Great Northern Golf Course
Denmark is not the first country an affluent travelling golfer thinks of, and that is exactly why Great Northern is worth the detour. Twenty minutes north of Odense on the island of Funen, it is the first course in the country drawn by Nicklaus Design, a bold, water laced championship layout with a hotel and spa on site. It plays like nowhere else in Scandinavia, and it gives a Danish trip a genuine headline round.
Photo: Great Northern via Google.
The verdict
Great Northern opened in 2017 as Nicklaus Design's first work in Denmark, and it announced itself with ambition. Built on reclaimed farmland near the Great Belt, it is wide, modern and generously contoured, with water carried into play on roughly half the holes and large, boldly shaped greens that ask for thought rather than brute force. The conditioning is among the best in the country, and the standalone resort, with its own hotel, restaurant and spa, makes it a destination in its own right rather than a club you visit and leave.
Our verdict is that Great Northern is the most complete golf experience in Denmark and a fair detour for anyone touring northern Europe or pairing golf with Copenhagen and the Danish coast. It is not an old links and does not pretend to be; it is a polished, strategic resort course that rewards a measured game and punishes the careless approach into water. Combine it with the lighter, friendlier Academy short course on the property and it makes a full, satisfying day for a group of mixed abilities.
Great Northern at a glance
- Opened
- 2017
- Designer
- Nicklaus Design
- Type
- Resort championship
- Par
- 72
- Yardage
- About 6,775 m (around 7,410 yards) from the back tees
- Green fee
- Indicative around 160 euros high season
Opening year, designer and par verified June 2026 from the club and course databases; the indicative green fee is a 2025 to 2026 high season figure and Great Northern uses flexible seasonal pricing, so always confirm directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
The round is defined by water and by the scale of the greens. From the championship tees it stretches close to 6,775 metres, but multiple tee sets bring it back to something sane for the rest of us, and the smart play is to choose a length that lets you attack rather than survive. Several par 4s bend around lakes, asking you to commit to a line off the tee and then judge the carry on the approach, while the par 5s give up birdies to the bold and bogeys to the timid.
The par 3s are the signature set, played across or alongside water to greens that fall away if you miss on the wrong side. The closing stretch is where the round is won or lost, with the lake coming back into focus and the wind off the Belt swirling over exposed ground. There are no tricks, just clearly stated questions: take on the carry or lay back, and trust the number.
Because the land is open and reclaimed rather than dunes or forest, the wind is the real defence. On a calm morning Great Northern is eminently scoreable; when it blows, the water and the firm, fast greens turn a friendly card into a stern one. Walk it if you are fit, take a buggy if the forecast is heavy, and keep a few balls spare for the holes where the lake is in the eyeline.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | Open to visitors; tee times bookable through the resort, with green fee and golf stay packages year round |
| Indicative green fee | Around 160 euros in high season, with flexible seasonal rates; golf stays quoted from a per person package price |
| Buggy and trolley | Buggy and electric trolley available to hire; the open ground walks comfortably for the fit |
| Best months | May to September for the most reliable weather and the longest Scandinavian daylight |
| Getting there | About 20 minutes north of Odense on Funen, roughly 90 minutes from Copenhagen by car and bridge |
Great Northern welcomes visitors and packages green fees with its on site hotel and spa; rates are flexible and seasonal, so confirm the current figure and tee sheet directly before you travel. Check tee time availability.
Where to stay nearby
The simplest base is Great Northern itself: the resort has its own hotel, restaurant and spa beside the course, which makes an early tee time and a relaxed evening effortless and turns the visit into a short break rather than a day trip. Golf stay packages bundle the room with the green fees and are usually the best value if you want to play more than once.
For more to do off the course, Odense, the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen, is twenty minutes away with hotels, restaurants and a walkable old centre, while the harbour town of Kerteminde offers seafood and a quieter coastal stay. Many visiting golfers fold Great Northern into a wider Danish trip taking in Copenhagen, so a city hotel at either end of the round is easy to arrange.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts on Funen and around Odense.
Play Great Northern on a Denmark golf trip
Tell us when you want to play and who is travelling, and one concierge books Great Northern, sorts the resort stay and builds the rest of a Danish or Scandinavian itinerary around it, costed to the head with no obligation.
Great Northern questions
Who designed Great Northern golf course?
Great Northern was designed by Nicklaus Design, the architecture firm founded by Jack Nicklaus, and it was the first golf course in Denmark to carry the Nicklaus name. It opened for play in 2017 on reclaimed farmland near Kerteminde on the island of Funen, and it is a par 72 championship layout with a hotel and spa on site.
What is the green fee at Great Northern?
Great Northern uses flexible seasonal pricing rather than a single fixed rate. An indicative high season green fee is in the region of 160 euros, and the resort also sells golf stay packages that bundle the room with one or more rounds, which are usually better value if you are playing more than once. These figures are indicative for 2025 to 2026, so always confirm the current rate directly before booking.
Is Great Northern worth visiting?
Yes, for the right golfer. It is the most polished championship course in Denmark and the only Nicklaus design in the country, with excellent conditioning, a resort hotel and spa, and a bold, water laced layout unlike anything else in Scandinavia. It is a modern resort course rather than a historic links, so it suits a golfer who enjoys strategic, well presented golf and wants a genuine headline round on a Danish or northern European trip.
Where is Great Northern and how do I get there?
Great Northern sits near Kerteminde on the island of Funen, about 20 minutes north of Odense and roughly 90 minutes by car from Copenhagen across the Great Belt bridge. The nearest airport for connections is Copenhagen, with Billund also within driving range, and many visitors combine the round with a stay in Odense or the Danish capital.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Opening year, designer, par and yardage verified June 2026; indicative green fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.