Österåker (Öster by Stenson)

The Österled (East) course at Österåker opened for play in 1988 as the more forgiving loop and played second fiddle to the club’s championship Västerled (West) course. Built on former agricultural land, the course was never at its best in the earlier part of the season. In the early 2010s it was also clear that the club could not compete in the upscale part of the market against more modern, sand-capped, layouts, including nearby Ullna, which was rebuilt in 2011.

Fortunately, the club owns the land and it is located close to expanding Åkersberga, so it was possible to sell a relatively limited area for a very significant amount (200 million SEK has been mentioned) which provided the resources to engage Henrik Stenson and Christian Lundin to design the new Öster by Stenson track on land formerly occupied by Österled and the 9-hole Hagby loop. The latter was eliminated by the rebuild and the real estate sale, but it was replaced by a new 9-hole short (par 3) course in the middle of the club’s property.

The differences to old Österled are very significant, mainly because of the large water hazards, flanked by palisades of wood. In fact, there is water in play on ten of the holes (3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 13, 15, 16, 17 and 18) so choosing tees wisely and keeping tee shots straight is important to keeping a decent score. In the same vein, the club sensibly restricts play from the Henrik Stenson tees furthest back to those with a handicap below scratch.

The difference also shows in the undulations built into greens and their surrounds as well as the many mounds flanking the fairways, creating separation between the holes, in what is for the rest an open landscape where the wind is a frequent factor shaping play. This was facilitated by the club getting paid for accepting many thousands of lorry loads from road building sites all over the Stockholm region during the construction phase.

It is difficult, and perhaps not important, to know exactly what has been Henrik Stenson’s input into the design and what we should hold Christian Lundin responsible for. Lundin maintains that Stenson was “very involved, but perhaps not when we tested different kinds of sand in the maintenance shed”. Some of the small signs out on the course are however clearly inspired Henrik’s famously dry wit.

In May 2021, the new Öster course hosted the final leg of the European Challenge Tour’s “Swedish Swing”. Frenchman Felix Mory won the Dormy Open to claim his maiden victory.