Golf Course Architecture - Issue 59, January 2020

ROI SSY- EN- FRANCE In that same valley area of the course, the sixteenth is a downhill par-three, 185 yards from the tips, to an island-like green. Again, it’s much more generous than it looks from the tee. The green, like most at Roissy, is enormous, almost three clubs in distance between from front to back. It should therefore be relatively straightforward, but still very satisfying, to hit. But the sheer size and complex movement of the green means two putts cannot be taken for granted. Niedbala has optimised water management on the course. A network of streams carries run-off from the airport and nearby towns to an organic purification system, where aquatic plants naturally purify the water. Extensive work has been undertaken to improve water quality elsewhere, too. “We naturalised the bed of the stream over a length of about six hundred metres,” said Niedbala. “Concrete that made up the bed and the banks of the stream was removed and recycled. The bed and banks were then reworked to obtain a more natural flow, where natural riverbank vegetation could thrive.” The closing holes for each nine run back uphill to the clubhouse. A stream separates them and both greens rise above a lake in front of the clubhouse. Niedbala says that the Roissy club, which also has substantial indoor and outdoor practice and teaching facilities and a six-hole par-three course at its heart, overlooking the main course, will be crucial for nurturing the next generation of French golfers. Operating firm UGOLF has partnered with pro golfer Jean Van de Velde for the academy facilities, and with the French PGA to bring young pro golfers together for a tournament at the club. The operating license has fixed the price of a round at 40 euros, with children able to play for free. The commune, led by mayor André Toulouse, has also agreed to an initiative that will see thousands of local schoolchildren invited to the course to try out golf. This community outreach extends to non-golfers too, with eight kilometres of public walking paths weaving through and around the course, connecting the villages of Roissy-en- France and Vaudherland and providing locals with the opportunity to walk and cycle through the countryside. A number of decks have been added along one side of the lake that sits between holes two and eight, which will be used for fishing. This embracing approach is essential for public facilities to thrive. GCA The design created by Michel Niedbala, pictured left, incorporates flood protection measures close to the short par-four second hole, above Photos: Gunther Gheeraert “A network of streams carries run-off from the airport and nearby towns to an organic purification system” 71