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Royal Golf Club of Belgium Ravenstein

  • Creation

    1905

  • Architect

    Seymour Dunn - Tom Simpson - P. Mackenzie Ross

  • Description

    18 Holes "Old Course" Par 72 - 6045 m & 9 Holes "New Course" Par 32 - 1923 m

The Royal Golf Club of Belgium has been "Royal" since its foundation in 1905 by decision of King Leopold II. The Ravenstein Manor Farm - now the clubhouse - owes its name to its first owner, Philippe de Cleves, Squire of Ravenstein. That is why the Royal Golf Club of Belgium is sometimes still referred to as 'Ravenstein'.

The King particularly wished to implant coniferous of the same species as the ones he had been breeding with success in his Arboretum nearby.

The Ravenstein Manor Farm, which has become the Club House, has its own historical background which started in 1460 with Philip The Good, Duke of Burgundy. The first stone of the present Château was laid on 12th August 1748 by Charles-Henry Francolet de Terweynt. After several changes of ownership, the last being the Prince of Orange in 1826, the property was bought from the Belgian State in 1880 by King Leopold II who presented it to the « Royal Donation » in 1903 so that it could become the Club House for the projected golf course. designed the new course with a length of 3819 meters.

Today we still don’t know with certitude who designed the course at Ravenstein as nothing has been kept in our archives but one of the most plausible hypothesis is that the course has been, if not designed, at least inspired by Seymour Dunn, « the architect of the Kings ». This brilliant man who was a keen golfer and even a golf teacher, was also the architect of one of the most famous courses of the world : Royal County Down in Ireland.

In 1951 P. Mackenzie Ross designed the new course. This interesting and technical course challenges every level of golfer.