Discovery of the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, host of the 2023 Ryder Cup – Golf Planète

Expected to be the greatest golfing moment of 2023, the Ryder Cup will take place in Italy in the heart of autumn (September 29 – October 1) on the course of the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club which we had the pleasure of discover at the end of 2022. Guided tour…

After France in 2018, Italy will host the Ryder Cup in continental Europe in 2023. The Roman course of the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club has been chosen to be the scene of the biggest golf competition in the world, which pits Europe and the United States against each other alternately every two years. Discovery of a remodeled layout which still has to adapt to meet the demanding standards of the Ryder Cup, with the complicity of Jean-Baptiste Gonnetformer player of the DP World Tour who played the last two editions of the Italian Open on this Roman track and recently propelled pro at the Old Course golf course in Cannes-Mandelieu since the beginning of 2023…

Opened in 1989, it was in 2015 that the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club is nominated to host the 2022 Ryder Cup, finally played in 2023 following the postponement of the 2020 edition to 2021, due to covid-19. The Roman layout was given a facelift between 2018 and 2021, under the leadership of Tom Faziothe son of the original architect Jim Fazio, shortly after the death of the owner of the premises and queen of cashmere, Laura Biagiotti, whose inheritance is now ensured by her daughter Lavinia. The baptism of the Italian Open 2021 proved that the course was ready to host the Ryder Cup, while pointing out some details still to be finalized in terms of infrastructure after the 2022 edition.This is a course that has been redesigned for the Ryder Cupexplained Jean-Baptiste Gonnetformer DP World Tour player for ten years. Spectators will be able to benefit from numerous mounds along the fairways to follow the matches with raised tees and lower fairways. The route can also be very different depending on its preparation. In 2022 it was already more difficult than in 2021 with thicker roughs and narrower fairways. It is varied, it offers several game options and it can be very different depending on how it is prepared.»

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— Ryder Cup USA (@RyderCupUSA) January 23, 2023

A redesigned route for a spectacular Ryder Cup

The Marco Simone Golf & Country Club has undergone many transformations in recent years, particularly in terms of departures. The par 4 of hole number 11 will thus be attackable in 1 by the bombers of the circuit and perhaps also that of 16, even if it will be necessary to be particularly reckless to brave the water obstacles of this small par 4 of barely more than 300 meters. American long hitters could have an advantage on these few holes, even if some of the most reputable ones are entangled with physical glitches (Bryson DeChambeau) or simply dissidents on the LIV circuit (Brooks Koepka et Dustin Johnson notably).

After a delicate start on the first three holes, it will especially be necessary to tighten the game during the difficult sequence from 7 to 15, where the difference is often made in match play. The fairway bunkers are not very numerous, but always well placed so as to offer you the possibility of attacking the doglegs by going over them or to play it safe by staying short of its welcoming bunkers. “There are very challenging holes like 2 or 3 where you can try to cut the doglegs, continued the author of an incredible comeback in 2019 after two years of pre-retirement. But the rough or the bunkers can quickly be penalizing depending on the setup. For example, I often had to stay short of the fairway bunkers, while Rory McIlroy could pass over consistently. There are therefore several possible strategies, in particular according to his individual possibilities…»

The first encounter with a water hazard will take place at hole number 5, which will have to be played completely differently depending on the wind. If the very difficult par 5 of hole number 8 remains in par 4 as during the Italian Open, it could be one of the justices of the peace of the layout. There would only be three par 5s in this case. Three real opportunities for birdies and attack!

The par 3s are all difficult and the birdie remains a feat. If this is a little less true for 13, it is especially so for 17, which could well seal many matches. This hole number 17 is particularly awaited since its elevated departure allows to see the dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. The greens are very often hilly. It will therefore be necessary to putt well… but it is always the case in golf! “The greens are hilly, especially the first ones, recalled Jean-Baptiste Gonnet. And if the greens are fast, the balls can quickly escape depending on the positions of the flags. It can undermine a player’s morale from the start… »

One hundred hectares to accommodate a large audience

With an 18-hole course spread over 100 hectares (the Golf National offers 140 hectares for 45 holes) the site offers many spaces for hospitality tents, such as between 6 and 8 or between 1 and 18 where the places will be expensive! And the clubhouse is large enough to handle the influx of the public (there were 250,000 spectators during the week in 2018). But there are undeniable efforts to be made, especially in terms of the immediate surroundings of the golf course which are not yet at the level of a Ryder Cup, in particular the undersized access roads, the public transport still in question or hotels again. The Italian Open 2022 was a success, but the Ryder Cup is a much bigger challenge for the organisers.

On the other hand, we can be reassured about the maintenance of the course since it is lara ariasthe companion of Alexander Reyes, greenkeeper of Le Golf National during the 2018 Ryder Cup, who is at the helm! The very competent superintendent of the Roman course can thus benefit from the experience of her companion to concoct a quality course… certainly cut out for Europeans.

So near, so far from Rome…

To get to the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, you have to end up on a narrow country road until you reach the equally narrow double entrance gates. Allow half an hour from Rome city center or from Ciampino International Airport. Fiumicino’s main airport is just under an hour away. The Port of Civitavecchia, where the Costa Cruises liners, main sponsor of the 44th Ryder Cup, dock, is almost an hour and a half. “The course is not far from Rome, but with the traffic, it can get complicated, especially if there is only the small road to access the golf course, concluded Jean-Baptiste Gonnet. But there must be another access or they may make some adjustments… »

If Jean-Baptiste Gonnet has no chance of participating in this Ryder Cup, since he officially decided at the age of 40 to stop (again) his career, this time definitively (a priori), we still hope have a Frenchman at the start in Italy and why not Victor Perezthird in the Italian Open 2022 and winner of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Champions. The Italian Open 2023 in the spring will in any case be a last opportunity to gauge yourself on this course which should live up to expectations for such an event.