WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.259 You know, there's this phrase people always use 00:00:02.259 --> 00:00:04.360 about, well, if walls could talk. Right. We use 00:00:04.360 --> 00:00:06.360 it for old houses or castles, but maybe a spooky 00:00:06.360 --> 00:00:08.119 hotel somewhere. Yeah, definitely. But nobody 00:00:08.119 --> 00:00:11.460 ever really says if the grass could talk. Which 00:00:11.460 --> 00:00:14.820 is pretty ironic, honestly, because soil usually 00:00:14.820 --> 00:00:17.620 holds onto history a lot longer than architecture 00:00:17.620 --> 00:00:20.100 does. That is entirely true. I mean, buildings 00:00:20.100 --> 00:00:22.780 get knocked down or burned. Yeah. The land, the 00:00:22.780 --> 00:00:26.179 land just stays. And that is exactly the vibe 00:00:26.179 --> 00:00:28.579 of today's deep dive. We are looking at a place 00:00:28.579 --> 00:00:31.899 that... On the surface, at least, is the very 00:00:31.899 --> 00:00:34.859 definition of manicured perfection. It is. It's 00:00:34.859 --> 00:00:37.460 quiet. It's green. People speak in these hushed, 00:00:37.460 --> 00:00:40.859 respectful tones because it's a golf course. 00:00:41.020 --> 00:00:44.359 Right. Specifically, Golf de St. Cloud, just 00:00:44.359 --> 00:00:46.909 west of Paris. But if you scratch that surface, 00:00:47.030 --> 00:00:49.950 even just an inch, you aren't finding sand traps 00:00:49.950 --> 00:00:51.950 and sprinkler systems. Right. You're finding 00:00:51.950 --> 00:00:54.530 deep layers of French identity. You're finding 00:00:54.530 --> 00:00:56.810 the footprint of an empress, the literal blood 00:00:56.810 --> 00:00:59.590 of a 19th century war, and the secret whispers 00:00:59.590 --> 00:01:02.429 of modern French presidents. I really have to 00:01:02.429 --> 00:01:04.489 say, when I first looked at the topic for today, 00:01:04.629 --> 00:01:07.209 I thought, OK, we're doing a sports deep dive. 00:01:07.390 --> 00:01:09.370 Sure. Cool. We'll talk about handicaps and swing 00:01:09.370 --> 00:01:12.349 mechanics and course ratings. But the source 00:01:12.349 --> 00:01:16.189 material. This incredibly comprehensive breakdown 00:01:16.189 --> 00:01:19.769 of the club's history and geography that we have, 00:01:19.870 --> 00:01:22.719 it shows this isn't a sports story at all. Not 00:01:22.719 --> 00:01:25.079 even close. This is a time travel story. It really 00:01:25.079 --> 00:01:29.519 is. The mission today is to figure out how one 00:01:29.519 --> 00:01:33.140 specific plot of land, this 36 -hole complex 00:01:33.140 --> 00:01:36.019 in the suburbs, basically became a microcosm 00:01:36.019 --> 00:01:38.040 for the last 200 years of French history. Yeah. 00:01:38.140 --> 00:01:40.019 We're going to look at how a place goes from 00:01:40.019 --> 00:01:43.239 an imperial estate to a battlefield and finally 00:01:43.239 --> 00:01:47.000 to a réseau d 'influence. A network of power. 00:01:47.239 --> 00:01:49.299 Well, let's orient everyone first, just to set 00:01:49.299 --> 00:01:51.219 the stage for you listening. Yeah. We are in 00:01:51.219 --> 00:01:53.659 the suburbs of Paris. Right. Geographically, 00:01:53.659 --> 00:01:56.379 we are straddling the parishes of Garches, Rue 00:01:56.379 --> 00:01:59.019 Malmaison, and Vaucresson. Okay. It's only about 00:01:59.019 --> 00:02:01.200 12 kilometers from the center of Paris, so it's 00:02:01.200 --> 00:02:02.799 close enough to see the city, but far enough 00:02:02.799 --> 00:02:05.719 out to feel like a complete escape. And the club 00:02:05.719 --> 00:02:10.039 itself officially opens in 1913. Now, usually 00:02:10.039 --> 00:02:12.000 when we talk about golf courses, we just skip 00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:13.819 right to who played there, the famous athletes. 00:02:14.139 --> 00:02:17.759 Naturally. But the sources here make a huge deal 00:02:17.759 --> 00:02:21.560 about the architect, Harry Shaplin Colt. Yes. 00:02:21.580 --> 00:02:23.400 Now, I know that name pops up in golf circles 00:02:23.400 --> 00:02:25.659 a lot, but for those of us who don't spend our 00:02:25.659 --> 00:02:28.539 weekends reading course design magazines, why 00:02:28.539 --> 00:02:31.340 does he matter? Think of Harry Colt as the architect 00:02:31.340 --> 00:02:34.520 who stopped trying to fight nature. Okay, what 00:02:34.520 --> 00:02:37.199 do you mean by that? Well, before him, a lot 00:02:37.199 --> 00:02:40.099 of course design was very geometric, very artificial. 00:02:40.460 --> 00:02:42.879 Colt was part of this golden age of architecture. 00:02:43.219 --> 00:02:45.620 His whole philosophy was that the course should 00:02:45.620 --> 00:02:47.840 look like it's always been there. Like it naturally 00:02:47.840 --> 00:02:50.060 occurred. Exactly. He didn't just move Earth 00:02:50.060 --> 00:02:52.759 to move it. He draped the holes over the existing 00:02:52.759 --> 00:02:54.780 landscape. So he's the guy who makes it look 00:02:54.780 --> 00:02:57.219 completely natural, even though it's highly engineered. 00:02:57.460 --> 00:02:59.960 He is. And he designed the main course at St. 00:03:00.120 --> 00:03:03.379 Cloud. The vert, or green course. It's a par 00:03:03.379 --> 00:03:06.840 71, nearly 6 ,000 meters long. Which is a solid 00:03:06.840 --> 00:03:09.240 length. It is, and is considered a masterpiece 00:03:09.240 --> 00:03:12.020 because it uses the rolling terrain of those 00:03:12.020 --> 00:03:15.520 Parisian suburbs to dictate your strategy. You 00:03:15.520 --> 00:03:17.479 aren't just hitting a ball. Right. You're solving 00:03:17.479 --> 00:03:19.699 a puzzle that the land itself set up for you. 00:03:19.800 --> 00:03:22.000 And then there's the second course, the jaune, 00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:24.280 or yellow course, which came a bit later in 1930. 00:03:24.919 --> 00:03:29.900 The notes say this one is a par 67. Yes. Now, 00:03:29.900 --> 00:03:33.000 I'm not a scratch golfer, but a par 67 sounds, 00:03:33.120 --> 00:03:36.000 well, it sounds really short. It is unusual, 00:03:36.139 --> 00:03:38.699 but that's what makes it so fascinating. In modern 00:03:38.699 --> 00:03:41.500 golf, everyone is obsessed with length. You know, 00:03:41.580 --> 00:03:44.939 7 ,000 yards, massive booming drives. Yeah, grip 00:03:44.939 --> 00:03:48.490 it and rip it. Exactly. But a par 67 is a total 00:03:48.490 --> 00:03:51.110 throwback. It means there are more par threes, 00:03:51.110 --> 00:03:54.069 fewer par fives. You simply cannot overpower 00:03:54.069 --> 00:03:55.969 a course like that. You have to be smart. It's 00:03:55.969 --> 00:03:57.610 like the difference between a heavyweight boxing 00:03:57.610 --> 00:04:00.590 match and a fencing duel. The yellow course requires 00:04:00.590 --> 00:04:04.080 precision, guile, strategy. It was designed by 00:04:04.080 --> 00:04:06.300 Colt and his associate John Morrison to be a 00:04:06.300 --> 00:04:08.659 completely different kind of test. OK, so we 00:04:08.659 --> 00:04:11.080 have this fencing duel of a golf course. But 00:04:11.080 --> 00:04:13.080 let's actually go back before the golfers even 00:04:13.080 --> 00:04:16.439 arrived. Because in 1913, when Henry Cashard 00:04:16.439 --> 00:04:18.579 decides to build a course here. The American 00:04:18.579 --> 00:04:21.079 lawyer. Right, this American lawyer. When he 00:04:21.079 --> 00:04:23.120 decides to build it, he isn't just buying some 00:04:23.120 --> 00:04:26.720 random farm. He is buying a major legacy. He 00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:28.939 really is. Henry Cashard is this interesting 00:04:28.939 --> 00:04:31.759 figure all on his own. An American in Paris, 00:04:31.980 --> 00:04:35.240 very wealthy, heavily connected. But the land 00:04:35.240 --> 00:04:39.100 he buys, it used to belong to Empress Josephine. 00:04:39.579 --> 00:04:42.579 Napoleon's wife. The very same. This land was 00:04:42.579 --> 00:04:45.639 part of her imperial estate. Wow. So long before 00:04:45.639 --> 00:04:47.480 anyone was worried about their backswing or their 00:04:47.480 --> 00:04:50.019 putting grip, this was the playground of the 00:04:50.019 --> 00:04:52.339 Bonaparte family. It's such a strange continuity, 00:04:52.500 --> 00:04:55.019 isn't it? How so? Well, you go from the literal 00:04:55.019 --> 00:04:58.319 emperor of France owning the land to a private 00:04:58.319 --> 00:05:01.500 club for the wealthy elite. Oh. It really feels 00:05:01.500 --> 00:05:03.519 like the definition of exclusive didn't change 00:05:03.519 --> 00:05:05.279 at all, just the price of the admission ticket. 00:05:05.500 --> 00:05:07.639 That is a brilliant way to put it. It shifts 00:05:07.639 --> 00:05:10.379 from hereditary power to financial and social 00:05:10.379 --> 00:05:14.000 power. But the land remains a sanctuary for the 00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:17.519 elite. However, and this is the big pivot in 00:05:17.519 --> 00:05:20.879 our deep dive today, that sanctuary was violently 00:05:20.879 --> 00:05:23.100 breached. This is the part of the research that 00:05:23.100 --> 00:05:25.759 honestly stopped me in my tracks. We jump from 00:05:25.759 --> 00:05:30.259 the luxury of the empress to 1871. The Franco 00:05:30.259 --> 00:05:33.139 -Prussian War. Yes. And we need to set the scene 00:05:33.139 --> 00:05:35.120 here because this wasn't just a minor skirmish 00:05:35.120 --> 00:05:37.120 in the woods. Right. Paris was under a brutal 00:05:37.120 --> 00:05:40.420 siege. The city was starving. It was incredibly 00:05:40.420 --> 00:05:44.160 cold winter. January 1871. A nightmare scenario. 00:05:44.480 --> 00:05:46.560 Absolutely. The French forces were desperate 00:05:46.560 --> 00:05:48.420 to break the German lines that were surrounding 00:05:48.420 --> 00:05:51.240 the city. And that breakout attempt happens literally 00:05:51.240 --> 00:05:53.860 on the golf course. Specifically, the Battle 00:05:53.860 --> 00:05:57.829 of Busanval. Today, if you walk down the 15th 00:05:57.829 --> 00:06:00.029 fairway of the green course, you are walking 00:06:00.029 --> 00:06:02.189 down the exact main line of the French advance. 00:06:02.470 --> 00:06:05.209 That is so jarring to think about. I mean, the 00:06:05.209 --> 00:06:06.709 15th fairway is usually where you're thinking 00:06:06.709 --> 00:06:08.970 about, I don't know, maybe hitting a smooth five 00:06:08.970 --> 00:06:11.430 iron or deciding if you should load up. Yeah. 00:06:11.490 --> 00:06:15.730 But in 1871, that exact same grass was a muddy, 00:06:15.810 --> 00:06:19.850 frozen killing field. It was horrific. The French 00:06:19.850 --> 00:06:22.170 National Guard, many of whom were just civilians 00:06:22.170 --> 00:06:25.490 with minimal military training, charged up those 00:06:25.490 --> 00:06:27.990 slopes directly into Prussian artillery fire. 00:06:28.170 --> 00:06:30.610 Oh, wow. It was a complete disaster. The Prussians 00:06:30.610 --> 00:06:33.129 won the battle. The French lost thousands of 00:06:33.129 --> 00:06:35.949 men. And the attempt to save Paris failed entirely. 00:06:36.449 --> 00:06:38.490 And there's one death in particular that the 00:06:38.490 --> 00:06:41.509 Gulf Club still actively memorializes today. 00:06:41.850 --> 00:06:45.629 The painter Henri Reynaud. This is the story 00:06:45.629 --> 00:06:48.230 that really haunts the place. Henri Regnault 00:06:48.230 --> 00:06:50.790 wasn't just some random foot soldier. He was 00:06:50.790 --> 00:06:53.310 a bona fide celebrity of the art world. Right. 00:06:53.389 --> 00:06:55.170 The source material highlights him specifically. 00:06:55.449 --> 00:06:58.069 He was 27 years old, incredibly talented. He 00:06:58.069 --> 00:06:59.689 had already won the prestigious Prix de Rome. 00:06:59.889 --> 00:07:02.350 He was widely considered the absolute future 00:07:02.350 --> 00:07:04.850 of French painting. So it would be like, imagine 00:07:04.850 --> 00:07:07.290 if a famous young musician or an A -list actor 00:07:07.290 --> 00:07:10.230 today was just handed a rifle and sent to the 00:07:10.230 --> 00:07:12.829 front lines. Exactly. And he was killed during 00:07:12.829 --> 00:07:15.350 that battle, right? There, on the land that is 00:07:15.350 --> 00:07:18.430 now the golf course, it was a huge national tragedy. 00:07:18.990 --> 00:07:21.850 For the public, it symbolized the complete waste 00:07:21.850 --> 00:07:24.850 of the war. France sacrificing its brightest 00:07:24.850 --> 00:07:28.290 young talent for a lost cause. But the amazing 00:07:28.290 --> 00:07:30.930 thing is, they didn't just pave over his memory 00:07:30.930 --> 00:07:33.050 when they built the course. No, they didn't. 00:07:33.149 --> 00:07:35.910 If you play the course today, when you get to 00:07:35.910 --> 00:07:39.170 the 14th hole, there's a physical reminder, a 00:07:39.170 --> 00:07:43.079 bust, a statue of Henri Regnault. That's the 00:07:43.079 --> 00:07:46.160 detail that really gets me. Think about the cognitive 00:07:46.160 --> 00:07:48.800 dissonance there for you as a player. Yeah. You're 00:07:48.800 --> 00:07:51.000 playing a game of leisure. You're out with your 00:07:51.000 --> 00:07:52.980 friends on a beautiful weekend, maybe betting 00:07:52.980 --> 00:07:55.959 a few euros on the match. You walk off the 14th 00:07:55.959 --> 00:07:58.459 green high -fiving because you made a great putt, 00:07:58.459 --> 00:08:00.300 and boom. You're face -to -face with it. You're 00:08:00.300 --> 00:08:02.579 staring at the face of a 27 -year -old artist 00:08:02.579 --> 00:08:04.759 who died screaming in the mud right where you're 00:08:04.759 --> 00:08:07.759 standing. It's a memento mori. A stark reminder 00:08:07.759 --> 00:08:09.879 of death right in the middle of a playground. 00:08:10.220 --> 00:08:12.399 Exactly. It forces you to acknowledge that the 00:08:12.399 --> 00:08:14.399 piece you were enjoying on that fairway was bought 00:08:14.399 --> 00:08:17.420 at a very high price. It prevents the place from 00:08:17.420 --> 00:08:20.040 just being a generic resort. It anchors it in 00:08:20.040 --> 00:08:22.439 the tragic history of the nation. Anchored in 00:08:22.439 --> 00:08:24.939 history is a great phrase for it. But let's fast 00:08:24.939 --> 00:08:27.540 forward a bit. The war ends. The course gets 00:08:27.540 --> 00:08:30.439 built. The world wars come and go. Right. And 00:08:30.439 --> 00:08:32.919 we get to the modern era. And this is where the 00:08:32.919 --> 00:08:35.559 secrets part of our deep dive comes in. Because 00:08:35.559 --> 00:08:37.639 Sainte -Claude isn't just about dead painters 00:08:37.639 --> 00:08:40.620 and old emperors. It's about living politicians. 00:08:41.159 --> 00:08:43.139 This is where we get into the Republic of Golf. 00:08:43.360 --> 00:08:46.179 In France, power isn't always exercised inside 00:08:46.179 --> 00:08:48.879 the Elysee Palace. Sometimes it happens on a 00:08:48.879 --> 00:08:51.059 Monday morning walk. The source material specifically 00:08:51.059 --> 00:08:54.139 flags President François Mitterrand here. And 00:08:54.139 --> 00:08:56.600 the routine they describe is so specific it sounds 00:08:56.600 --> 00:08:59.000 like a religious ritual. It essentially was a 00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:02.820 ritual. Starting in April 1983, Mitterrand would 00:09:02.820 --> 00:09:05.960 go to St. Cloud almost every single Monday morning. 00:09:06.100 --> 00:09:09.399 Like clockwork. Yes. Now remember, Mitterrand 00:09:09.399 --> 00:09:12.019 was a very complex figure, highly intellectual, 00:09:12.259 --> 00:09:14.960 somewhat distant, very calculating. He didn't 00:09:14.960 --> 00:09:17.100 just play golf to get some fresh air. He played 00:09:17.100 --> 00:09:19.539 exactly nine holes. And he always brought the 00:09:19.539 --> 00:09:22.299 exact same guy with him, Jacques Attali. His 00:09:22.299 --> 00:09:25.039 special advisor, his Sherpa, essentially. So 00:09:25.039 --> 00:09:28.610 picture this. It's the 1980s. The Cold War is 00:09:28.610 --> 00:09:31.110 still very much a reality. The French economy 00:09:31.110 --> 00:09:34.169 is going through massive structural changes. 00:09:34.389 --> 00:09:37.750 Tense times. Very tense. And you have the president 00:09:37.750 --> 00:09:40.789 of the republic and his top brain walking these 00:09:40.789 --> 00:09:44.129 quiet fairways. They definitely aren't talking 00:09:44.129 --> 00:09:46.649 about how to fix their slice, are they? Highly 00:09:46.649 --> 00:09:50.350 doubtful. The club refers to this as Riso d 'Influence. 00:09:51.009 --> 00:09:53.309 Networks of influence. Right. You have to imagine 00:09:53.309 --> 00:09:55.029 that while they were walking up the fourth or 00:09:55.029 --> 00:09:57.090 the fifth hole, they were discussing cabinet 00:09:57.090 --> 00:10:00.210 reshuffles, nuclear policy, international relations. 00:10:00.269 --> 00:10:03.190 Just massive state decisions between putts. Exactly. 00:10:03.370 --> 00:10:05.629 The isolation of the golf course provides something 00:10:05.629 --> 00:10:07.990 the highest offices of government cannot. True. 00:10:08.309 --> 00:10:11.009 Absolute privacy. No microphones. No secretaries 00:10:11.009 --> 00:10:13.990 listening in. Just the wind, the grass and the 00:10:13.990 --> 00:10:16.330 game. It's the ultimate smoke -filled back room, 00:10:16.389 --> 00:10:18.590 except it's out in the fresh air on manicured 00:10:18.590 --> 00:10:21.129 greens. And there's a specific visual that connects 00:10:21.129 --> 00:10:23.029 this beautifully, right? The view from the eighth 00:10:23.029 --> 00:10:25.429 hole. Oh, yes. Hole eight offers this direct, 00:10:25.549 --> 00:10:28.289 perfectly framed view of the Eiffel Tower. Which 00:10:28.289 --> 00:10:30.950 is incredibly symbolic in itself. You're standing 00:10:30.950 --> 00:10:33.110 there discussing the fate of the nation with 00:10:33.110 --> 00:10:35.889 your top advisor, and you look up and see the 00:10:35.889 --> 00:10:38.470 Iron Lady of Paris just staring back at you. 00:10:39.259 --> 00:10:41.100 It's like the city is watching your every move. 00:10:41.299 --> 00:10:43.919 It visually connects the quiet sanctuary of the 00:10:43.919 --> 00:10:46.759 club directly to the loud machinery of the state. 00:10:47.200 --> 00:10:49.440 It reminds you that you are only 12 kilometers 00:10:49.440 --> 00:10:52.120 away from the harsh reality you are governing. 00:10:52.379 --> 00:10:55.039 I just love the mental image of Mitterrand trying 00:10:55.039 --> 00:10:58.080 to line up a tricky putt while Attali is whispering 00:10:58.080 --> 00:11:00.340 in his ear about inflation rates. It's quite 00:11:00.340 --> 00:11:02.620 a picture. But we have to be fair to the serious 00:11:02.620 --> 00:11:05.220 golfers listening to this. St. Cloud isn't just 00:11:05.220 --> 00:11:08.200 a political prop or a historical graveyard. It's 00:11:08.200 --> 00:11:10.519 a seriously prestigious competitive venue. Oh, 00:11:10.559 --> 00:11:12.820 absolutely. We cannot let the political history 00:11:12.820 --> 00:11:16.100 overshadow the actual sport. St. Cloud has a 00:11:16.100 --> 00:11:18.980 massive competitive pedigree. It hosted the Open 00:11:18.980 --> 00:11:21.179 de France, which, by the way, is the oldest national 00:11:21.179 --> 00:11:23.500 open in continental Europe. That's a huge deal. 00:11:23.600 --> 00:11:26.740 It is. And they hosted it 13 times between 1926 00:11:26.740 --> 00:11:29.620 and 1987. And when you look at the winners on 00:11:29.620 --> 00:11:32.440 that list, these aren't obscure, forgotten names. 00:11:32.720 --> 00:11:35.639 These are titans of the sport. They are the literal 00:11:35.639 --> 00:11:37.820 history of golf. You have Aubrey Boomer winning 00:11:37.820 --> 00:11:41.759 back in 1926. Then, right after World War II 00:11:41.759 --> 00:11:45.799 in 1946, Henry Cotton wins. Can we pause on Henry 00:11:45.799 --> 00:11:49.080 Cotty for a second? Because that name might not 00:11:49.080 --> 00:11:51.879 mean much to a casual sports fan today. Sure. 00:11:51.960 --> 00:11:54.870 Henry Cotton was essentially... the Tiger Woods 00:11:54.870 --> 00:11:58.629 of European golf in the 30s and 40s. He was British, 00:11:58.750 --> 00:12:01.490 incredibly stylish, lived this glamorous high 00:12:01.490 --> 00:12:04.929 society life. But on the course, he was a fierce, 00:12:05.070 --> 00:12:07.570 ruthless competitor. So him winning there was 00:12:07.570 --> 00:12:10.509 his statement. Exactly. Him winning at St. Cloud 00:12:10.509 --> 00:12:12.990 right after the devastation of the war signaled 00:12:12.990 --> 00:12:15.169 to the world that the club was fully back as 00:12:15.169 --> 00:12:17.990 a premier elite venue. And then the modern legends 00:12:17.990 --> 00:12:21.259 start rolling in. Yeah. 1980, Greg Norman. The 00:12:21.259 --> 00:12:23.559 great white shark himself. A legendary power 00:12:23.559 --> 00:12:25.600 player. And that's really interesting because 00:12:25.600 --> 00:12:27.919 as we discussed earlier, St. Cloud, especially 00:12:27.919 --> 00:12:30.600 the green course designed by Colt, isn't a monster 00:12:30.600 --> 00:12:32.480 distance course. Right. It's about strategy. 00:12:32.559 --> 00:12:35.679 So seeing a pure power player like Norman Wynn 00:12:35.679 --> 00:12:38.799 there shows that this course demands true versatility. 00:12:39.039 --> 00:12:40.759 You can't just bomb the ball off the tee. You 00:12:40.759 --> 00:12:42.980 have to think your way around. And then my personal 00:12:42.980 --> 00:12:46.759 favorite from the research list, 1995, the Tournois 00:12:46.759 --> 00:12:53.810 -Perry -de -Perry. The winners were a duo. The 00:12:53.810 --> 00:12:57.269 Spanish Armada, that is pure, unadulterated golf 00:12:57.269 --> 00:13:00.120 magic right there. Totally. Sev and Ola Zabel 00:13:00.120 --> 00:13:03.120 were arguably the most creative, imaginative 00:13:03.120 --> 00:13:05.700 players in the history of the game. St. Cloud 00:13:05.700 --> 00:13:07.679 is absolutely perfect for them because it requires 00:13:07.679 --> 00:13:10.399 that exact imagination. It's not a robotic point 00:13:10.399 --> 00:13:13.039 A to point B course. Exactly. Seeing them win 00:13:13.039 --> 00:13:15.320 there is like seeing a master conductor working 00:13:15.320 --> 00:13:17.799 in the world's most acoustically perfect concert 00:13:17.799 --> 00:13:20.519 hall. The player and the venue were perfectly 00:13:20.519 --> 00:13:23.039 matched. But the notes also make a point to emphasize 00:13:23.039 --> 00:13:25.480 that St. Cloud isn't just an old boys club when 00:13:25.480 --> 00:13:27.980 it comes to tournaments. The women's golf history 00:13:27.980 --> 00:13:30.830 here is arguably even more consistent. It is 00:13:30.830 --> 00:13:34.330 deeply significant to their identity. Since 1927, 00:13:34.629 --> 00:13:36.950 Saint -Claude has hosted the French International 00:13:36.950 --> 00:13:40.269 Lady Juniors Amateur Championship. They call 00:13:40.269 --> 00:13:44.509 it the Esmond Cup. 1927. That is literally a 00:13:44.509 --> 00:13:47.029 century of consistency. Just think about how 00:13:47.029 --> 00:13:49.470 much the world and women's sports in general 00:13:49.470 --> 00:13:52.909 has changed since 1927. Unrecognizable. But every 00:13:52.909 --> 00:13:55.909 single year, the best young female golfers in 00:13:55.909 --> 00:13:58.830 the world come to this exact same plot of land 00:13:58.830 --> 00:14:02.049 to test them. It's an ultimate proving ground. 00:14:02.250 --> 00:14:04.289 And they've also had the Baliano Trophy in 36 00:14:04.289 --> 00:14:07.169 and 47, the European Ladies Team Championship 00:14:07.169 --> 00:14:10.070 in 75. It really seems like the club has made 00:14:10.070 --> 00:14:13.169 a specific intentional point of being a central 00:14:13.169 --> 00:14:15.649 hub for the women's game. It really has. And 00:14:15.649 --> 00:14:17.570 that adds a whole other layer to its identity. 00:14:17.809 --> 00:14:20.269 It's not just a dusty place for old presidents 00:14:20.269 --> 00:14:23.370 to hide away. It's a launch pad for young, up 00:14:23.370 --> 00:14:25.870 -and -coming female athletes. It balances that 00:14:25.870 --> 00:14:28.330 heavy old world history with a constant, fresh 00:14:28.330 --> 00:14:31.029 inflexibility. And that continues even recently, 00:14:31.169 --> 00:14:33.289 right? The Legends Open to France was hosted 00:14:33.289 --> 00:14:36.909 there in 2021. Yes, won by Thomas Livet. So the 00:14:36.909 --> 00:14:39.570 story is still actively being written. It hasn't 00:14:39.570 --> 00:14:43.350 become a museum piece under glass that you can't 00:14:43.350 --> 00:14:46.549 touch. It's still a living, breathing, competitive 00:14:46.549 --> 00:14:49.570 arena. So let's try to pull all these different 00:14:49.570 --> 00:14:51.740 threads together for you listening. Because we 00:14:51.740 --> 00:14:53.759 started this conversation talking about deception. 00:14:54.019 --> 00:14:57.240 We did. About how a place can look like one simple 00:14:57.240 --> 00:15:00.059 thing, but actually be something entirely different 00:15:00.059 --> 00:15:02.840 underneath. And I really think St. Cloud is the 00:15:02.840 --> 00:15:05.460 ultimate example of that concept. If you just 00:15:05.460 --> 00:15:07.759 drive past it on the road or look at it on a 00:15:07.759 --> 00:15:10.419 satellite map, you see a golf course, you see 00:15:10.419 --> 00:15:13.720 green grass, fairways, a few sand traps. Very 00:15:13.720 --> 00:15:16.120 simple. Very peaceful. But if you possess the 00:15:16.120 --> 00:15:18.200 context, the history we've talked about today, 00:15:18.379 --> 00:15:21.259 you see a palimpsest. You see layers of history 00:15:21.259 --> 00:15:23.340 written over other layers. You see the ghost 00:15:23.340 --> 00:15:25.419 of Empress Josephine walking the grounds. You 00:15:25.419 --> 00:15:27.480 see the smoke and the artillery fire of the Battle 00:15:27.480 --> 00:15:29.419 of Boussainval right there on the 15th fairway. 00:15:29.519 --> 00:15:32.899 You see the tragic bust of Henri Regnault watching 00:15:32.899 --> 00:15:36.720 you on the 14th. And you see Francois Mitterrand 00:15:36.720 --> 00:15:39.700 and Jacques Attali deep in a classified conversation 00:15:39.700 --> 00:15:43.600 on the eighth hole with the Eiffel Tower looming 00:15:43.600 --> 00:15:46.460 in the distance. Yeah. And then you overlay all 00:15:46.460 --> 00:15:49.100 of that with the roars of the crowd for Sev Ballestros 00:15:49.100 --> 00:15:52.000 or the intense focus of a junior women's champion 00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:54.559 lining up a putt. It's almost overwhelming when 00:15:54.559 --> 00:15:56.759 you stack it all up like that. It challenges 00:15:56.759 --> 00:15:59.299 the way we look at leisure spaces. We tend to 00:15:59.299 --> 00:16:01.500 think of a golf course or even just local park 00:16:01.500 --> 00:16:04.750 as a break from the real. world, a place where 00:16:04.750 --> 00:16:07.710 history just stops. But St. Cloud proves that 00:16:07.710 --> 00:16:10.070 the real world is everywhere. History doesn't 00:16:10.070 --> 00:16:12.730 just politely stop at the clubhouse gate. The 00:16:12.730 --> 00:16:15.129 land remembers what happened there. And frankly, 00:16:15.370 --> 00:16:18.450 the game of golf is richer for it. How so? Well, 00:16:18.490 --> 00:16:21.029 playing that 15th hole has to be a totally different 00:16:21.029 --> 00:16:22.850 experience when you know what happened beneath 00:16:22.850 --> 00:16:25.090 your feet. It demands certain respect from the 00:16:25.090 --> 00:16:27.190 player. It makes me wonder about other everyday 00:16:27.190 --> 00:16:30.179 places we visit. The park down the street. The 00:16:30.179 --> 00:16:32.379 shopping mall that used to be. Well, who knows 00:16:32.379 --> 00:16:34.120 what it used to be? That is the big takeaway 00:16:34.120 --> 00:16:37.820 here. Everywhere has a story, if you are willing 00:16:37.820 --> 00:16:41.059 to dig deeply enough. St. Cloud just happens 00:16:41.059 --> 00:16:43.899 to have a particularly dramatic, bloody, and 00:16:43.899 --> 00:16:46.759 glamorous one. It's essentially a museum without 00:16:46.759 --> 00:16:48.700 walls, where you just happen to be able to play 00:16:48.700 --> 00:16:50.980 around a golf. I love that. A museum without 00:16:50.980 --> 00:16:53.320 walls. Next time you're on a golf course, you'll 00:16:53.320 --> 00:16:55.419 probably be looking at the ground a little differently. 00:16:56.250 --> 00:16:58.490 Maybe wondering who marched there before you 00:16:58.490 --> 00:17:00.750 decided to slice your drive into the woods. Hey, 00:17:00.970 --> 00:17:04.549 I resent that. But honestly, it brings up a wild 00:17:04.549 --> 00:17:06.920 thought to leave you all with. We've talked about 00:17:06.920 --> 00:17:09.400 the history stacked on top of this land, but 00:17:09.400 --> 00:17:11.299 think about the physical maintenance of a golf 00:17:11.299 --> 00:17:14.420 course. A groundskeeping. Yeah. To keep a course 00:17:14.420 --> 00:17:17.940 that pristine, they are constantly digging, aerating 00:17:17.940 --> 00:17:20.819 the soil, moving earth for new bunkers or irrigation 00:17:20.819 --> 00:17:23.160 lines. Oh, I see where you're going. Right. Every 00:17:23.160 --> 00:17:25.200 time a groundskeeper puts a shovel in the dirt 00:17:25.200 --> 00:17:28.180 at St. Cloud, they are actively managing a historical 00:17:28.180 --> 00:17:31.500 site. What are they quietly unearthing out there? 00:17:31.819 --> 00:17:36.039 A rusted belt buckle from 1871. Exactly. A shattered 00:17:36.039 --> 00:17:39.019 piece of Prussian artillery, or maybe even something 00:17:39.019 --> 00:17:41.839 from Empress Josephine's garden. They're literally 00:17:41.839 --> 00:17:44.460 manicuring the surface to hide the chaos underneath, 00:17:44.799 --> 00:17:48.220 day in and day out. It makes you wonder how many 00:17:48.220 --> 00:17:50.559 historical artifacts are sitting at the bottom 00:17:50.559 --> 00:17:54.059 of those pristine white sand traps. That is a 00:17:54.059 --> 00:17:56.259 fascinating thing to mull over. Just try to keep 00:17:56.259 --> 00:17:58.319 your ball out of the bunkers and leave the digging 00:17:58.319 --> 00:18:01.700 to the historians. Solid advice as always. That 00:18:01.700 --> 00:18:03.579 is it for this deep dive into the hidden layers 00:18:03.579 --> 00:18:06.279 of Gulf to St. Cloud. We really hope we've given 00:18:06.279 --> 00:18:08.279 you a brand new perspective on how history hides 00:18:08.279 --> 00:18:10.339 in plain sight. Keep looking beneath the surface. 00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:11.640 We will catch you on the next one.