Royal Waterloo Golf Club

Vieux Chemin de Wavre 50,

Ohain, Brabant 1380

  • Office

    +32 (0)2 633 18 50
  • Pro shop

    +32 (0)2 633 43 16
  • Fax

    +32 (0)2 633 28 66
  • Golf pro

    Christian Ditlefsen, Quentin Dobson & Arnaud Langenaeken.

About the course

  • The Course:

    18 holes. Tree-lined & open parkland. Undulating terrain - a few slopes to climb.

  • Surroundings:

    Woodland and rural countryside.

  • Designer:

    Current course at this location designed by Frederick W. "Fred" Hawtree (1959). Greens and bunkering redesigned by his son Martin Hawtree (2004/05).

Back
tees
Club
tees
Front
tees
Metres
6296
5704
5110
Par
73
73
73
SSS or slope
73.6
70.2
72.5

At the same location:

Above distances are for the Marache course. Also at Royal Waterloo are the 18-hole Lion course (par-72; 6371 mtrs from back tees), and the 9-hole Bois-Heros course (par-33; 2143 metres).

Location

Latitude:

50.691747

Longitude:

4.449409

How to get there:

22 km SE of Brussels

Take exit 27 (Waterloo) from the south-eastern section of the Brussels Ring, and head south on Dreve Richelle, direction Lasne. After approx 1 km at roundabout turn left onto Chausse de Louvain. After approx 1 km at traffic lights turn right onto Rue des Saule. After approx 2.3 km, just before roundabout (Messager de Bruxelles), turn very sharply right into Vieux Chemin de Wavre. After approx 1 km golf is on your left.

Royal Waterloo Golf Club (La Marache course)

4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.

Est. 1923

Royal Waterloo Golf Club (La Marache course): Most prestigious of the two courses here at Royal Waterloo, La Marache richly deserves inclusion in any listing of Europe's best inland golf courses. Usually maintained in excellent condition, this pleasantly undulating layout always provides an enjoyable and challenging round of golf in a quiet rural setting. The beautiful view over the course from the large clubhouse terrace provides a good reason to tarry awhile after your round.

As one of the elite “Royal” golf clubs in Belgium, RWGC can boast a nicely varied and always absorbing layout. The Marache's more open "heathland" front-nine, gives way to an arguably tougher back-nine, where many holes are routed through mature woodland.

After a gentle opening short par-4 at 10 (the layout's worst hole after its testing "blind" tee-shot was eliminated in favour of an overflow car park), the back-nine really gets underway at the superb par-4 11th. The demanding downhill par-3 12th and sharply doglegging par-4 13th continue the back-nine's woodland challenge. Easing you into the closing stretch is the short par-5 16th, followed by two longer par-5s at 17 and 18. The 18th green, like that of the par-4 9th, sits above the fairway in a splendidly open, almost links-like setting.

Although the fairways may look invitingly wide, especially on the front-nine, anything hit too wayward from the tee will usually sit down in clinging fescue rough. Assuming the errant ball is found, your next shot will be a much tougher proposition. Throughout your round the large, seriously undulating and excellent quality greens will require great concentration with the short stick. Plenty of deep greenside bunkering puts a heavy onus on high-flighted shots into many of these testing putting surfaces.

List of courses: Around Brussels

Visitors

Who can play and when?

Visitors welcome on weekdays; more restricted at weekends.

Must book in advance. Maximum handicap: 28.

Green fees

Visitor fee, 18-holes in high season (March thru Oct) on the Marache or Lion courses: €145 (all days).

Contact club for full details, discounts, packages, etc. [Last updated: 2023].

Other information

Soft spikes only. Players generally walk this course. Golf carts available for hire (if pre-booked).

Practice facilities

Excellent

Did you know?

King Baudouin conferred the Royal title on Waterloo GC in 1952. In Belgium 13 golf clubs are permitted by royal prerogative to use the "Royal" prefix. They are: Antwerp, Anderlecht, Bercuit, Chateau d'Ardenne, des Fagnes (Spa), Hainaut, Latem, Limburg, Ostend, GC de Belgique (Ravenstein), Sart Tilman, Waterloo and Zoute.

Just a few kilometres from the RWGC golf courses is the scene of Wellington's historic victory against Napolean Bonaparte. A museum and very impressive monument, the Butte de Lion, mark the site of this epic battle.

Royal Waterloo has hosted the Belgian Open (European Tour) and Telenet Trophy (Challenge Tour) on several occasions. For more details view Top Golf Tournaments at Royal Waterloo GC, Marache course. Waterloo is the home club of European Tour professional and Ryder Cup player Nicolas Colsaerts.

Published ranking

Marache course:
Belgium's 5th best course (Golf Digest, 2022).
Continental Europe's 118th best course (Golf World, 2023).

Where2Stay

  • Grand Hotel Waterloo4-star

    198 Chausse de Tervuren, B-1410 Waterloo

    +32 (0)2 352 18 15

    Visit website

    The Grand Hotel Waterloo is located within easy reach of the centre of Waterloo and just 3 km from one of Europe's most famous battlefields (well worth a visit !). The hotel's main restaurant, La Sucrerie (sugar factory), is particularly noteworthy, not least from an architectural standpoint. Many top-quality courses in the area will keep golfers fully occupied.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      No

    • Golf within 10 km:

      Royal Waterloo; Sept Fontaines; Hulencourt; Empereur.

    • Golf within 30 km:

      La Tournette; Pierpont; La Bruyere; Rigenee; Louvain-La-Neuve; Royal Bercuit; Bawette; Royal GC de Belgique (Ravenstein).

  • Chateau du Lac5-star

    87 Avenue du Lac, Genval

    +32 (0)2 655 71 11

    Visit website

    The 5-star Chateau du Lac is wonderfully located alongside the Lac du Genval, a very picturesque and quiet lakeside setting. Your culinary options are plentiful, with an excellent restaurant, Genval Les Bains, in the hotel, while Italian and Chinese restaurants are just a minute's walk away. Martin' Spa provides an earthly journey of well-being and beauty. Many top-quality courses in the area will keep golfers fully occupied.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      No

    • Golf within 10 km:

      Bawette; Royal Waterloo; Louvain-la-Neuve.

    • Golf within 30 km:

      Royal Bercuit; Sept Fontaines; Empereur; La Tournette; Hulencourt; Pierpont; Rigenee; La Bruyere; Royal GC de Belgique (Ravenstein).

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