A new 27-hole golf complex in southern Belgium, close to the border with Luxembourg, will start construction in June.
The Bois d’Arlon Golf and Resort, being developed by Luxembourg-based property investor Roby Schintgen, will feature an 18-hole Heathcourse designed by Stuart Hallett and a nine-hole Park course by Jonathan Davison, and is expected to open in 2023.
Schintgen bought the Château du Bois d’Arlon and its 27 hectares of land in 2013, and a year later acquired the surrounding 190 hectares of forest.
“Ninety per cent of my course, which is in the land surrounding the chateau and its immediate estate, will be on pure sand, which is 10-12 metres deep,” said Hallett. “It is a large, open heath, gently undulating and ideally suited for golf.
“When I saw the site, I thought, ‘I have to walk this property and find natural golf holes’. So that was what I did. There was one part of the site that was just beautiful – with heather, broom and the like – and it would be criminal to rip it up.
“There are seven or eight holes that are basically entirely natural, and the rest were made to fit around it. In much of the site, it is just a question of stripping the vegetation and seeding it. There are a couple of beautiful natural punchbowl greens, and the sixth hole is a glorious, natural par five along the edge of the property that is just breath-taking. It will have fescue greens. Building the course will not need that much earthwork.”
Davison’s nine holes, in the chateau’s park, are on heavier soil that has more undulation. “It is more traditional parkland, but still very beautiful ground,” he said. “It will be clean, crisp and subtle, and the greens will be bent, giving a good contrast between the two courses. We will sandcap using sand extracted from the driving range – which will be lowered by about four metres.”
The two courses will be built simultaneously.
The facility will operate as a golf resort but will also offer memberships. The new hotel will have 65 bedrooms, while the chateau will continue to operate as a venue for functions.