep bunkers, which get your attention, and trees frame the hole on the right. A marvellous hole and one where I am mighty glad to hit the middle of the green and get out of there with a par."
HOLE 14 – Par 5 (499 metres; 546 yards):"Out of bounds hugs the left hand side all the way down this hole. If they play the tee up then you can have a go to reach the green in two but from the back tee it is very much a three shot hole. What’s more you have to be quite brave with the second shot to position the ball short of the creek, and also missing the bunker on the right, so what is left is a more straight-forward pitch which is all about distance control to the green. It’s another beautiful hole, with a handsome rock feature beyond the green... but danger lurks everywhere right down to the bunker back left which if you are unfortunate to find will leave you with an interesting recovery!"
HOLE 15 – Par 4 (359 metres; 393 yards):"Decision time again, which says so much for the course, as on the tee, with the views of the mountains, the option is whether or not to go into attack mode in the knowledge that the hole dog-legs quite sharply to the left. The safe shot is down the right side but that will most probably leave a longer iron whereas with a good drive then it might only be a wedge. This hole has the most difficult green on the course – 45 yards long, 12 yards wide and tilting – and I assure you that you have your work cut out two putting from 30 feet so best to hit it closer than that!"
HOLE 16 – Par 3 (143 metres; 156 yards):"In a way I suppose it is the same sort of challenge as the 17th hole at Sawgrass in the respect that although it’s not surrounded by water it is still a green that you cannot afford to miss – anywhere! There are hazards all the way around the putting surface – ravines, trees, bunkers and goodness knows what else - and it all adds up to a fantastic hole which completes this wonderful collection of par threes. It really does get your attention even though it is normally only a seven iron downhill to an undulating green."
HOLE 17 – Par 4 (380 metres; 416 yards):"If you make a four here then you have made a shot on the field. The tee shot is so difficult with the hole rising away from you. The way the hole is bunkered you cannot afford to deviate from the straight and narrow – you must hit it down the middle of the fairway. That done then it’s a medium iron into a big double-tier green with bunkers guarding the front."
HOLE 18 – Par 4 (373 metres; 408 yards): "Another challenging drive! You don’t want to miss right. You most certainly cannot miss left. Even then a nice, straight drive will usually leave the ball above your feet for the second so, as the green favours a cut shot, that makes it really tough for the right hander. This is one of the most examining iron shots on the course – and the last one! You want to fade it, and you just know that you might pull it left where there is a cluster of bunkers and the land falls sharply away. It’s a stunning looking hole to finish the round and the large rock wall guarding the right side of another huge green - 37 yards deep - only adds to the beauty in addition to the challenge."
