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Denmark
With the first rays of summer now in sight, Andrew Marshall heads to Copenhagen t o sink a few putts and a few pints
Images Paul Marshall
Golf and beer – some things in life are just meant to go together, and few places combine these twin pleasures quite like Copenhagen, one of Scandinavia’s liveliest and most vibrant cities. With a rich beer-drinking culture and over 30 golf courses (many of which are pay and play) within an hour’s drive of the city, the Danish capital is the perfect destination for a mini break with a difference.
Get your trip underway by driving north to the outskirts of Copenhagen, where you’ll find the Royal Copenhagen Golf Club (the oldest golf club in Denmark). It’s situated in the grounds of Dyrehaven, originally the king’s hunting park and now a beautiful nature reserve of open spaces and mature trees.
Unchanged since 1928 – apart from small tweaks involving bunkers and trees – the course is a fairly straightforward affair played over mildly rolling terrain, with few forced carries and only a couple of blind landing areas. The fairway turf is excellent, but the biggest hazard is the tough, springy fescue rough, where the best option – if you can find your ball – is to forget about going for the green and concentrate on getting it back on the fairway.
This course might not make it into the world’s top 100, but the setting and the local wildlife (over 2,000 deer roam freely over the fairways and greens) certainly make it different. It’s a pleasant course on which to kick-start your golfing getaway.
After your round, continue another 30km north up the coastal road to Simon’s Golf Club in the town of Humlebæk, where you can bed down for the night in charming cottage-style accommodation at the Hotel Nybogaard (www.nybogaard.dk). Before bedtime, head to the club’s bar, The Albatross, which has a variety of house beers on tap. Order a pint, join the locals and sink into a comfy leather armchair to catch up on some USPGA tour action on the big TV screen.
In the morning, just a golf club away from your bed is Simon’s 27-hole golf facility, with three nines (labelled A, B and C) that meander and wrap around a scenic lake. Simon’s is a very green course with moderate elevation changes over gently rolling terrain. Although situated a little inland, you can still make out Sweden across the narrow Øresund Strait from some of the higher spots. The greens are relatively small and tricky, with some sporting multiple levels.
With an afternoon’s golf under your belt, head back south around Furesø Lake and visit Bryggeri Skovlist (2 Skovlystvej, Værløse) in Hareskovby. At this brewpub set in picturesque woodland the unique brewing concept is to utilise natural products from the forest. They’ve experimented with maple syrup, birch sap and woodruff, a forest plant that imparts a beautifully spicy, aromatic flavour to the beer.
Back in Copenhagen, take a day off from the greens to really concentrate on the ambers, reds, browns and blacks of Danish beer culture. Wander up the cobbled Ny Carlsberg Vej in the Valby district towards the giant Bornholm granite elephants that guard the grounds of the world-famous Carlsberg Brewery, founded in 1847.
Take a self-guided tour of interactive displays and exhibits on beer production and history, including the world’s largest collection of beer bottles (17,965 at the time of writing), a steam engine that revolutionised early industrial beer production and antique copper vats used in the brewing process. The tour ends at the second-floor Jacobsen Brewhouse, where you can order a couple of beers, including the Carl’s Special – a beautiful, dark malt that’s smoother than Pádraig Harrington’s putting stroke.
From the Carlsberg Brewery, stroll back towards the city centre and the picturesque Nyhavn district, with its showpiece canal that was dug in the 17th century to allow traders to bring their wares into the heart of the city. Today, traditional sailing craft crowd the canal, adding to the salty atmosphere among the colourful gabled townhouses.
A short walk from the Nyhavn district is the beginning of Strøget, billed as the longest pedestrian shopping area in Europe, with several fine watering holes in the area. A good example is the Hvide Lam (5 Kultorvet), a cosy bar with a nice mix of locals and visitors. In the evening you may catch a jazz band performing a snappy number in the corner by the billiard table.
Other traditional watering holes worth checking out include Copenhagen’s oldest, Hviids Vinstue, founded in 1723 (19 Kongens Nytorv), the Lord Nelson Bar (9 Hyskenstræde) and Charlie’s Bar (33 Pilestræde) – all serious haunts for beer lovers.
The Nørrebro Bryghus (3 Ryesgade), a combined microbrewery, bar and restaurant located in a former metal goods factory, is a dream come true for master brewer Anders Kissmeyer. “The beer is a primary source of inspiration for our head chef and is used as both ingredient and seasoning – as well as in the glass accompanying the food,” he says. Reserve the Brewers Table for a seven-course gourmet meal served with Nørrebro’s own hand-crafted brews.
Back in the city centre is another top-notch microbrewery, the Vesterbro Bryghus (Vesterbrogade 2b), where you can buy sample trays of the fine beers brewed on the premises.
When it’s time to tee off again, head about 35 minutes west of Copenhagen to Nick Faldo’s first Scandinavian course design. Ledreborg Palace Golf, near Lejre, was opened in 2007. The 18-hole championship-standard course is an inland links-style layout that weaves its way through the sumptuous grounds that border the 18th-century Ledreborg Palace, a landmark that’s still home to an aristocratic Danish family.
Also highly rated among Danish golfers is the Skjoldenæsholm Golf Center at Jystrup, south of Ledreborg. It offers two 18-hole golf courses within the historic surroundings of Skjoldenæsholm Manor. The more recent of the two, designed by golf-course architects Robert Trent Jones II, is a top-quality open, risk/reward layout framed by forests.
Golfers and beer aficionados will think they’ve staggered into paradise in and around Copenhagen. “Cheers!” Or, as the locals say, “Skol!”
Tee time around Europe
If you fancy heading south in search of some milder weather, then hit the golfing greens at these sunny southern destinations
Lisbon
Another great option for a golf break combined with a city escape is Lisbon. Days off the course can be spent exploring the Portuguese capital’s cobbled, hilly streets, impressive architecture and shops. Just outside the city, The Penha Longa Golf Courses in Sintra are a golfing paradise comprising two first-class courses, The Atlantic and the Monastery. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr and voted among the best 30 courses in Europe, the Atlantic is an 18 hole course, the front 9 of which have just been reopened after an extensive makeover. The nine-hole Monastery course is just as appealing but not as challenging. So no matter what your handicap, there’s golfing to suit all abilities.
Malaga
Golfing enthusiasts who haven’t already played a round on one of Malaga’s extensive courses will find that it offers great golfing conditions due to wonderful weather year-round. Home to some of the best courses in Europe, which host international tournaments such as the Ryder Cup, Malaga boasts more than 40 golf courses to suit all levels. The Anoreta Golf course and Parador Golf Club, which has the oldest course in Malaga, are both worth checking out.
Rome
The new Argentario Golf Resort & Spa is nothing like your traditional country hotel. Mixing chrome antlers, vintage furniture and a contemporary take on Tuscan luxury, this understated estate will put a swing in the step of even the most golf shy. Large windows and private terraces provide plenty of opportunities to take in the cork forests and olive trees that encircle this resort in the lush environs of Porto Ercole.
www.argentariogolfresortspa.it
Sicily
Rocco Forte’s new Verdura Golf & Spa Resort near Agrigento opens next month and will make Sicily a world-class luxury golfing destination.
Address book
Watering holes and golfing greens
Where to play golf
■ Ledreborg Palace Golf tel. +45 4646 1630, www.lpg.as
■ Royal Copenhagen Golf Club tel. +45 3963 0483, www.kgkgolf.dk
■ Simon’s Golf Club tel. +45 4919 1478, www.simonsgolf.dk
■ Skjoldenæsholm Golf Center tel. +45 5753 8700, www.proarkgolf.dk
Breweries/Micro Breweries
■ Bryggeri Skovlyst tel. +45 4498 6545, www.bryggeriskovlyst.dk
■ Carlsberg Visitors Centre tel. +45 3327 1282, www.visitcarlsberg.dk
■ Nørrebro Bryghus tel. +45 3530 0530, www.norrebrobryghus.dk
■ Vesterbro Bryghus tel. +45 3311 1705, www.vesterbrobryghus.dk
FR ‘Birdies’ et bières au Danemark
Dans la vie, certains couples sont décidément faits pour s’entendre : le golf et la bière, par exemple. Et pour conjuguer les plaisirs de la mousse et des greens, Copenhague, la plus vaste et la plus animée des capitales scandinaves, n’a pas son pareil
Commencez donc votre périple par le Club de Golf Royal de Copenhague, le plus ancien club de Scandinavie. À 20 minutes de route seulement du nord de Copenhague, il est implanté au milieu du parc de Dyrehaven.
Poursuivez ensuite vers le nord, le long de la route côtière, et optez pour un parcours d’un tout autre ordre au Bar Albatross à Humleboek, avant de reprendre votre swing au Club de Golf Simon. Ce superbe site de 27 trous se compose de trois parcours, qui déroulent leurs fairways sinueux autour d’un lac spectaculaire.
Sur le circuit, ne manquez pas la visite de la brasserie Bryggeri Skovlist (Skovlystvej 2, Værløse). Sa bière est fabriquée selon un concept unique, à partir des meilleurs ingrédients naturels issus de la forêt environnante.
Pour se consacrer pleinement à l’univers de la bière et à ses nuances ambrées, rouges, brunes et noires, certains golfeurs seront sans doute tentés de délaisser le terrain pour une journée. Si c’est votre cas, partez à la découverte de la Brasserie Carlsberg ou des tavernes danoises traditionnelles dans les environs de Strøget.
Après cette parenthèse, vous repartirez de plus belle sur le green. Pour y arriver, roulez 35 minutes depuis le sud de la capitale direction Ledreborg Allé, où se trouve le premier terrain de Nick Faldo en Scandinavie : le Golf de Ledreborg Palace. Ce cours de 18 trous, conçu pour les championnats et dessiné dans un style ‘inland’, se déploie sur les somptueux abords du Palais de Ledreborg, qui date du XVIIIe siècle.
Au rang des terrains très appréciés des golfeurs danois, on citera également le Centre de Golf Skjoldenæsholm à Jystrup. Il offre deux parcours distincts de 18 trous, situés dans le cadre historique du Manoir de Skjoldenæsholm.
NL Birdies en bier in Denemarken
Sommige dingen des levens zijn haast gemaakt om hand in hand te gaan. Op weinig plaatsen gaan de geneugten van bier en golf zo harmonieus samen als in Kopenhagen, een van de meest levendige en bruisende steden van Scandinavië
Start je avontuur met een ritje van 20 minuten ten noorden van Kopenhagen, naar de Royal Copenhagen Golf Club (de oudste golfclub van Kopenhagen), pal in het midden van Dyrehaven.
Speel een rondje, stap opnieuw in de wagen en zet koers langs de kust naar een ander soort rondje in de Albatross Bar in Humleboek. Vervolgens kan je opnieuw de clubs bovenhalen in Simon’s Golf Club, een terrein met 27 holes waaronder drie negens die zich een weg kronkelen om en rond een schilderachtig meer.
De volgende stop op de rondrit is een bezoek aan het nabijgelegen Bryggeri Skovlist (Skovlystvej 2, Værløse), een café/brouwerij dat werkt volgens een uniek concept: ze gebruiken natuurlijke producten uit de omliggende bossen voor de bereiding van hun lekker gerstenat.
Wie op dit punt even genoeg heeft van het golfen, kan zijn pet aan de haak hangen en de blonde, rode, bruine en zwarte elementen van de Deense biercultuur wat meer in detail gaan bestuderen. Sluit je aan bij een rondleiding in de Carlsbergbrouwerij of schuif een kruk bij in een van de traditionele Deense cafés in de buurt van Strøget.
Zodra de innerlijke mens voldoende versterkt is, is het tijd om je opnieuw op de grasmat te wagen. Rij 35 minuten in zuidwestelijke richting weg van de hoofdstad naar Ledreborg Allé. Je vindt er Nick Faldo’s eerste Scandinavische golfterrein: Ledreborg Palace Golf. Dit terrein met 18 holes is opgetrokken volgens de officiële standaarden voor kampioenschappen. Het is een inlandse linksbaan (d.w.z. in de nabijheid van de zee) die doorheen een prachtig glooiend terrein slingert, vlak naast het 18e-eeuwse Ledrebord paleis.
Een ander golfterrein waarover Deense golfspelers de loftrompet steken is het Skjoldenæsholm Golf Center in Jystrup. Deze heeft twee courses van elk 18 holes, allebei in een historische sfeer rond de Skjoldenæsholm Manor.
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