Bro Hof Slott opens 12,000 square meter putting course

Bro Hof Slott Golf Club in Sweden has announced the opening of a fantastic new 12,000 square meter 18-hole putting course inspired by The Himalayas in St Andrews.

The club already has two fabulous 18-hole courses, The Stadium Course and The Castle Course, both designed by the great Robert Trent Jones Jr, located northwest of Stockholm by Lake Malaren and Bro Hof Castle.

The addition of the putting course has elevated Bro Hof Slott even further as one of Sweden’s finest golf clubs.

Located just by the clubhouse, the new course has gorgeous views over The Stadium Course and Lake Malaren. There is a total of 325 demanding meters to be navigated featuring dips, hills and contours, where length control and the ability to read greens will be required, as well as creativity and imagination.

The course opens this weekend, and over the next month all green fee guests are welcome to try it out for free. Then free play is included in the annual fee for all members, while members’ guests will pay SEK 150 and green fee guests SEK 300.

The inspiration for the venture comes not entirely unexpectedly from The Himalayas in St Andrews, the historic and challenging putting course near The Old Course at the Home of Golf, which can be played over both nine and 18 holes.

Björn Örås, Bro Hof Slott’s owner and founder, said: “We have taken the concept further than that and have tried to make a real putting course. It is based on real putts that you find on the course in real life. We have an incredible variety. There are typical birdie putts on three holes. There are four to five meter putts. Then we have three really long racks that are up to 40 meters. We have putts that go uphill, downhill and on slopes.”

He says the putting course can be played in conjunction with the club’s two 18-hole courses. “I think this is something many will see as an addition to their regular 18-hole round, and play it afterwards. It takes about an hour to play it for a four-ball and it’s a lot of fun.”

Jonas Lindgren, CEO and course manager, said: “The potential field of use is wide. Alongside social matches between members and guests, it can also become a vital part of corporate events. Yes, by extension possibly also hosting exhibition matches during future tour competitions.”

It was Örås and Lindgren themselves who drew up the design for the course which has great variation and enough space for the holes to be moved within a radius of three to four meters. They describe the design process as organic, where they stood out on the ground for hours and worked out the future holes taking into account the possibilities of the land.

“We have spent a lot of time on this, it must be said,” said Lindgren. “Between hole 8, which is at the bottom, and hole 18, which is at the top, there is probably a seven to eight meter difference in level, which means that it was not entirely easy.

“Everything is seeded with Penn A-4 grass, the same green grass we have at The Stadium Course and The Castle Course. It’s a big green, but with 18 greens inside it. We built them with drainage gravel. There are also 27 fairway spreaders out there.”

On September 10, the putting course will be properly tested when the club is hosting its first Club Championship in putting.

Bro Hof Slott Golf Club, Sweden

The Stadium Course at Bro Hof Slott Golf Club northwest of Stockholm opened in 2007 and is stunningly beautiful, situated directly on Lake Malaren by Bro Hof Castle. Measuring 8,054 yards, it’s considerably long with manicured fairways and several large lakes playing a huge role in the design.

The Castle Course opened in 2010, designed to the same quality, but offering a very different challenge, with elements of a Scottish links, tougher bunkers and narrower fairways. Both were designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr and the club hosted the Scandinavian Masters in 2010 and was a host candidate for the 2018 Ryder Cup.