Himmerland (Old) - Denmark

Situated less than an hour’s drive southwest of Alborg, the golfing element at Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort extends to 42 holes, comprising two 18-hole course and a 6-hole Academy layout. The Old course was first to appear in the late 1970s – so it’s not that old – with the New course following in the early 1990s.

The newer, longer New course gets most of the plaudits at Himmerland as it’s where professional tournaments are staged so it gains all the media attention but there are many amateur players who prefer the “affordable challenge” of the Old course (as the club describes the layout in its course guide).

Stretching to 5,377 metres (with only yellow and red tees in play), the Old course places “great demands on restraint and reflection” and its undulating greens are the main reason why it’s not easy playing to handicap here. Set amid “beautiful lakes and streams,” the Old is “a real parkland course that winds through the heavenly moraine hills.”

Highlight holes include the slightly right doglegging par four 4th (rated stroke index 1) and the first of the six par threes at the 162-metre 6th. On the inward half, the 12th is a tough par four (a couple of ponds eat into the right side of the fairway) and the 18th bends gently left to a home green that sits behind another water hazard.