Ærø

Ærø is one of the Danish Baltic Sea islands, situated on the South Funen Archipelago, and the Ærø Golf Club course is located at the most northerly point on the island, where the coastal fairways are routed around Skjoldnæs Lighthouse.

Don’t expect a dainty little game on a small layout here – the course may be homespun but it’s of lusty length (measuring exactly 6,000 metres from the tips) with only a couple of short par fours in play at the 265-metre 7th and 280-metre 15th. Holes are lightly-bunkered and the wind is an ever-present factor, no matter what time of the year you are playing.

Laid out as two returning nines, each of which conclude with a strong par five (stroke index 3 and 2, respectively), the course plays firm and fast and the only hint of a water hazard arises with ponds positioned close to the greens at the 7th and 13th and another modest body of water is located near the inside of the dogleg on the 14th fairway.

Æro gets largely overlooked in the modern era when remote, elemental golf courses are suddenly “discovered” by the golfing intelligentsia, acquiring an almost cult status overnight. We think the locals know full well how good their course is but they’re happy to have it remain largely in the shadows, away from the spotlight of publicity, allowing them to get on with enjoying the place all to themselves.