11 April 2023

  • Heritage World Cup By Heritage Villas Valriche
  • News
  • Tournaments

HERITAGE WORLD CUP – 200 golf courses and 20,000 French players participate in the international LeClub Golf competition!

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Ten years after its first event, the LeClub Golf network’s international competition can boast undeniable success in France and abroad. The figures speak for themselves.

To talk about it, Bruno Lelieur, tournament director and manager of LeClub Golf Spain, and Frédéric Fedon, general manager of LeClub Golf, explain how it came about.

How did the Heritage World Cup, the LeClub Golf Network’s international competition, come about?

Bruno Lelieur

Bruno Lelieur: The first international event of the LeClub network took place in 2013 at the LeClub Golf Congress held that year in Rompido, Spain.

We had created the LeClub Golf Spain network the year before and I had submitted the idea to Paul Armitage, the network director at the time.

For the first time, an amateur competition brought together 5 partner countries of the network, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy and Austria.

We were very positively surprised by the reception of this competition by our partners and by the enormous enthusiasm of the participating players. To contribute to the international development of the LeClub Golf Network and its influence, I felt it was necessary to create an event that would allow us to meet with our partners every year to consolidate our relationships.

The idea was born and quickly became a reality with the creation of the Amateur Golf World Cup (AGWC)
10 countries participated in the first edition in 2016 at the Sheraton Deva in New Caledonia.


Friendships between players from all over the world


What is its originality?

Frédéric Fedon

Frédéric Fedon: The most exciting thing about this competition is to see how friendships are forged between players from the four corners of the world, from different cultures and languages but united by the universal language of golf, to see the emotion of the players when they take to the stage during the presentation of the teams and the pride they take in representing their country by waving their flag

Bruno Lelieur: Inspired by the model of the professional world cup with teams of 2 players, the objective is to offer the greatest number of players the opportunity to participate in an international competition and represent their country.

In its configuration, the International Final aims to offer players a unique golfing experience, to live an international tournament as a Tour professional would live it.

The event includes several highlights: the Welcome Ceremony, the official presentation of the national teams, the Recognition Day, the 3 days of competitions and the Award Ceremony which ends with a great party.

Each team is invited to the trip and stay, the finalists are the stars of this event.

How has the competition developed since then?

BL: In 5 years, we have gone from 10 to 30 countries, thanks to our prospecting work of course, but also to our partner countries who are our best ambassadors. We are contacted by more and more countries each year, proof that our reputation is growing.

FF: The partnership forged over the last three years with Heritage Resort and Heritage Villas Valriche in Mauritius, through their image and the quality of their services, have also contributed to the growth of our event.

We are delighted to have signed for an additional year, which will allow our partners and clients to discover in 2024 the new 18-hole course designed by Louis Oosthuizen “La Reserve Golf Links”.

Finally, how do you see the future?

BL: The next challenge will be to manage the growth of this event while maintaining its extraordinary conviviality.

We also have a real challenge to find our future destination, as the reception conditions at Heritage are exceptional.

FF : We also wish to continue the development of our ” Invitational ” tournament, which is the competition for the accompanying persons, but also for any person who wishes to know the same sensations as the official representatives of each country.

A word about the HWC in France, which with more than 200 participating golf courses, more than 800 competitions and nearly 20,000 players expected, is probably the most important amateur competition in France.


Rémi and Benoît, the two qualified to represent France


We also met the two French finalists who will represent our country at the final in Mauritius at the Heritage Golf Resort: Rémi Pauly and Benoit Heintz.

Rémi Pauly
Benoît Heintz

Please introduce yourself quickly for our readers:

Remi Pauly: I am 35 years old and I am a Bearnais from Pau, proud of my roots! I had to move to Paris and then to the Gironde for the last 8 years for work.

Benoît Heintz : I am 38 years old and I manage a climbing gym in Clermont-Ferrand. I am a member of the Vichy Forêt de Montpensier golf club.

What was your encounter with golf?

Rémi: I started golf during the Covid as I could no longer play table tennis which I have been playing competitively for 27 years. I spent a lot of time on the courses of Cameyrac, Villenave d’Ornon and Lacanau for the last two years with the ambition to qualify for the national final of the Heritage de Pont Royal in 2021.

Benoit: After 20 years of climbing, including 8 in the French climbing team, I caught the golf bug thanks to my brother in 2016. Today I have a 4.1 index and I don’t set any limits. I train regularly in order to progress and experience great sporting emotions again. 2022 was my third participation in the HWC final.

And so, a great success for a hoped-for qualification for the final which will take place in Mauritius?

Rémi : Yes, I went back with a vengeance after a failure to qualify for Mauritius this year. After the regional qualification in Moliets, which ended in 3rd place, I trained a lot in Lacanau, where the national final was held, and I played my two best games (+9 and +9) to win the second round.
I am now 13 in the index. The next objective is to win the international final, and I am confident that I can achieve a good result with Benoit, winner of the first series. Thanks to our coach Flo Ales, we have been able to train together and create a bond that increases our desire to succeed together.

Benoit: After Saint Omer in 2019, Pont-Royal in 2021, it is Lacanau which will have been the scene of my victory. I qualified thanks to my 1st place in the regional final on the magnificent golf course of Mâcon La Salle with a card of +6. The final was a special moment, I travelled with a friend R. Alfano (who finished in the lead on the first day) and I met up with an old friend from the French climbing team who was playing in the 2nd Series. The day before my nieces had marked my balls for good luck.

A final word?

Rémi: For me, golf is an excellent complementary sport to table tennis which remains my priority from September to April. Being a PE teacher, I have a lot of free time, which allows me to practice golf a lot and therefore to work on it to meet my perfectionist side… And there is still a lot of work to do. Moreover it is a sport that can be practiced with everybody, my mother, my youngest son Piwi (photo) and other friends, whatever their level, which is not possible in the racket sports that I practice a lot: Tennis, Padel, Racketlon…

Golfers, I leave you ! I have an appointment with Coach Flo who has to change my swing to be ready for the Telfair Heritage in Mauritius in early July.

Benoit : This is only the beginning… The trip to Mauritius is good but the victory is better. We decided to take the matter in hand with Rémi Pauly and our coach Flo Alès to finally bring the cup back to France. We are both great sportsmen and we are used to dealing with pressure; this will undoubtedly be an advantage.

Golf Planète

© Jean Lagarde

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