Ærø Golf Club
History of Ærø Golf Club
Dear reader, now comes an introduction that you may get a little bit tired of reading.
But as with the descriptions of the other island clubs, I start with the history of the club and end with the description of the golf course.
Ærø golf course, like other Danish island golf courses, has lived a tumultuous financial life, because it is difficult to get a large membership based on an island with only 6000 inhabitants.
In addition, it is difficult to create a large flow of green fee players to the course, for the sole reason that you can only get to the island by ferry.
The economy starts with the land on which the course is built.
That land was bought around 2006 for DKK 20 million.
A few years later they had a 9-hole par 3 course, a driving range, a putting greens and a fantastic 18 hole golf course.
They have made a real seaside course, with fairways down to the water and with views to the sea from all holes.
The great thing was that they had rented the lighthouse keeper’s house and converted it into a clubhouse.
Which gave and still gives the visitors a feeling of authenticity.
A wonderful atmosphere. See next picture.
And now, since it started, it is still so. The clubhouse and lighthouse are still owned by a private investor. But the club rents it and pays for it by taking responsibility for the maintenance and daily management.
If you browse through sources that can tell a little about the club’s history, it becomes clear that the club has had problems making ends meet almost from the start.
In 2009, the club was kept financially afloat by members paying a “crisis deposit” of 2000 kroner each and by receiving a loan from the municipality of 500,000 kroner.
In 2011, the club had a debt to the municipality of DKK 2.9 million but was saved when the municipal council cancelled the debt.
Again in 2019, the club got another financial problem when the club lost a municipal subsidy of approx. DKK 140,000.
However, this was offset by the fact that a private buyer of the course made the facility available to the golf club, (more or less for free). Mostly because the municipality exempted him from paying property tax on the purchase price, on the grounds that the club was a non-profit association.
And, as I understand it, the club took over the lighthouse keeper’s residence and the lighthouse in exchange for looking after and maintaining everything.
The lighthouse was and is open to visitors, which the club is also responsible for. Which, on the part of the club, requires a great deal of voluntary effort.
Entrance of visitors to the lighthouse and maintenance of the lighthouse is the responsibility of the club
For example, the club and members are responsible for the public toilets, which are not only used by the golfers, but also by tourists who come to visit the lighthouse, not the golf course. It costs money not only for cleaning, but also for toilet paper and soap.
Before you open the door to the toilet, you meet a sign with the invitation to pay 3 kroner via mobile pay. One of the ways they try to meet ends.
See the following picture with the invitation to pay for the entrance to the lighthouse.
It can be difficult. But still, when the deal was made, they were optimistic because new ferry connections to Marstal and Fynshav were established.
The hope was that the new ferry connections to the island would make it possible to attract more golfers.
At the same time, they started a collaboration with VisitÆrø, to attract green fee guests especially from Southern Jutland and Northern Germany.
This strategy, or should I call it the vision, was the same as the golf clubs on Læsø, Fanø and Rømø based their hope on. But it didn’t work for them, why should it then work for Ærø?
Another effort to attract more golf tourists, was to establish a webcam – they were probably one of the first clubs to do this.
The club placed the camera on the top of the lighthouse. Here the camera works 24/7 and gives a fantastic view of the golf course and the nature.
Take a look for yourself: http://g0.ipcamlive.com/player/player.php?alias=5c94a84fb8b02.
(beware if you watch 👀 this at night – it will be dark 🤣🤣)
The following picture is from the front page of their course guide.
I guess it’s taken with the webcam, set on panoramic recording. It gives quite a good impression of the course.
Several of the following pictures of the golf course are clipped from the webcam footage.
Unfortunately, I did not get the opportunity to ask some of the club members whether these campaigns and activities have attracted more green fee player and helped the club’s financial situation.
Langeland golf has not succeeded either, with this strategy, but they have managed to retain independence. Probably mostly because they have had a very tight financial management. As one of the members from Langelands Golf said: We have never made a deficit.
But let me now leave this “boring topic” and take a look at the golf course, which is truly unique and great to play.
Introduction to Ærø’s golf course
Despite all the financial problems the golf course and facilities (clubhouse, driving range, putting greens etc.) is laid out in a nature that is completely unique.
A course that is both easy and difficult to play – depending on your ambition.
And if you find it boring to play the course, you can try if you are better at Football Golf. Which is a new facility that has been added.
Here, a golfing holiday of a week can very quickly reach its end – before you are ready to take the ferry back home.
The architect of the course is the same who designed Langeland’s course (described in the previous blog post). And also, here he did an absolutely fantastic job. Henrik Jacobsen is his name.
His biggest problem to turn this landscape into a golf course is or was the many stone fences, all of which run from the beach diagonally inland. And since virtually all fairways are laid out along the water, there are many stone fences that run across the fairways.
Not only has this presented great challenges for the architect, but they are a lasting challenge for the golfer.
Permanent, because all stone fences are protected by the Danish Nature Agency. They must not be moved or degraded. However, openings have been made that you can hit through the openings.
Playing the course
Here we look back towards the tee on hole 1. With the Skjoldnæs lighthouse in the background.
The first 9 holes run on the south side of Ærø, and the last 9 holes run behind Skjoldnæs Lighthouse, on the northern tip of the island.
There are a lot of good, inspiring, relatively easy, as well as difficult holes.
Right from the first tee, you start a fantastic journey and experience. Due to the nature, the seaside and the golf design.
Not a real links, but a seaside golf course.
All we need here is the heather, the pot bunkers and the sandy fairways to call it a links. And then it’s all about getting started!
First hole, par 4, 345 meters from yellow. Index 5.
Notice the trees. There is no doubt where the wind is coming from!
Next, be aware that on the way to the green there are 3 stone fences running across the fairway.
Hole 1 has 3 stone fences at 215m, 125m and 28m from the green
This is a hole that, according to the architect’s philosophy, can provide a good start to the round. Not particularly long or difficult. What you see is what you get. There are no surprises here. And yet you will find 3 stone fences across the fairway up towards the green. And a hidden water hazard on the left going from 157 meters to 170 meters ahead. Stay out of that.
Hole 6, par 4, 340 meters from the Yellow tee. Index 9.
A good golf hole. What you can’t see in the picture is that there are (again) 3 places where stone fences run across the fairway.
Here, it’s all about knowing your lengths. When we played the course, it was quite dry, so a shot into the second or third cut didn’t cost a shot.
And now using the 24/7 WebCam
You know I was talking about a web camera on the top of the lighthouse. The following pictures are clips of what the camera shows in recording on time.
Hole 9, webcam view. 460 meters, par 5, index 11.
A beautiful walk up towards the tip of the island. Here we look south.
When we played the course it was almost windless, but it’s not hard to imagine how challenging it can be with a stronger wind.
Hole 10, webcam view, par 3, 155 meters from yellow, index 18.
An easy hole – apparently – straight, downhill towards a large green leaning from trailing from the front edge in 2 levels. Only one bunker on the right. Looks easy …… and very welcoming.
Try – you may be surprised.
One of the things about this golf course that impresses and fascinates me is the character of all the golf holes. They are different and all present challenges that comes again and again. Different and yet similar.
The only hole that deviates from this description is hole 13.
Here you can’t see what you’re getting or what you’re facing – neither in your first shot from the tee nor in the second shot. Exciting, but you cannot plan your strategy until you’ve played this hole a few times.
Conclusion
Ærø golf course is a great course.
Laid out in a fantastic nature. Even if your game is not on the top, you will enjoy the walk and the nature.
The only thing we missed was finishing the round with a golfing meal and a social talk with other golfers in the club house. You can buy a beer or soda in the automat and pay with mobile pay.
But the golfing ambience is not there.
Sorry, but go there and help to keep this course alive and go somewhere else to get you golfing lunch or dinner.
It’s a great golf course – one of the best seaside courses in Denmark – my opinion!
And now we are home.
I woke up around 4 o’clock in the morning.
From the reflection in the garden house’s window, I saw a fire.
Holy Moses, I thought.
I better get up. And then, standing on the terrace, I realized it was the reflection of the up-coming sun. Coming from east-northeast.
This is what I saw:
A nice: – Welcome home.
That is the end of this Island trip – there are 3-5 other islands that we might visit – keep watching !!!!
If you have any comments or questions feel free to contact us on the blog. At the end of the blog post you will see the Comments paragraph
