@Colin, complaining? No complaints here...
Although it does make me feel a little better when players come and visit who I really think are excellent players who shoot rounds in the 60's frequently, even low 60's and I get to watch them get taken apart. Don't get me wrong I feel for them.
@Scott, I learned to play in The Netherlands so was a bit accumstomed to the wind and I'd played about 100 links courses in UK/Ireland before I became a member. That certainly doesn't make me an expert. Links golf is by far my favorite and I love to utilize the ground game, I'm not a great ball striker (great being relative to my hcp of course) however it's improving, I do have a great Irish golf coach, only he's working with extremely limited talent in me. I'd say I've developed an average mastery of links type shots, knock down shots and hacking the ball out of knee deep rough from what most people see as unplayable lies. One interesting personal stat is that my score doesn't fluctuate in the wind and a couple of my best rounds at Noordwijkse have been in windforce 8+. I think it may make me focus more.
@Turboe, I've come to accept that I'm a full on masochist when it comes to golf and I don't shy away from conditions that most people find approriate for hot cocoa and a warm fire. Although I draw the line for the most part at 2 degrees C and not because I don't want to, just because my back, body and joints are just too stiff in this weather. If it's dry cold, no problem, but we don't get that here.
Does your performance on a golf course or the challenges you face have an impact on your self worth. Personally I'd say yes, in a positive way and more so than any other sport. Golf serves you up unpredictable and uncontrollable circumstances and challenges in nearly every single round, teaches you to accept what your life throws at you, stay in the present and move on. Accept and move on. It highlights an important personal aspect in life that you can't control the outcome, you can only control your effort and positive outlook at any given moment.
So yes the course is tough, it's a blast to play every time for sure (however, less fun on those days when you are really off and the wind is up hard and you can't manage to find the fairway.
@Tom, thanks, I don't disagree and I'm not sure I can give you a non-sarcastic definition of being beaten up but yesterday when I posted this I just finished playing a 4 ball of ( + ) hcpers and golf pros, missing a lot of fairways with the group although not by much and having to search at least 10 minutes per hole for balls in a 5.5 hour round. The slowest round of my life, making it a struggle to concentrate any further and losing the match on the last hole. This while feeling I'm responsible to keep the group moving due to the back up behind and groups not wanting to play through. How's that? It's nothing really, but few will agree that a 4 ball that lasts longer than 4 to 4.5 hours is just too long no matter where you are. Right?