Paris International

Overview: Paris International is an 18-hole parkland course at Baillet-en-France, north of Paris, designed by Jack Nicklaus. The routing moves through the former Baron Empain land, where mature trees, water hazards, and broad fairway corridors create a modern championship setting. Nicklaus’s design places a premium on choosing the right line from the tee, then controlling approach shots into greens defended by sand and water. The course has the scale and visual clarity associated with a contemporary Nicklaus layout, but its wooded setting gives individual holes a quieter French character.

History: Nicklaus Design records the course’s opening on 13 October 1991. Paris International was laid out as the only course in France designed by Jack Nicklaus, on land associated with the Baron Empain estate. That date places it among the later wave of European courses created by Nicklaus and his design practice, and the original routing remains the defining identity of the club rather than a historic layout repeatedly altered by different architects.

Did You Know? The course combines two very different kinds of hazard. The old trees establish narrow visual corridors and shape the preferred side of many fairways, while water hazards add a more obvious penalty where the land opens up. That contrast is central to the course’s identity: a player can be challenged by a line that looks safe well before a ball reaches the green-side danger.