Brof Hof Slott, Castle Course, Sweden (12th-16th Hole Pics added!!)

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

The Castle course is the second course at Bro Hof Slott; the other course is the Stadium course (Ryder Cup venue 2018?) which opened in 2007. Both were designed by Robert Trent Jones II. In July of this year, 10 holes of the Castle course were opened, with the remaining planned for completion in 2010. The owner of Bro Hof Slott is reputed to have spent €40 million on restoring the castle and the construction of both courses. Money well spent. Judge for yourself!

The Castle course is meant to have a "Scottish Links" feel to it. There is no water on the six holes that I viewed and a grass called Aurora Gold has been sown in many areas of the rough (see right of 1st hole below). I believe the idea is that the grass will resemble that found on links courses. I have not walked the Stadium course yet, so I cannot compare both courses. All I can say, is that the Stadium course is built for hosting pro tournaments, so it's long 8400 yds, has plenty of water, including the island green 17th, and is dotted with bunkers containing bright white crushed marble sand. Sound like a course you've seen before?

There were no yardage details or hole numbers on the holes, so I'm not 100% sure about the hole numbering. The first hole appears to be the first because I did observe a sign which said "Castle Course 1st tee". However, after walking what I thought was the 6th hole, I then saw a sign which pointing towards the 17th tee. So, in conclusion, I think the following photos are off the 1st, 12th-16th. I have had to guess what yardage the holes are as I didn't wish to spend my afternoon pacing the course for distances.

Incidentally, it was a very dull October day in Bro (a small town 40-km North West of Stockholm where Annika Sorenstam was brought up), so please excuse the quality of some of the pictures.


1st Hole: A Par 5 of perhaps 500-525 yards. The hole is a gentle dogleg right.


1st Hole: View from right of fairway. I'm not sure if they are removing or adding the white sand. The sand on the other holes is more like beach sand. Besides, white sand isn't exactly compatible with a "Scottish Links".


1st Hole: View from right of fairway. The fairway goes left of the rocks and trees. This is the line to take if you want to get up in two. The 3 greenside bunkers are about 20 yds short of the green.


1st Hole: A view of the alternative route to the green.


1st Hole: Looking back towards the tee. Notice the cart path Melvyn!!! You'd love it here, plenty of tarmac around the course. Here you can see clearly how the fairway curves around the rock outcrop. The caravan in the woods really completes the picture, don't you think?


12th Hole: Here's a little taste of what's coming up next.

That's the first hole and a glimse of the 12th. I'll add the rest a bit later this evening.

Dónal.

[Ulrich Mayring]

There sure are a lot of trees for a links

Ulrich

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

Ulrich:

Maybe they should refine their marketing campaign so it reads "Lancashire Links" feel a la Formby/Hillside

Dónal.

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

Here are holes 12 to 16.


12th Hole: Here's the 12th, a par 3 of about 170 yards.


12th Hole: Don't hit it left.


12th Hole: I think this hole would play at it's toughest with a front left pin position.


12th Hole: A look back towards the slightly elevated tee.


13th Hole: This appears to be a very long par 5, perhaps as long as 600 yards from the back tee. The line off the tee is the gap in the trees on the horizon.


13th Hole: The fairway curves gently left and the green can now be seen in the distance.


13th Hole:  The fairway narrows ...


13th Hole: ... then widens and narrows again just before the green. The bunker in the foreground runs up the left of this hole and the next hole.


13th Green: The green doesn't look like it would pose too many problems, but then it'll all depend on how fast they run.


13th Green: The Church like building in the background is a traditional Swedish bell tower. They are usually a short distance from the actual church.


14th Hole: A par 4 of approximately 430 yards.


14th Hole: You don't want to pull your drive!


14th Hole: The meandering bunker system. It's bark is worse than it's bite, I suspect.


14th Hole: Another view of the vast bunker system running down the left of the 14th fairway.


14th Hole: A view of the green from the left side of the fairway. We're about 100 yards from the green.


14th Hole: The approach to the green.


14th Hole: A look back towards the tee which is on the other side of the rock outcrop.


15th Hole: This is either a very long par 4 or a moderate par 5.


15th Hole: The two bunkers come into play down the right.


15th Hole: The green is located just where the bright light is shining in the trees.


15th Hole: The fairway splits about 80 yards before the green. The left side is a few feet higher than the right side. Is the golfer expected to chose the left or right side, of play short? Because of this fairway split, I suspect this hole is played as a par 5. Time will tell.


15th Hole: A view back down the fairway.


16th Hole: Bro Hof Slott lies before you. The hole is a gentle dogleg to the right. My camera battery was used up at this stage, so there are no more photos. Besides, it was getting dark and time to go home.

Dónal