Golf course

The LGCC course borders on the 'Tenhaagdoornheide' nature reserve and the nicely varied holes meander between heathland and wooded areas. The finish and maintenance of the green are always of a high level, making a visit a must, especially when the heath flowers (from mid-August until mid-September) as well as during the other months of the year.

Overview of the course

Take a look at a detailed map of each individual hole by clicking one of the numbers below or download the LGCC scorecard.

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10
• 11
• 12
• 13
• 14
• 15
• 16
• 17
• 18

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• MBT

  6.072 m

• MFT

  5.712 m

• LBT

  5.321 m

• LFT

  5.029 m

• Par

  72

• Stroke

  72

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Development of the golf course

The Hasselt-based couple, Mr and Mrs Emile Haumont Sr, was introduced to golf in the early Fifties and started practising this port at the golf clubs at Sart-Tilman and in Spa. They were soon joined by their friends and family. As a result, there was a real colony of Limburgers at Sart-Tilman in the Sixties and this group organised the famous 'prix des Limbourgeois' there every year. Soon they started dreaming of their own golf course in Limburg.

They started by looking for a suitable site to build such a course with the support of the then Governor, Louis Roppe and under the dynamic leadership of founding president, Jean Boes who had the expert assistance of Jan Baert, Benoit de Schaetzen, Emile Haumont and Jos Reynders. After several site visits and negotiations with various bodies and owners they concluded an agreement with the municipal council of Houthalen. The municipal council of Houthalen made available a 65-hectare piece of land, which is partly situated in the Tenhaagdoornheide nature reserve and partly in pine forest for a golf course. At the same time they founded the not-for-profit association Limburg Golf & Country Club, with 21 founding members.

Then they contacted the British golf course architect, Fred Hawtree, whose designs were renowned in the UK and abroad. He created some stunning plans and managed to take advantage of the typical natural scenery of the Kempen region. There were now 27 founding members and the first nine holes were inaugurated in April 1968 during a successful open house. The club was a hit from day one. In 1970 seven holes were added and two years later the 18-hole course was finally completed. The bustling clubhouse soon became famous for its fun evening entertainment and equally notorious figures. The site was continuously improved on a vast scale and during the last ten years the club invested heavily in its facilities. An automated watering system for the greens was installed in the early days. The system was soon expanded to include the tees and fairways.

The clubhouse was also significantly expanded to cope with the growing membership numbers. Today LGCC has 850 playing members. Visitors are always welcome, especially on weekdays. People often say that Houthalen is very similar to Scotland because LGCC’s unique setting with holes which meander through wooded areas with birch and pine trees and heathland albeit that the Limburg climate is fairer. The course measures 6,178 metres starting from the tiger tees and has a traditional and fair level of difficulty, which rewards a good shot and penalises bad shots. The heathland make the course particularly attractive, especially when the heath flowers from the end of July until mid-September. Houthalen is widely considered one of the more entertaining golf courses in Belgium because of the intelligent bunkering, the beautiful shape of the fairways, its putting lines which are quite delicate at some holes, the many dog-legs and the high level of maintenance. What’s more, the sandy soil means that you can play golf the year-round in the best conditions.