Golfvereniging Albatross

Golfvereniging Albatross in Prinsenbeek, North Brabant, is a nine-hole, par-35 parkland golf course on the Boschdal estate, designed by Alan Rijks.

Can visitors play Golfvereniging Albatross? Yes, provided they hold an NGF card from the Dutch golf federation. Green fee players book a tee time in advance with the caddie master, by phone or email, and Albatross limits the number of visitors per day.

Golfvereniging Albatross sits on the Weimersedreef in Prinsenbeek, on the Boschdal estate near Breda. The estate dates from 1648. Since Prinsenbeek was annexed by Breda, the course has once again been on Breda territory. The Albatross clubhouse stands like a cloverleaf in the middle of the course.

The Albatross course was designed by Dutch golf architect Alan Rijks. The club describes it as a tricky parkland course, with plenty of water, wooded banks and strategically placed bunkers.

A group of hockey friends from Breda founded Albatross on 15 April 1987. The first three holes opened in August 1989 and three more followed in September 1990; the full nine has been in play since 1992. The old hockey clubhouse was renovated and extended in 1996 and became the current Albatross clubhouse.

The nine holes at Albatross are six par 4s, two par 3s and one par 5. The 9th, a 404-metre par 4 from the yellow tees, is stroke index 1. The 7th is the longest hole, a 442-metre par 5, and the 2nd the shortest, a 110-metre par 3.

An 18-hole round at Albatross means playing the nine twice, at par 70. The 18th is shorter than the 9th, at 359 metres from the yellow tees. The 18 holes measure 5,455 metres from the yellow tees and 4,314 metres from the orange tees. Men from the yellow tees face a course rating of 70.3 and a slope of 127. For women, the red tees give a course rating of 72.2 with a slope of 128.