[Jeff_Lewis]

From those of you who have been, other than Kennemer, what are the must plays? Have a few days in late April (which I assume is playable over there).

[Tommy Williamsen]

I was there in April this year.  I only had time for Kennemer and the weather was beautiful. The course was in good shape as well. I would love to play more there.  Have a good time.

[Brian Joines]

I remember seeing a thread earlier about The Hague Golf Club. I remember it being a Colt/Alison design and had some amazing hilly terrain. I'll try and find the link for you.

edit: here's the link

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=25990

[David_Tepper]

For a country of its size, Holland likely has the best collection of golf courses of any country on the continent.

Fellow gca.com-er Tom Dunne wrote a very good article about playing golf in the July 2005 issue of Travel & Leisure Golf. Here is a link to the article:

www.travelandleisure.com/tlgolf/articles/play-away-hollands-linksland/

[David_Tepper]

I recall that Paul Tuner had a thread here, probably 2 years ago, of photos of Royal Hague. The course looked spectacular. Based on his photos, it would be the first course I would want to play if I ever get back to Holland again.

[Philip Gawith]

I played a course called De Pan, designed by Harry Colt, about two months ago. It is a wonderful course in the vein of Sunningdale, but with more dunes land and undulation. Probably one of the top 5 inland courses I have played.

[Tom_Doak]

Jeff:

I've seen Haagsche and Kennemer, and would recommend both, but they are only 6's on the Doak scale.

The other great links is Noordwijk.  Better than all of these (according to Mike Clayton) is Royal Zoute, just across the border into Belgium.

Inland, De Pan, Eindhoven, and Hilversum all had some support in the old GOLF Magazine polls ... De Pan is the one I've heard the most about.  I'm sure Paul Turner will chime in as I know he saw all three.

[Noel Freeman]

From those of you who have been, other than Kennemer, what are the must plays? Have a few days in late April (which I assume is playable over there).

Jeff--feel free to bloomberg me or call me.. but Paul Turner and I did this trip 2 years ago.. In my order of preference in what to see...

Royal Hague
Der Kennemer
De Pan
Eindhoven
Toxandria

Royal Hague has the most fabulous terrain and the most heroic course.  It truly is an adventure and you won't feel like you are in Holland--also a wonderful clubhouse, place for a drink afterwards.  The only course that I've seen that rivals it for the rambunctious nature of the landscape is Eastward Ho!
I would then put the Kennemer as second.  The bunkering needs to be redone here--something Frank Pont who occasionally posts here is working on.  The terrain here is very much like Shinnecock.  It didnt play firm and fast and was a bit too green (it was May) when we were there but with some restored bunkering and better playing conditions, Der Kennemer would be the top course in the country and easily worthy of a top 100 ranking.  One other caveat--a very poorly placed driving range that comes into play on the 9th hole and is an eye sore.  There are 3 nines here, I believe you want to play the B/C ones (Colt).. The C nine is my favorite with the 10th and 15th holes really an adventure to play.. #10 is almost reachable slight dogleg right with some insidious bunkers right in the way of driving the green or attempting to shorten the hole.

#15 is almost a Colt special par 3 with the green perched on a promotory.  It is here that you'll see some of the weak bunkering but any shot that does not fully carry will fall all the way down a steep slope.

De Pan is a wonderful heathland-esque course with some terrific holes but I wouldnt rate it ahead of say the Berkshire if it was in England.  Eindhoven is also a nice layout but Colt wasnt on hand for the bunkering design there which is an eyesore to me (I believe Frank Pont is seeing to changing that as well). Toxandria is really a Morrison course and nice for a round but it isnt anything special.. I think seeing Frank Pennick's Noorwijke might be a good replacement.  The good thing about Toxandria is it is on the way towards Spa in Belgium (where Paul and I continued our journey)..  Maastricht is also a very interesting town to stop on the way to Belgium..

[Ed Tilley]

Frank Pont's Golf Architecture Pictures website has load of pictures of Noordwijk, Kennemer, Hilversum and others. Link below:

http://www.golfarchitecturepictures.com/Pages/holland.html

Plus http://www.top100golfcourses.co.uk/htmlsite/country.asp?id=50 ranks them based on various magazine ratings over the years.

[RT]

Was recently at Royal Zoute and think the routing is wonderful, some fine holes, but in need of some care with regards to bunkers.  Fairway widths seem larger than what was probably intended, and there is ryegrass as the choice species in the fairways.  There is somewhat of a tree clearance program occuring on some parts of the course.  Had an interesting looking smaller course within the main course.

Seemed heavily used however, but was there the weekend and there are many Brussels/Antwerp/ etc city folks there on that part of the Belgian Coast to relax, as it were.

[Jeff_Lewis]

Thanks, all.  Appreciate the assistance.

[Tom Dunne]

One of the fascinating things about the Kennemer is that the land was occupied by the Nazis during WWII. They built this complex maze of concrete bunkers around the course...after the war, the membership returned and found that demolishing all of these structures would be prohibitively expensive, so as much as they could they grassed them over and folded them into the dunes. The promontory Noel refers to on the par-3 is one of these structures. There are a couple of places on the course where you can still peer down into the entrances to these bunkers, too.

Noel's order of preference matches my own, except that I'd replace Tox with Noordwijk.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Try not to miss Hilversum - it's a lovely course, part Colt.  Noordwijk has some spectacular dunes and a number of top-class holes, but the par 3s are not its strongest feature and one of them (back nine) is just too strangled by trees.  If you intend to play Kennemer, make sure you arrange to play it on a day when visitors are playing the B-C nines.  The A-nine is a curious creature on which the design had to be much compromised by the restrictions on building in the dunes.  If you do go into Belgium do look at Royal Zoute, but don't miss Royal Antwerp, either.  And if you head to the south-east of Holland it's worth the short extra journey into Belgium for RGC des Fagnes and Royal Zart-Tilman.

[Paul_Turner]

Jeff

I don't have much to add but think the Dutch links stack up very well with courses like Formby, Saunton, Porthcawl, Gullane etc.   Kennemer would really shine if the grass was cut shorter around the greens, collars of semi-rough don't work on a links.  

Pan I believe is the pick of the inland courses of the Lowlands, but Mark has seen many more than I.  As Philip states it's somewhat dunesy and heathland and has a unique feel.  Perhaps the best holes are the quirkiest ones:  6,10,15.  Eindhoven is good too, as Noel points out the bunker contruction is a bit crude.  But there are some really top holes and some nice greens too. The front nine is stronger, the course stumbles a little in the 16th and 17th (dullish) but has a super 18th to make up for it.

If you have time, visit Royal Zoute in Belgium (miniscule countries here).  Not quite as "linksy" as the Dutch links but if short game and green contours are your cup of tea then that course should be the one.  Great finish 12-18.

Kyle Philips is going to radically change Hilversum soon.  Whether it will be sympathetic or not I can't tell.  He was working on Morfontaine when we were there,  we never saw the finished hole.  His redo work at Puerta De Hierro (Royal Madrid) is completely different from Colt/Simpson's work there.

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