We did not see Belgium's most famous course at its best - it was a gloomy day and the clubhouse (whose restaurant is acclaimed) was closed, and we had been on the road for a few hours....Also, the course starts a bit slowly. That said, it soon picks up and has some fine holes and an excellent routing. The greens are relatively small and well protected - this, added to the fact that most holes swing one or other way means that this is a course which requires good placement of the tee shot.
Harry Colt laid out the links in 1907 but war subsequently twice interfered and I am not sure how much of his original lay-out survives. It felt as if possibly the club had not given as much attention to the set-up of the course as they might have done - certain fairways narrower than needed, and green aprons not really 'firm and fast" as befits a course which does have the setting and dunes to play like a links.
Anyway, here are a few pictures which give some flavour.
The first two holes are nothing special, but the short third is a fun hole with the elevated, two-tier green requiring precise strike.
Tee shot on the par five 5th which swings left...
Approach to the 5th from the left side.
Same hole from 100 or so yards out....
The course has a fine routing and the 5th is followed by a good dog-leg left on the 6th, seen here (the fairway is narrower than it needs to be here)
And then the dog-leg right on the 7th - seen here from the light rough below the fairway
The 8th - another good one-shotter.
Tee shot on the par four 9th, which turns left towards the tall tower.
The tenth swings to the right but with the green cleverly protected and angled left/right, you have to place your ball on the left to have a clear shot at the green.
A closer look at the 10th green with the fun bunker built into the dune on the left.
The short 11th
Tee shot on the par 5 12th..a fun hole that swings first left, then right. The picture does not capture the interesting ridge that crosses the fairway making the tee-shot semi-blind...
The 12th green
Bunkering short of the 15th green
The last of a strong set of short holes - the 16th (which would benefit from a bit of tree clearing)
Closer look at 16th, showing the very deep bunker on the right.