Sir Robert

The entire golf course was once farmland, and before that barren salt marshes. De Cock had it drained in 1835.

The farm Sir Robert Peel was founded in 1847 by Casper Vlierboom, an admirer of this conservative British statesman (1788-1850), perhaps because during the great Irish famine Peel stood behind the poor farmers rather than the landowners. The peasant population also suffered from poverty on Texel, where aristocrats ‘from the other side’ held hunting parties. Whether Sir Robert (or in Texel dialect ‘Surrobbert’) golfed is not known, but in England golf was already in full swing.

This challenging dog-leg would not be out of place on many famous English links courses.

Tip: Don’t cram too much on your fork. Left is safe, but real long-hitters can certainly take the dune right and retain a simple approach. Precision is vital.