Herzogswalder Links - Domestic links enjoyment by Christian Althaus

German golf course architect Christian Althaus is known for his natural, links-like and sophisticated design concepts. At Herzogswalde Golf Club, around 30 minutes' drive west of Dresden and just under an hour north-east of Chemnitz, you can enjoy these unusual designs on the nine-hole Herzogswalde Links. The history of the club began in 1995, when the 9-hole course (now known as the Parkland or Old Course) was opened. After a new investor came on board in 2015, the second nine holes, the Herzogswalder Links, and a very modern clubhouse were added in 2018. Today, the holes of the links course serve as the front nine, which can either be played separately or combined with the Old Course as an 18-hole round

Links golf at Herzogswald Golf Club

Particularly striking on the links course are the pronounced bunkers, which are otherwise more familiar from courses in the USA, Great Britain or southern Europe. The design also plays wonderfully with the differences in altitude: from the Tee, the course initially climbs slightly before returning to the starting altitude with the last holes of the maximum 2,925-metre course. From the very first fairway, the terrain rises slightly in gentle waves, and around the elevated green you encounter the dense Rough for the first time. The following Par-3 shows its teeth around the flag with pronounced bunkers.

Blind teeshots and lots of bunkers

Blind tee shots are typical of links courses - the first one is played uphill on hole 3. If the teeshot is too short, there is the threat of another shot without a view of the flag. After that, the direction of play changes and the course goes downhill again. The ditch in front of the green, which is offset to the right, is wonderful - as long as your ball doesn't land in it. Then it's uphill again with a blind teeshot, the Fairway is also undulating and bordered on the sides by dense Rough. A bunker zone crosses the fairway on the way to the green.

The following short Par-4 is one of the most beautiful holes for us. Absolute long hitters can choose whether they want to place the teeshot to the left or right of the flag - but a bunker landscape and dense Rough lurks in between. As the green covers several levels, Althaus shows on this hole that "short" does not necessarily mean "easy". The following Par-3 leads slightly downhill. A lush bunker zone cuts through the Fairway and is particularly dangerous for short hitters. Otherwise, the green is clearly undulating and slopes backwards, so even if you hit the green, a par is far from guaranteed.

We continue with the longest hole on the links course, a beautiful Par-5 downhill, which requires clear course management with bunkers and sloping Fairways. A Par-4 takes you back towards the clubhouse, with a pond lurking on the left and a Bunker on the right blocking the direct path towards the green, which is offset to the left. Once again, it becomes clear that you don't need to be a long hitter here (you can start with Wood 3 on many holes), but you do need a precise game with short irons and wedges as well as very good putters - a challenge that is rarely found in Germany.

If you like the design of the Herzogswalder Links, you should definitely also play the Herzogswalder Little Links - a short course over a maximum of 886 meters with nine Par 3 holes designed by Althaus, which corresponds to the links course in design style and inspires with beautiful and challenging holes.