Du Roy de Blicquylaan 7,
Sterrebeek, Vlaams Brabant B-1933
Office
+32 (0)2 767 3969Pro shop
+32 (0)2 767 3969Website
Visit websiteGolf pro
Michel Vanmeerbeek (Head Golf Professional)Academy
The National Golf AcademyThe Course:
18 holes. Open parkland. Gently undulating terrain - a few slopes to climb.
Surroundings:
Open countryside.
Designer:
Belgian golf course architect Bruno Steensels.
6-hole Compact course (par-18, 500 m).
50.843291
4.512044
2 km SW of Sterrebeek / 14 km E of central Brussels.
National, The (Brussels)
The National Golf Brussels, located just outside Belgium's capital city, is home to a modern championship golf course, which opened for play in 2017. Set in a quiet area of attractive fields and paddocks, this relatively open undulating layout will seriously challenge all aspects of your game. With plenty of bold expansive bunkering, rolling elevation changes and a well-crafted linksy layout, both nine-hole loops provide a thoroughly enjoyable test.
Described by many as an "inland links", there are certainly many reminders here of seaside golf ... without the sea! Wonderfully rolling fairways, plenty of elevation change (but never too onerous to walk), and excellent quality bunkering are some of The National's hallmarks.
Water threatens on at least seven holes, most notably at the risk-reward par-5 18th ... one of the most fearsome closing holes in Belgium. A small lake wraps around the final green, with a large back bunker providing the only realistic "bail-out" option. The green might be comfortingly wide, but it lacks any depth at all; pin-point yardage is required for your final approach shot. Walk off this final green with par or better, and you'll certainly close-out your round on a high!
Two things The National will need to be mindful of as it justifiably settles into Belgian's elite. First, the linksy mounding is currently covered in fine fescues ... that needs to continue and not give way to all manner of vegetation that will try and take over. Second, the world's very best inland links (e.g. Erin Hills, Ballyneal, French Lick, et al) have barely any trees on the course ... The National already has far too many ...including many recent plantings.
Visitors welcome on weekdays (Mon-Fri), and as a member's guest (Sat/Sun).
Must book in advance. Maximum handicap for green-fee payers: 28 (men and women).
Credit cards accepted. Contact club for full details, discounts, packages, etc. [Last updated: 2018].
Players generally walk this course.
Excellent (incl a two-tier driving range).
The clubhouse and several holes at The National occupy land that was previously home to Belgium's largest horse racing facility, the Sterrebeek Hippodrome (aka Quatre Bras Hippodrome). The circuit was built in 1938-9 by Mr Jean Du Roy de Blicquy, but only one race could be held before the outbreak of World War II. During the war the new hippodrome was commandeered by the Germans as a hospital for horses.
After the war Sterrebeek became Belgium's largest horse racing facility with stall space for more than 300 horses. The circuit hosted both harness and flat racing on a lava track. As horse racing in Belgium seriously declined during the 1990s, an initiative to convert the circuit into a golf facility began to emerge in the early-2000s, culminating in The National opening for play in 2017.
5th best course in Belgium (Golf Digest, 2020).
Tournaments:
PGA Championship: the year’s second men’s major championship is hosted by Southern Hills CC, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Soudal Open: Belgium’s return to European Tour golf sees 36-hole Rinkven International GC host the Soudal Open, the country’s national open championship (May 12-15).
Who's Who:
Scottie Scheffler: bags the 2022 Masters Tournament title, and with it a fourth win in six starts on the PGA Tour and his first major championship victory.
Marco Simone Golf & Country Club "makes its tournament debut with the hosting of the Italian Open on the European Tour" by Richard Humphreys.
Golf Son Gual is located just a few kilometres from Palma (Mallorca). Palma's Old City shows clear influences from the city's Arab past.
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