Royal Oudenaarde (Kasteel)

Royal Golf Club Oudenaarde first opened for business in 1971 and within five years an 18-hole course was in play. By 1990, the golf facility had been expanded to a 27-hole layout then another nine holes were added in 2007, allowing the formation of the current Kasteel and Anker courses.

These two 18-hole layouts lie within the grounds of Petegem Castle – which now acts as a magnificent clubhouse for both courses – and local architect Dimitri van Hauwaert of Diamond Golf Architects, recently renovated the bunkers on all thirty-six holes on the property.

This tree-lined course plays to a par of 71 and it’s the shorter of the two Oudenaarde tracks, measuring a modest 5,889 metres from the back markers. The opening hole (“Captain’s Drive”) requires a testing tee shot across the castle’s lake and the closing hole (“Victory Lane”) plays back towards the imposing clubhouse and its inviting summer terrace.

In between these delightful starting and finishing holes, there’s a wide variety of golf to be played on the Kasteel, ranging from water protected par threes (at the 4th and 14th) to long, testing par fours (at the 398-meter 6th and 425-metre 17th). The longest and toughest of the par fives arrives at the 13th and it’s a demanding left doglegged hole, rated stroke index 6.

Pace of play is important here and a round on the Kasteel should take no more than 3 hours and 34 minutes according to the scorecard. And with the wonderfully melodic chimes from the castle’s bell tower ringing out regularly during play to keep you aware of the time, there’s really no excuse for not completing a game well within the 4-hour mark.

The club automatically acquired the "Royal" prefix when it celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021.