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The joyous French players gathered around the Tricolour, beaming at their victory while we, their gallant and, if we are truthful, disappointed opponents, watched on.
Granville Links had hosted the 33rd Wryter Cup – an annual contest between the golf societies of the French and British press.
This had been my debut – and I hadn’t been as nervous since my father-of-the-bride speech a couple of years ago.
This fixture is one of fine food, wine and even song off the course but I fear I wasn’t prepared for the very serious rivalry on it.
Thus, I had been shredded, 6 & 5 in the second-day singles.
Thankfully, our victories foursomes game and practice day enabled me to experience the full picture of France’s only true links.
Harry Colt beefed up its initial design but the course was badly damaged during the Second World War.
Since then, it has undergone much work to restore and improve it, notably over the past 20 years when holes have been changed to improve their character and quality.
Nevertheless, Granville dropped out of Continental Europe’s top 100 in the last band of ratings – but the consensus among our players was that it has considerable architectural merit with many interesting holes.
However, its green conditioning was below standard during our visit because of dollar spot turf disease during the summer and we also had to pick and place on its fairways.
Its stroke indexing is probably the most bizarre I have seen during my travels. Eight of the top 11 ranked holes are on the back nine.
This is a significant obstacle for those who are given shots during a match play as they may not even reach the holes that might benefit them.
Stranger still, the back nine feels easier than the front, especially off the yellow tees. For example, the 13th and 15th are the respective stroke index one and two and are both reachable in regulation at comfortably short of 400 yards.
The 10th is a quirky but short par-three that is stroke index three.
Meanwhile, we had begun on the stroke index 18 – a par-five which is relatively straightforward other than for the knocking knees prompted by intense competition.
There are plenty of low fluffy dunes down the left and tangly fescue on the right but otherwise it is a scoring opportunity – and sure enough, I hit a birdie on practice day. A feat I would not repeat on any of the ensuing 71 holes.
The second has more of an edge – the first of a quartet of devilish par-threes and the first time Granville’s hellishly steep run-offs emerge.
Little can be seen of the green over fescue but I can now report with authority borne out of repeated failure that any shot that veers even slightly down the will see the ball fall down a 15ft chasm.
The 10th is even wackier because it has a dramatic false front and steep run-offs left, right and too the rear.
But the 16th takes the gateau for wackiest hole of the day. It is uphill, only about 130 yards but any shot short will be funnelled top a spot on the left, 20feet below the pin.
If the follow-up is too aggressive, it could well fall down another steep drop on the other side.
One of our French hosts remarked that there should be a tunnel under the green to avoid the long traipse from one side to the other.
Among other notable holes are the fifth, where the drive needs to be engineered over a dune on the left before an approach into a huge perched green. Again, those who are short will see their ball slip back by 20 yards.
The view over the northern French coast is gorgeous from the sixth tee on a sunny day and so we were able to enjoy it on days one and three.
However, we were on the back end of Hurricane Helene on the second day when we played 36 holes of foursomes and fourballs.
No kidding, this was the most arduous day of golf in life. The wind was blowing rain sidewards and at this most exposed point of the course, it felt as if we might as well have been in a power-shower.
Consequently, the sixth – an excellent hole from the elevated tee, required a blast wildly right to pick up the gusts.
Anyone who hit the fairway is then faced with a shot into a green with horribly tangly rough to its rear.
The ninth is a par-five, which in the words of a colleague, would have been ‘a good six’.
From a risen tee, bunkers can just abut be spotted in the fescue down the left while deep rough awaits those who venture right.
From then bunkers are dotted strategically on the fairway and especially on the left- hand side of the green, awaiting anyone who favours brawn over strategy.
On the back nine, the recently renovated par-five 14th is arguably the best on the course, weaving between deep stuff on the left and out-of-bounds and a road on the right.
The fairway feeds down to a green protected by a central bunker with a nasty run-off to the left. Our fourball game was done when our opponent smashed the ball on to the back of the green in two.
However, I do have fond memories of a classic putt by my foursomes partner on the par-four 17th in the foursomes.
Ditto, I have an imprint of us playing a smart final hole, a tingling par-four with fiendish bunkers back and front to win our team a point.
This would be where the French would have their glory the following day over some battling Brits.
My inability to find the pace of the greens had meant I had bowed out much earlier but I had, nevertheless, enjoyed the cut and thrust of Granville.
It is not a course I would rush back to because I believe France has better to offer but those who are holidaying near St Malo would certainly find value in 18 holes there.
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