Royal Golf Club Des Fagnes

Overview: Winding through a magnificent, ancient forest of pines, birches, and heather in the Ardennes region, Royal Golf Club des Fagnes is widely considered one of Belgium's absolute masterpieces. Designed by Tom Simpson, the heathland layout features wide fairways that carve through the mature woodland, strategic bunkering, and large, undulating greens that demand creative short-game play. Set on sandy, well-draining soil, the course plays firm and fast, offering a timeless, elegant, and highly strategic test of golf.

History: Opened in 1930, the course was built to establish the spa town of Spa as a premier sporting destination for the European aristocracy. Tom Simpson, along with partner Philip Mackenzie Ross, utilized the natural contours of the forested landscape to route a course that avoids artificiality, establishing a layout that has hosted the Belgian Open on several occasions.

Did You Know? Tom Simpson designed the course with a unique, asymmetrical layout where the back nine features a rare collection of three par 5s and three par 3s, providing a highly entertaining, strategic, and varied closing stretch.