57 HENRIK STENSON & CHRISTIAN LUNDIN and Muirfield. I like TPC Sawgrass, for its look and playability. Pete Dye was very inspired by the links courses, maybe that’s why Sawgrass appeals to me. Le Golf National in Paris has the risk and reward element that I find very important. Are there any golf course features that you particularly like or dislike? Stenson: Clown faces and windmills…! No, but seriously, neither of us is a big fan of gimmicks. Lundin: Agreed. Features like logo bunkers and volcano traps won’t appear on our courses. Stenson: As we said, it’s about honesty. Take drivable par fours, for example. These are fantastic holes which add interest to a round of golf. But unfortunately, holes like these have lately been tricked up to make them hard for those few of us on major tours. And that makes them completely unplayable for the average golfer. There was a drivable par four on one of our tournament courses recently where we all could reach it, some even with irons. But there were such severe run-offs at the green that even shots that were almost perfect rolled off the green. We were basically asked to hit a target of the size of a dining table to end up on the green. I would rather reward a good shot, than let holes be so hard that no one wants to go for it. Can you tell us about your project at Österåkers? Stenson: It’s a great first project for the company. It’s in my home country and it’s a total revamp of 36 holes. Here we get the chance to showcase two different styles of course at a classic Swedish venue. I am really excited about the opportunity. Lundin: To be honest, it’s a quite boring bit of land, but we have been importing a huge amount of soil – approximately 1.2 million cubic metres – from outside construction sites to generate some movement for the first 18 holes and the practice areas. Stenson: The first layout is in parkland. It will have very few hidden features and be more ‘what you see is what you get’ in style. You will need to think strategically, with placement of water features and bunkers impacting your decision-making. 2018 saw us opening the practice range, which is quite unique for the Scandinavian market. It has several greens and surrounds for more realistic practice. We’ve used artificial grass for all target areas, including the bunkers. In 2019 we will open the first 18-hole course, the par three course and short game area. We are really looking forward to that. Lundin: The plan is then to wait a year for the second course to start, Photo: Peter Corden Stenson and Lundin are collaborating on a 36-hole revamp of Österåkers near Stockholm, Sweden
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