Following a week-long break, the DP World Tour is back in action at the Magical Kenya Open, where players will tackle the old-school layout of Karen Country Club.
Opened in 1937, the course is famed for its narrow fairways that put an emphasis on accuracy over length. What’s more, being at altitude, it possesses another challenge in getting distances correct.
Karen Country Club provides a tough test off the tee, thanks to its narrow layout
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Sitting at approximately 1,850 meters above sea level, the higher altitude makes the ball travel significantly further due to the thin air causing less aerodynamic drag.
Because of the thin air, players will have to adjust their yardages and, in the case of Niklas Norgaard, his equipment set-up, with the former British Masters winner changing his driver loft prior to playing in Nairobi.
Speaking to the DP World Tour, the 33-year-old stated: “Normally, my driver is set at 10-degrees, but I’ve lofted it up this week, so now it is playing at 11.5-degrees. It’s so I can get it into a different window and create more spin.”
“Normally my driver is 10 degrees but this week I’ve lofted it up to 11.5 degrees to get it into a different window. My usual carry is 285 meters but this week it’s 320 meters.” Niklas Nørgaard explains his decision to tweak his driver this week due to the altitude in Kenya 🚀… pic.twitter.com/QPLlV2vZklFebruary 17, 2026
In fact, the introduction of more loft in Norgaard’s set-up plays an even more important part than first imagined, as he added “if I don’t loft it (the driver) up on a week like this, where we are in 1800 meters of altitude, the air is so thin that my ball is going to fall out of the air.
“Normally, my driver is going 285 meters (311 yards) carry and, this week, it’s closer to 320 meters (349 yards), so it’s quite a big difference.
“(Overall) It all depends what window the clubs are coming out at. We can hit an 8-iron and, if it comes out low, it is going to go 160 meters. If it comes out high, it will continue and is going to fly almost 200 meters. It’s a week to get those distances dialed in.”
Regarded as one of the longest hitters on the DP World Tour, sitting third in Driving Distance for 2026 and never ranking outside the top seven for that category,…
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