⛳0️⃣4️⃣9️⃣ Marc Pendariès
Photo: Marc Pendariès
By Marc Pendariès
Meet Marc Pendariès, a former golf professional-turned-coach who drives transatlantic exchanges one shot at a time.
I was raised in Paris, France, and my « golf life » spanned from 1973 to 1988 (amateur), then 1988-2003(pro) and 2004-present (golf coach). My entry into the sport was straightforward: my family joined a golf club in Paris. Back then, Junior golf was low-key and less developed. You couldn’t even buy clubs for kids! Juniors were restricted in relation to times allowed on the course, which benefitted my short game! I was one of the first Frenchies to play in tournaments in the United States (I won the Orange Bowl at 16 yrs old), and also one of the pioneer Frenchies to go to college in the States on a golf scholarship.
Marc’s Story
“Au reste, c’est un enfant qui ne donne pas beaucoup de soucis à ses parents. Pas de sorties en boîte, pas d’escapades chez les copains. Quand il n’étudie pas, Marc s’entraîne, et quand il ne s’entraîne pas, il dort.”
During my amateur career, the top junior ranked golfer in France was invited to play U.S. tournaments.
Editor’s Note: Marc was a three-time junior champion of France and won the 1982 Junior Orange Bowl International Golf Championship. As he told Lel Monde the following year, it was a labor of love and dedication. “During competitions, I sleep ten to twelve hours a night. If not a little less. Victories are prepared by eating and sleeping. The rest is just a question of concentration,” the then 16-year-old confided.
The French Golf Federation encouraged me and financed these competitions, thus my entrée into golf State-side. My personal motivation was the desire to play with the best players! For college, because my English was good, I wanted to be a part of one of the best teams – and at the time, that was the University of Houston. I’m proud to say that we won the NCAA championship my freshman year (1985)!
The Sports Diplomacy Connection
My amateur golf life was already very international before college, so I felt very comfortable overseas. In college at the University of Houston, it was a real culture shock (different food, different language, etc). I was proud to represent France on campus, since France benefited from a positive image in the eyes of Americans…except that people would often ask me if there was electricity in France, and why French people weren’t as clean as Americans!
I learned that Americans chew tobacco a lot ! I also was impressed how important sports was/is in the States, which was much different from France. In France, being a student athlete was considered a “handicap.” Schools felt that student athletes missed too much school, were less smart, people looked down on you…but in the United States, student athletes were/are well looked upon, are considered in a very positive light, and it’s considered to be an advantage.
Through sports and sharing experiences with Americans, it brings us closer together. France is a tiny country in golf, so it is an honor to show the Americans what we can do, how we can shine.
Golf, and sports in general, helps set aside our differences. I’m not French and you’re not American, on course. We are all just humans, sharing the passion of the sport and bridging the gap. During play, we joke, we share golf stories, etc. and that is what brings everyone together instead of dividing us.
Mapping the Connection
From Paris, France to Houston, Texas
Further Reading/Resources
[F] Marc Pendariès https://www.marc-pendaries.com/
DP World Tour https://www.europeantour.com/players/marc-pendaries-622/
[F] “Marc Pendariès l’espoir bon chic bon genre,” Le Monde, April 12, 1983.
How to Cite This Entry
Pendariès, Marc. “Voices: Marc Pendariès,” FranceAndUS, https://www.franceussports.com/voices/048marc-pendaris. (date of consultation).
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