By Briony Carlyon, europeantour.com
at Himmerland
Ahead of the upcoming Made in Denmark, europeantour.com explores three-time host venue Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort with 2015 champion David Horsey.
Following on from the 2012 redesign by Philip Spogárd, the Backtee Course officially re-opened in 2013 and plays to a par of 71 at 6,851 yards, with exposed fairways and undulating greens set to test the impressive field.
Situated 20km from the city of Aalborg in the exposed landscaped of northern Jutland, in the north of Denmark, a new tee on the 18th is the only significant alteration to the course since last year.
Although not coastal, an ability of ride the strong prevailing winds will often be what separates the leaders from the rest of the field at Himmerland.
Horsey will attempt to defend a European Tour title for the first time following his wire-to-wire victory here 12 months ago, when the Englishman survived a nervy finish to post a 13 under par winning total and secure a two-shot victory over playing partner Terry Pilkadaris and three others.
“It’s always a fantastic feeling to get a win,” said Horsey, speaking fondly of his Made in Denmark victory last year.
“Whether it be the first or whether it be the fourth, as it was, it’s always a great feeling to win, that’s what we play the game for. It’s the relief a lot of the time, too, it’s so intense out there and you can’t really take your finger off the pulse at all because one shot could cost you so much.”
That winning feeling is what we play for.
David Horsey
Known for being one of the most enjoyable weeks on the Tour for the players, the passionate Made in Denmark fans certainly add to the atmosphere and excitement at the tournament.
“The crowd is so noisy here,” he continued. “You know they are fantastic fans in Denmark and to win it in front of a crowd like that was very special.”
Looking to regain his form of 12 months ago, Horsey hopes what he experienced on the course last year will hold him in good stead for the week ahead.
He said: “I’ve been batting a few injuries, I had an operation in February and a little bit of a wrist issue in the last month, so my games been a bit hit and miss, but I’ve still got great memories I can hopefully feed off and have a great week.”
Overview
“You’ve got to get it in play at every course these days realistically, and it’s no different at Himmerland. In general the focus here is on your approach shots; getting it in close with your short irons and in good positions to hole some putts.
“Your approach here depends a lot on the wind because it can play such a massive part around this golf course and can gust quite strongly at times.”
Greens
“Speed-wise the greens are fairly average, usually running at around ten and a half to eleven feet on the stimp meter,” said Horsey. “With plenty of undulations and the wind, they can’t really get them too quick with but they roll very well and if you leave it on the best side more often than not they will give you a lot of chances for birdies.”
Three key holes
The 471-yard par four ninth
“Nine is a really tough hole across the side of a hill so it’s difficult to get it in the fairway,” Horsey noted.“You can really make a mess there.Witha massive slope in the fairway and such a narrow green, if you can get away from that hole on level par for the week you’ll be pretty happy. On the other hand, if you get your second shot going the wrong way on the wind there you can lose a ball, so it’s tough.”
The 128-yard par three 16th
“The 16th really makes this event. It was 79 yards in the final round last year and for a par three like that to still cause the problems that it caused, it proves that a hole doesn’t necessarily need to be 250 yards to be a good par three.
“All the best par threes in the world are short and that one with the amphitheatre around the green makes it such a special place.
“It’s quite an undulating, small green and with only a wedge in your hand you can end up spinning it, missing it on the wrong side and end up chipping down a tier or spinning it off a tier down the bottom and not quite getting it up.
“It’s a fun hole to play and certainly the signature shot of the golf course.”
The 461-yard par four 18th
“Obviously, the last hole in any tournament is massive and with a little bit of water up the right you can make a mess of it as much as you can make birdie. Get your drive it on the fairway and it becomes a fairly straightforward six or seven iron in and hopefully a two putt for the win!”
How it played last time
As he suggested, accuracy proved key to Horsey’s victory in 2015. The Cheshire native combatted the wind and rolling greens with some stunning approach play, finishing inside the top ten of the field in Greens in Regulation.
As anticipated, the ninth wreaked havoc on the field last year with 161 bogeys or worse registered at the par four, and with only 24 birdies recorded there last year it’s sure to be a critical hole again in 2016.
The easiest ranked hole 12 months ago was the par five sixth. Originally played as a par five during in the inaugural edition of Made in Denmark in 2014, when it was the most difficult hole on the course with 197 bogeys or worse, the sixth became a par five last year when it yielded a staggering 49 eagles and 305 birdies.
