Walcheren in the province of Zeeland may seem an atypical place to commence a golf journey through Benelux, but one must travel to where the courses are. After driving past innumerable dykes, ditches and windmills, we arrived on the western edge of Walcheren which was once an island prior to poldering and dam building. The handsome town of Domburg was our destination. In the dunes just outside of town is where the sublime Domburg GC is can be found. Certainly, one of the oldest golf sites in the Netherlands, Domburg even hosted a sole Dutch Open in 1921; won by Englishman Henry Burrows. Having the won the event the previous year (at Kennemer – an earlier site for the course) and the following year (at Hilversum), Burrows was permitted to keep the cup. Many decades later the Burrows family generously donated the cup to the Netherlands Golf Federation. Incidentally, Jerseyman Aubrey Boomer also won the Dutch Open three times on the trot and he too was allowed to retain the cup. In 1926, the third year of his Dutch Open success, Boomer also captured the French Open, Belgian Open, Daily Mail Tournament held at St Andrews and Britain’s richest prize, the Glasgow Herald Tournament played at Gleneagles. Despite playing in the first two Ryder Cups in 1927 & 1929, sadly, Boomer never won the Open. His closest finish was a second-place tie behind Bobby Jones in 1927.
Aubrey Boomer
Map of the course.
It comes as quite a shock to come upon a rumbling links site after experiencing so much flat countryside, but its a welcome shock. Domburg isn't a long course, but it does demand accuracy...perhaps too much so. I am told Domburg it is the only links in Netherlands with a view of the sea! The opener.
Playing into a stiff breeze, the 1st played surprisingly long.
Behind the green. Domburg retains a bit of its history with visible loose sand here and there.
Although less inviting from the tee, the 2nd plays similar to the 1st in that it is a down and up hole.
Walcheren’s strategic situation made the deep sea port of Antwerp possible. The area was heavily bombed by the RAF to create a flood in preparation for the Battle of Walcheren during October 1944. This action was controversial given the hardship the population would incur with infrastucture and agricultural damage with two daily tides creating havoc. The last repair to the dyke system wasn't completed until a year later and it was some additional months before the then island was drained. There are countless craters dotted about the property and I suspect some are used as bunkers or hollows.
There is more space on the plateau than it appears from the fairway.
Alan Rijks, a well established Dutch architect, worked on the course at some point in recent history. I don't know what he did, but I get the distinct impression the greens are modern. My guess is Rijks did some serious renovation work on the greens. The short 3rd...another fine hole adding to Domburg's great start.
Behind the green.
More to follow.
Ciao