Barsebäck (Masters) - South & West Sweden - Sweden

Number 64 in Europe - really? Yes the conditioning is great but the layout? To me it felt like different decorative pieces that did not fit. The 8th hole should be removed from the course - it felt completely alien after a wonderful stretch of golf in the pines that had the feeling of the Monterey peninsula.

The weakest holes were the ones I was most excited to play - the stretch on the ocean from 9 to 11. It turned out to be flat and and unispiring like a German Autobahn. Moliets in France also has a few ocean holes that break with the character of pine golf - (13 to 16) but these holes by RTJ are many times better than what can be found at Barseback.

The 17th is a wonderful hole with the ocean as a backdrop but the 18th? A sharp dogleg right where more trees have been planted to make it even tighter - the course ends on a sour note. Perhaps they will build a better finishing hole on the ground of the par 3 course in the future.

Amazingly conditioned course routed among the low, wind swept pines of western Scania. Tough and long, but never boring. Every single shot challenges your game. Some holes feel a bit unaccessible for the average golfer, but it is still a delight to walk this course. Will play again.

Will you like Barsebäck?

I think it very much depends on what kind of golf you prefer. Most Swedish golfers are brought up on parkland courses, or woodland courses which play as parkland rather than heathland. Most pro golf tournaments are also played on parkland courses, so many tour pros tend to prefer this kind of target golf, where they feel more in control than on windswept links or heathland courses where a bogey is just a poor bounce away.

However, for those of us who love nothing better than firm and fast turf, Barsebäck tends to disappoint as it does not really offer the heathland/links golf the site looks capable of. Therefore, if you plan your first outing to the region and your golfing taste is close to mine, put Falsterbo and PGA Links on top of your list instead.

All that said, it is a very capable championship layout which often is in very good condition. If you watch the European Tour regularly you may want to see to how the pros tackle the course 1-4 June, 2017, when the Nordea Scandinavian Masters comes to Henrik Stenson’s home course.

The three oldest reviews for the Masters awarded the course a 6-ball mark, which would indicate it’s a world class layout. The most recent 4-ball review (and the response from Louis Roren) is nearer the mark, in my opinion, because it’s a good course, but not great.

It doesn’t really get going for me until the 6th hole, doglegging right and uphill to a nicely contoured green. The par three 8th is more than a little contrived, forcing the routing down to the coastline, where the next three links like holes are played in splendid isolation.

I liked the cross bunkers on the right doglegged 11th but didn’t think these seaside holes really complemented what had gone before or what was still to come. I liked the heavily sand protected green on the par five 16th and that was about it, I’m afraid!

The idea of a parkland/seaside/woodland course is rather unique, I’ll grant you, but the sum of the parts didn’t really add up for me, to be honest, and I’d say the Masters course currently punches above its weight in the current national rankings (though it’s not alone in that regard).

The clubhouse and overnight accommodation facilities were excellent (even if it’s a quite a walk from one to the other) and I’ll always remember the roars from the club members when the Iceland football team scored their two goals against England during the European Championships on the large screen TV in the lounge that evening.

It’s just a pity the golf wasn’t as exciting earlier on the same day…

Jim McCann

Surprised at the previous scores for this course. Thought the opening stretch pretty ordinary, the seaside section interesting but out of kilter with the rest of the course. Some very nice pine tree lined holes to finish. Nice, but not that good.

Just played Master course and Donald Steel on Friday and Halmstad North/South on Saturday. The Masters Course was in great condition. Fairways were like thick carpets and the greens were fast. The course was often watered so is was in great conditon far better than Tylosand in Halmstad. The Donald Steel were in avarage shape and layout, but the Masters was truly magnificient and on par with Valderrama conditon wise - the rest is a matter of personal opinion.

Barseback Master course is a brilliant course with a great variety. The majority of the holes are in the pine forest, where tall, mature pines are surrounding the fairways. Here the main hazard is the trees. The rough is short in most places, and they only have branches in the top – so it is easy to find your ball. After seven holes, the course suddenly comes out into the open. Four holes along the sea give a great variety to the course, along with some fresh sea air after being in the forest. The Masters course is long, even played from the yellow club tees. The greens are in excellent condition and very fast. The fairways are also short and in excellent condition. This course is surely good. If you are looking for a less crowded course, try the Donald Steel, which is shorter, but more narrow.