- AddressGreat Northern Ave 1, 5300 Kerteminde, Denmark
Kerteminde is a small harbour town known for its red-roofed merchants’ houses. It's located on the northeastern corner of Funen, Denmark’s third largest island. With a population of only 6,000, Kerteminde might seem like an unusual place to build an upscale golf resort. However, the town is a very popular summer destination with many holiday houses and summer villas. It’s also close to Odense, the main city of Funen, and it’s just a short detour from the E20 motorway, which is the main connection between Denmark and the continent.
With these qualifications, maybe it's a brilliant choice of location for the Great Northern resort.
Upon arrival at Great Northern, the bonsai-like tree in the centre of the courtyard is framed by the stylish gables of the ultra-chic clubhouse and the infinity waterfall in the reception area, embossed with the club logo, oozes class. One can immediatley sense the attention to detail that has gone into the development of the Great Northern resort.
Seven artificial lakes were built during the construction of the Great Northern golf course, which officially opened for play in July 2017. It’s no wonder water is a strategic feature on many of the holes. The sequence from the 4th to the 6th hole offers interesting variation both in terms of length and influence of water. The 4th, with water on the left, affects the drive on this brutal par four at 415 metres from the club tees. The slightly shorter 398-metre 5th is where the fairway pinch bunker and the greenside bunker cleverly frames the line of play with a lake on the right of the fairway. Then the short 6th where a pin long left offers an exercise of suspense for the approach shot.
An interesting feature from an architectural perspective is that the 7th and 13th are both short, driveable par fours, which are laid out in opposite directions in relation to the prevailing wind.
The other main feature of Great Northern is a 40-metre high hill on the west side of the course, where eight of the holes are laid out offering interesting challenges in terms of elevation change and spectacular views – the 3rd is a long downhill par three with the clubhouse area as an arresting backdrop. The delightful view of the Storebælt Bridge (the bridge between Zealand and Funen) is a splendid target for the tee shot on the long, downhill par five 14th hole. While the 15th is rather tongue-in-cheek, water is again introduced, this time in the form of a small beck that cascades over lovely wooden levees in front of the green.
Great Northern should be an interesting proposition both for the accomplished players as well as the regular club golfer, just make sure to choose the right tees for your skill level. With an excellent restaurant and fifteen stand-alone suites, why not plan for a stay and a second round to get even?
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Jack Nicklaus will forever be associated with greatness on the golf course, but it’s his design work that should also be remembered in equal measure to his magnificent competitive achievements on the links.