Feel The Thrill Of A French Ryder Cup

A Ryder Cup on the Continent is a rare thing. The last time the United States and Europe tussled on European soil was in 1997 at Valderrama Golf Club in Spain. That edition was a nail-biter, with the home team narrowly coming through by a margin of 14½ to 13½. Next year, however, the event will return to Europe once again: the Albatros Course of Le Golf National in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines will serve as the venue from 28 to 30 September.

To make the most of the upcoming Ryder Cup, 2018 will see European Waterways offering golf fans and Francophiles alike a wonderful opportunity: a chartered golf cruise through France and the chance to be at Le Golf National to watch the world’s best competing for the game’s most coveted trophy. Here’s hoping that the 42nd Ryder Cup will be just as exciting and dramatic the one in 1997!

Enhance your Game on the Renaissance

Whether you choose to embark before the tournament begins to get you in the mood or decide to join a charter after the final putt is made, the hotel barge Renaissance will make sure you have many opportunities to hone your own game. As Renaissance wends its way along the Loire, it will stop at a number of quintessentially Gallic courses, such as at Château Cely and Fontainebleau.

The Ryder Cup is always a special event, but we think that next year’s is going to be a particularly exceptional one. 2018 is going to be the year when our dedicated European golf cruise truly comes into its own.

Home Soil – A Home Win?

To get your appetite whetted in advance, here’s a preview of the Ryder Cup 2018. Having comfortably beaten the European contingent with 17 points to 11 at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota in 2016, the Americans, led by Jim Furyk, will be hoping to retain the Cup for the first time since 1993. Under the captaincy of Danish golfer Thomas Bjørn, Europe will hope that playing on home soil and the backing of the crowd will spur them on to wrest back the Cup.

As for the venue, the 18-hole L’Albatros is certainly a course befitting of such an illustrious competition. British golfer Lee Westwood encapsulated the thoughts of many of his fellow players when stating that it is his “favourite course in Europe” and that it “would make a great Ryder Cup venue”. Finished in 1990, it has acquired something of a reputation for its final 4 holes. The various water challenges to be found here are sure to test the mettle of players from both sides throughout the Ryder Cup – 2018 could see a real classic. There’ll be no such challenges for spectators, though, as L’Albatros is widely considered to provide one of the best viewing experiences in the world.

Paul Newman is the Marketing and E-Systems Executive for European Waterways, the UK's most respected provider of all-inclusive, luxury barge holidays, which can be booked to coincide with unmissable sporting events such as the Ryder Cup 2018 or the tennis French Open. Part of a team of experienced barging aficionados, Paul is first in line to endorse the perks of a slow-paced barge cruise to anyone looking for a unique holiday experience.