Askersund

Situated next to an inlet of Lake Vättern, the 18-hole layout at Askersunds Golfklubb was originally configured as a 9-hole course back in 1984. In such pleasant rural surroundings, it’s hard to imagine this was once a heavily industrialized zinc mining region.

Today, the layout extends to just over 5,800 metres, playing to a par of 72, with holes laid out as two retuning nines. Water comes into play at half the holes on the scorecard, four on the outward half then five on the inward half. The 378-metre 7th is the toughest of the water-laden holes on the front nine, where a creek widens out and wraps itself around the front of the green.

On the back nine, the green at the par three 12th sits behind an intimidating pond, then the waters of the lake run alongside the left of the hole at both the par four 14th and par five 16th. The final aquatic encounter arrives at the final hole, with a pond separating the 18th and 10th holes to be negotiated en route to the home green.

In March 2022, architect Caspar Grauballe sent us this in relation to work being carried out on the course by construction company Nelson & Vecchio:

“New tees will be positioned with more variation of playing angles and distances to bring features and views into play in a new way and make the course play more strategically. A new set of forward tees will make the course more fun for the players who hit the ball shorter distances and players new to the game. This is the first step in the upgrade of the course which is a gem in the making.”