Playing golf the French way - how competitions work from the perspective of a British immigrant

Four years ago I moved home from the UK to France. As a keen golfer and newly retired I was keen to live near a good golf club with a course that I would enjoy and be able to play as I grew older and a club where I could make friends. Fortunately, I found both with Granville Golf Club in Normandy. A classic links course originally designed by Harry Colt. I have made lots of friends and am now chair of the greens committee or, as we say in French, President de la Commission du Terrain. Golf in France differs from golf in the UK in so many ways. Changing shoes in the car park and allowing freedom of attire in the clubhouse and open access for all are some of the obvious ones that any British golfer will see whilst on a golf break. The organisational basis of golf in France is something that only those who play competitive golf regularly will encounter and appreciate the value of. Club competitions in France are open so you can sign up on the notices in the clubhouse or phone in to enter - usually up to the day before play. This works partly because club memberships are not usually so big that all places are taken by members but is also facilitated by the national handicap system administered by the French Golf Federation (FFG) - check their website at http://www.ffgolf.org. The slope of each course is calculated to give its degree of difficulty. Thus, if you play on a difficult course, you receive slightly more shots than you handicap. My links course is rated moderately difficult under this system so that when I play later today I will have 9 shots although my handicap is actually 7.4 at present. Moreover, handicaps are all registered with the FFG by computer. Thus, as soon as the club sends in my results today, my handicap will be updated and available to any other club. If I go to play in a competition at a different club, they will ask me for the number of my "licence" and from that they can find my exact handicap over the internet. Regional and national team events abound in France and provide a new dimension to golf that I had never experienced in the UK. For example, last weekend, there were two local team events. The Coupe de la Manche was held at Fontenay Golf Club which is located around 30 miles south of Cherbourg. In UK terms one might call this the County Cup. Teams consisted of one player from each category: men / ladies / juniors / seniors and sub-categories also such as men 1st division gross, men 2nd division net etc. Thus each team member is in competition with the others from their category and their position in that category determines the number of points they earn for their team. On the same weekend, a similar team event was taking place at the Golf des Ormes in Brittany which is located around 30 miles from St Malo. This was the Troph