Gut Kaden offers 27 holes, playable in combinations A, B and C. The championship course for the…read moreDeutsche Bank Players Championship is the C, A combination and this is what we played last friday.
Slightly elevated over the driving range you'll find the C1 teeboxes. The par four isn't the hardest to play, a dogleg left with bunkers guarding the left and right side of the fairway around the landing zone. My four iron found the left side of the fairway and rolled into the rough a little short of the bunker. I had 135 meters left to the green, but the thick rough let me forget all thoughs of attacking the pin. I cleared the bunker ahead with the wedge and landed my third shot on the green.
Center green is normally good. This time - to protect the greens a little bit from us amateurs - the pins were tucked to the very edge of the green on all holes on the course. Awkward position, but helpful in situations, where your putt was too fast, then the first cut helped slowing it down.
Hole C2 is a par three with a lake guarding the gradient green, not too hard with 138 meters from yellow. You continue on uphill holes with C3 and C4, take a turn on the par three C5 and play downhill again on C6 and C7. During the tournament this is a good spot to see different flights, as the uphill holes are almost parallel to the downhill holes. C8 and C9 are the most interesting holes on the front nine. C8 is a par 4 average in length, but more narrow than other holes and you twice have to make it over the water, first from the tee, then with your shot onto the green. Mounds around the greens make it a good spot to watch during the tournament.
C9 is probably the signature hole of Gut Kaden with its island green. The pros need to bomb it around 270 meters to put themselves into a comfortable wedge distance into the green. I hacked around a bit, left me 130 meters to the pin, of course found the water, then whacked it onto the bunker on the island green, finally made the green, two putted and strolled away with a triple bogey.
The back nine started with a rather easy par 4, not too long with 338 meters from yellow, slight dogleg left, guarded by bunkers from 160 meters to 210 meters. Doesn't give you a headache when you stay on the fairway. Water comes into play on B2 and B3, you first have to carry your tee shot over some creek and then avoid lake guarding the green. B4 is more interesting, the par 4 is 319 meters from yellow, after 200 meters the fairway narrows down and five bunker left and right are ready to swallow your ball. The green then is guarded by a creek and a bunker, plus you cannot see the undulation of the green as the fairway is a little lower than the green. On my practice round I played this hole really nice, four iron to 210 meters, the PW missed the green five meter to the right, chip, two-putt, bogey! Want to see the pros handle their irons, pick this hole to watch.
B5 is a par three, carry the lake and make it past the bunker guarding the left side of the green, the 153 meters from yellow are makeable with a solid mid iron.
B6 and B8 are two nice par fives running parallel to each other. Position yourself between the two and you have a good view of several flights passing by. On B6 a nice draw off the tee helps you around the turn of the fairway and over the hill, the extra roll downhill is a welcomed extra for your second shot.
B8 goes slightly uphill from the tee box and goes dowhnhill again towards the green. During the practice round, I played this one par with my best fairway bunker shot yet, with the help of some downhill roll, the seven iron shot made it 170 meters.
The round finishes with the 404 meter par 4 dogleg. Nice finishing hole. You play it downhill through a corridor of trees, the pros hit their tee shot over the left trees and past the dogleg bunkers, roundabout 260 to 280 meters. Robert Karlsson left his shot short last year on his 72nd hole and the ball was gone in the biotope, he had to rehit his drive and ended up with a six. Considering that, I didn't feel too bad with my seven on this one. ;-)
Gut Kaden is a really nice course to play. The course layout wasn't the most challenging I have played, but in the immaculate condition it was shortly before the pros tournament it really was hard to hold your game together.
Clubhouse and facilities are really nice, all integrated into the old buildings of the former manor. A really courteous and friendly staff round off the picture. Greenfee is 55 EUR (18 holes) on weekdays, 75 EUR on weekends.
