A concise history

Clubhouse

The Golf & Countryclub Oudenaarde owes its existence to the efforts of its current chairman, Lieven Santens, as early as 1969. Mr Santens wished to create a place in Oudenaarde at which high-ranking politicians and captains of trade and industry could meet.
On 18 September 1969, he wrote to the National Organization of Public Golf Courses expressing his intention of founding a golf club.

Then whilst driving one day early in 1971, Mr Santens was delayed at the bridge over the Scheldt river at Oudenaarde. By chance, he met Albert van den Hecke, who at that time was the water bailiff. As was his habit with anyone he met, Mr Santens described his golfing project to Mr van den Hecke, and his search for a suitable site. He had run into just the right man.
Mr van den Hecke told him that the course of the river Scheldt at Melden was to be straightened, and that for this purpose, the Belgian authorities had compulsorily purchased thirty hectares of land surrounded by the bend of the Scheldt. Perhaps, he said, the land could be leased or even purchased from the state. Before the bridge had even swung closed, Mr Santens was standing on the fallow land of the former Scheldt marshes, trying to grasp its potential. He found low-lying, heavy clay soil which was regularly flooded in the winter.

An aerial photograph from the time clearly shows the location of the Melden marshes within the bend of the Scheldt. On the left bank of the Old Scheldt, the "Anker" can be seen. This was formerly the site of a café, and a ferry had provided access to the opposite bank. Downriver, the beautifully restored old castle can be seen, and a little further on the new castle: our present club house. Further still downriver is the area containing the monastery of Beaulieu Abbey. This was the area explored that day by Lieven Santens. He immediately reported his findings to a number of friends. The outcome was to be one of the most important dates in the history of our golf club.

On 6 April 1971, a founding meeting was held at Lieven Santens' home with the intention of establishing a golf club in Oudenaarde. And consequently, on 27 April 1971, the association bearing the name "Golf & Countryclub Oudenaarde" was formed.

On 20 July 1973, a meeting was held with the Belgian Ministry of Agriculture in order for an agreement to be reached on the acquisition of land that had been compulsorily purchased within the oxbow of the river Scheldt. Purchase negotiations lasted until April 1974. On 15 March 1974, the limited company of "N.V. Immobiliën Golf- & Countryclub Oudenaarde" was formed. It was to have the function of managing the real estate of the future golf club.

The land was finally purchased on 8 April 1974. Although the first balls were teed off as early as November 1975, the official opening of the 18 holes did not take place until May 1977.

In April 1990, work began on the extension from 18 to 27 holes. Agricultural land between the castle park and Beaulieu Abbey had been purchased to accommodate this expansion. The new nine holes, the first tee of which was at the castle lake, were officially opened on 24 August 1991.

Another important milestone in our golfing history is March 1994, when the castle was purchased.

During this period, ideas were sketched and the first contacts made for a new extension.
In this exploratory phase, we initially thought that the obvious direction of expansion would be to the east (the Beaulieu and Oudenaarde site), in view of the space available there along the Scheldt marshes. This proposal was however rejected by the authorities.
A new proposal from the authorities in Brussels concerning a possible extension to the west in the direction of Elsegem was examined carefully by the club. This offered a neat link between two recreation areas, the golf club on the one hand and the "Ghellinck" municipal park on the other.
However, it proved impossible to create an additional 9-hole course, owing both to purchasing difficulties (30 different property owners) and golfing constraints (too narrow). Our counter-proposal, submitted on 5 June 1998, ultimately turned out to be the right solution.

Despite the many hurdles, disappointments, difficulties, pitfalls and almost Kafkaesque red tape, we finally reached our goal on 24 April 2006, when a building permit was issued for the construction of a further nine holes. Immediately – and we mean immediately – the excavators were put to work, and in September of that year, just one day before the beginning of autumn, the last length of grass was sown. The mild winter led to a steady growth, and young trees and shrubs were planted in the spring of 2007.

The result:
Since September 2007, Golf & Countryclub Oudenaarde has had two 18-hole courses: "Kasteel" and "Anker".
Kasteel is named of course after our splendid club house (built in 1847) and starts across the famous castle lake.
Anker starts at the "Chalet Baziel" and reaches its high point with the recently modified par of 3 across the castle lake towards the club house.