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John Mayhugh

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Bernardus (Kyle Phillips), Netherlands
« on: August 05, 2020, 12:28:50 PM »
About half an hour north of Eindhoven, there is a relatively new course by Kyle Phillips. I first read about Bernardus in Golf Course Architecture magazine early this year, and was reminded of it recently by an article in Golf Monthly.
https://www.golfcoursearchitecture.net/content/bernardus-golf-landscape-artist

I have yet to play any new build courses by Phillips - only his redesign/restoration work. Of course, he has some very prominent new design work with places like Kingsbarns, South Cape, & Yas Links. I'm wondering why so far relatively little has been shared about this course. Who on here has seen it? Looks like a lot of parallel holes and water in play on roughly half, which doesn't excite me much. But fescue playing surface does, and the photos I've seen are attractive. Private, but offers "day membership" for 150 Euro.

https://bernardusgolf.com/the-course/course-design

David_Tepper

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Re: Bernardus (Kyle Phillips), Netherlands
« Reply #1 on: September 16, 2021, 08:40:44 AM »
The Euro Tour is playing the Dutch Open this week at Bernardus. Has anyone played it in the year since John's initial post?

Tim Leahy

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Re: Bernardus (Kyle Phillips), Netherlands
« Reply #2 on: September 16, 2021, 11:01:45 PM »
I just finished the dvr of round 1 and the course looks fantastic. Kyle Phillips did a great job. Looks like it could host a Ryder Cup someday. I have never seen so many pros using putters from off the greens. Leaders are at -6 so its not too difficult but have seen some scary shots from heather and into burns/water. Greens are scary.
The announcers said members played off mats the month before so the fairways would be clean.
Would be interested to hear from GCA's as to what they think about the course as well as anyone who has played there.
I love golf, the fightin irish, and beautiful women depending on the season and availability.

Frank Pont

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Re: Bernardus (Kyle Phillips), Netherlands
« Reply #3 on: September 17, 2021, 07:59:46 AM »
Looks like a lot of parallel holes and water in play on roughly half, which doesn't excite me much. But fescue playing surface does, and the photos I've seen are attractive.


John, I think you are right in your analysis.


See a previous discussion on the course here on GCA, it was then called Cromvoirt:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,64021.0.html?PHPSESSID=d4d8jl603mcblusdt8omtnspu0
« Last Edit: September 17, 2021, 10:11:58 AM by Frank Pont »

Jeff_Lewis

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Re: Bernardus (Kyle Phillips), Netherlands
« Reply #4 on: September 17, 2021, 09:56:00 AM »
Has anybody played this course.  The announcers are gaga about it.   Can see some interesting positives and negatives out there.  Looks to be worth a go. 

Adam Lawrence

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Re: Bernardus (Kyle Phillips), Netherlands
« Reply #5 on: September 17, 2021, 10:12:45 AM »
Has anybody played this course.  The announcers are gaga about it.   Can see some interesting positives and negatives out there.  Looks to be worth a go.


I haven't, but my friend the golf architect Tim Lobb visited a few weeks ago and absolutely loved it.
Adam Lawrence

Editor, Golf Course Architecture
www.golfcoursearchitecture.net

Principal, Oxford Golf Consulting
www.oxfordgolfconsulting.com

Author, 'More Enduring Than Brass: a biography of Harry Colt' (forthcoming).

Short words are best, and the old words, when short, are the best of all.

Joel_Stewart

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Re: Bernardus (Kyle Phillips), Netherlands
« Reply #6 on: September 17, 2021, 10:39:43 AM »

Of course, he has some very prominent new design work with places like Kingsbarns, South Cape, & Yas Links.


Kyle is slowly building a great portfolio with more on the way.  His restoration work will always be highlighted by Cal Club but Hillcrest and Wilshire are outstanding. 

DFarron

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Re: Bernardus (Kyle Phillips), Netherlands
« Reply #7 on: September 17, 2021, 06:48:18 PM »

Of course, he has some very prominent new design work with places like Kingsbarns, South Cape, & Yas Links.


Kyle is slowly building a great portfolio with more on the way.  His restoration work will always be highlighted by Cal Club but Hillcrest and Wilshire are outstanding.


And his best work may very well be  Menlo!

Thomas Dai

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Re: Bernardus (Kyle Phillips), Netherlands
« Reply #8 on: September 18, 2021, 10:41:30 AM »
Watching this on the TV. Looks interesting especially when seen from eye level cameras.
Can’t help but wonder how much more challenging/interesting it (and other courses) would be without any kind of yardage details.
No walking ahead either.
All decisions based purely on the skill and judgement of eyeballing shots from where the ball lies.
Atb

David_Tepper

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Re: Bernardus (Kyle Phillips), Netherlands
« Reply #9 on: September 18, 2021, 12:51:34 PM »
"Can’t help but wonder how much more challenging/interesting it (and other courses) would be without any kind of yardage details. No walking ahead either. All decisions based purely on the skill and judgement of eyeballing shots from where the ball lies."

Thomas D. -

Do you seriously expect competitive golf (at just about any level) to played without the players having practice rounds to plan how they will play the course? Tournament golf has been played that way for 70-80 years, maybe longer.

DT

Thomas Dai

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Re: Bernardus (Kyle Phillips), Netherlands
« Reply #10 on: September 18, 2021, 02:02:16 PM »
You seem to have read something into my post David that wasn’t intended.
Once upon a time visual deception, camouflage etc were part of the golf course architects armoury. Alas not so much the case these days.
Once upon a time it was a skill in a players armoury and a test of their memory to understanding the use of visual deception, camouflage etc and how architects used it. Again, alas not so much these days.
Atb


jvisser

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Re: Bernardus (Kyle Phillips), Netherlands
« Reply #11 on: September 26, 2021, 01:48:57 PM »
I played it two years ago and was a referee at the Dutch Open two weeks ago. A few observations:
- the quality of the playing surfaces is outstanding, but they were on the soft side for the tournament as a result of significant amounts of rain just before the event. When I played there two years ago the greens were much firmer and some holes locations were tough to get to from certain angles.
- the course clearly needs to mature another 5 - 10 years as the heather is virtually non-existent and the native areas are mostly just fine to play from, so generally there is little penalty for missing the fairways, but given that one could end up in footprints etc. for which no relief is available one can get unlucky.
- the greens provide areas that are hard to reach from the wrong angle (in some parts of the fairways you can hardly see anything of the green)
- around the greens one should not short side oneself as this will provide a stern test of one's short game.
- for two days of the tournament, I was stationed at the parallel holes 9, 1 and 18 with connecting fairways around drive distance I could see that many players teeing off 18 and 9 preferred the first fairway; playing away from water and OOB and on the first quite a few ended up on the 18th fairway. Very few of those ending up on a different fairway were really hindered by it. Some probably preferred the angle to the green that they had to get to.
- talking to players many of them were really impressed by both the quality and the shots required to score well.

Comparing it to other recent expensive developments like The Dutch and The International, both of which I have played and officiated at in Dutch Opens, Bernardus for me is the best one looking at surroundings, consistency in the quality of the holes and the shaping that has been done on these properties. Although, I must admit that if the idea was to achieve a heathland like course at Bernardus, the way the water comes into play does not fit with other traditional heathland courses I know. On the other hand, there is plenty of natural water in the area, so water of itself is not far fetched.

In conclusion, I think it is a course worth playing especially once it matures over the coming decade. We should be pleased that someone is willing to put up the money to build and maintain such a course in The Netherlands.

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