[Malcolm Mckinnon]

April adventures into the vast dunes of Nederlands!


The dunes are large and they are broad between Den Haag and Haarlem and only three golf courses are routed through them.


Here is one of them!

Nederland Hyacinth fields were in bloom in Noordwijk and the smell of them was everywhere! This photo is interesting as it shows the flat, below sea level, polders as well as the wild dunes lands rising up in the distance behind them and also sheltering them from the North Sea beyond.


DSC01046 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


Hole 1, Par four, Tee view


DSC00987 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


View of Green


DSC00988 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


1st Green


DSC00989 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


2nd hole, Par 5, Tee view


DSC00990 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


A blind second shot over the hump!


DSC00992 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


To view of the green


DSC00995 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


Looking Back


DSC00997 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


3rd Hole, Short Par 3


DSC00998 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


3rd Green


DSC00999 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


4th hole, par 4, Tee view


DSC01001 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


4th approach


DSC01003 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


4th looking back


DSC01005 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


5th hole, par 4 , tee view


DSC01006 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


5th approach


DSC01008 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


6th hole, par 3, tee view


DSC01011 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


7th hole, par 4, tee view


DSC01013 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


7th approach


DSC01014 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


8th hole, par 4, tee view


DSC01015 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


8th hole approach


DSC01016 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


8th looking back


DSC01017 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


9th hole, Par 5, tee view


DSC01018 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


9th looking down the fairway


DSC01019 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


9th approach


DSC01021 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


10th hole, par 4, tee view


DSC01022 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


10th Green view from Fairway


DSC01023 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


10th approach


DSC01024 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


11th hole, par 5, tee view


DSC01025 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


Down the fairway!


DSC01026 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


11th green


DSC01027 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


Stupidly I completely missed the 12th par three and went straight to 13th tee, sorry.


13th hole, par 4 tee view


DSC01028 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


13th approach


DSC01029 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


14th hole par 5, tee view (my favorite hole on the golf course!)


DSC01031 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


Looking up the 14th


DSC01032 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


And up


DSC01034 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


14th Green


DSC01035 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


15th hole, par 4, tee view


DSC01036 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


15th approach


DSC01037 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


16th hole, Par 4, tee view


DSC01038 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


16th approach


DSC01039 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


16th looking back


DSC01040 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


17th hole, par 3, tee view


DSC01041 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


A diabolical front to 17th green


DSC01043 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


18th hole, par 4, tee view


DSC01042 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


Walking up 18


DSC01044 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


18th approach


DSC01045 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr


Now for some Herring Rotterdam style!


And Hyacinths Galore!


DSC01047 by Malcolm Mckinnon, on Flickr

[Jon Wiggett]

Another good tour Malcolm. Thanks for posting it.


Jon

[Cristian]

Great tour Malcolm!

Sorry you missed 12, but as a member at Noordwijk, I can assure you it is not one of the stongest of the holes at Noordwijkse, in fact I would probably say it is one of my least favourite, although I have not heard yet of people skipping it completely (lol).

Interesting that you should point out 14 as your favourite hole, as it is judged too penal by many (including Tom Doak) and not surprisingly perhaps. The hole becomes a lot more fun if you hit a drive like you did (if that was your ball in the pic). Judging from the locations where you took your approach pics from, the wind was North-East (?), which is exactly opposite to the prevailing winds around here (South-South West).

So you really should come by once more to play a very different course, regard this as an invite!

What was your favourite par 4 on the course?

Thanks for posting your pictures!

[Ally Mcintosh]

Has that 9th green been re shaped recently?

I seem to remember an elevated pad set on a diagonal which although it didn't promote a ground approach was quite cool....

I could be confusing it with 16 which runs along side it but I don't think so.

Ally

[David Davis]

Malcom,


I would be interested to hear your opinion and personal critique actually. Like Cristian I'm also a member.


You mentioned 14 as one of your favorites. Believe it or not it's one of my least favorites. Here is my reasoning:


1. Yet another hole where you literally have to walk backwards and up on top of a dune to tee off.
2. There are no options from the tee. Basically it's simply just play to the fairway you see. (that huge blow out bunker to the left is really cool visually (I agree).
3. The second shot also has no options, you have to play it over the drop off in the fairway, too far runs out of fairway. This shot always ranges from a 9 iron to a say a 5 or 6 iron when playing into the wind.
4. It's next to impossible to reach it in two. Which is fine I guess, but given the other par 5's are not realistically reachable with the exception of 11 (which most who play it regularly don't go for the green either but just in front of it).
5. The shaping of the fairway in the landing area for longer hitter funnels all the balls into the same spot.
6. Green set up is ideal to be approached with a longer iron or wood but this very rarely happens.
7. Back tee placement makes the hole even worse, walk further back and further up to the top of the big dunes.
8. Green drops severely off to the right and behind, an area which is not really maintained at all so can easily result in lost balls or unplayable lies for the slightest of misses.


Cristian,


It looks like Malcolm caught us on a wind still day. None of the flags are moving in the pics, with he exception of 17 and that seems to be blowing in line with our prevailing wind.

[David Davis]

Has that 9th green been re shaped recently?

I seem to remember an elevated pad set on a diagonal which although it didn't promote a ground approach was quite cool....

I could be confusing it with 16 which runs along side it but I don't think so.

Ally

Ally,


That's 16 and arguably the most unnaturally shaped green at Noordwijkse. It is a cool hole and the way it diagonally runs away from the line of play makes for a challenging shot in the wind.

[Ally Mcintosh]

I liked that green, David. I had remembered it as 9 but the photo of 16 matches certainly.

Do you feel it's unnatural because it's built up? It seems to sit in that saddle quite snugly.

[Rich Goodale]

Thanks for the photos, Malcolm, but I'm glad I missed the BenNeLux BUDA.  Some interesting holes, but little charm.

[David Davis]

I liked that green, David. I had remembered it as 9 but the photo of 16 matches certainly.

Do you feel it's unnatural because it's built up? It seems to sit in that saddle quite snugly.

I find the false front very unnatural and jagged. What's tough to see from the angle and distance of the photo. There is a very unnatural nob on the left side of the green. You are calling this a saddle I think, though I guess the entire green was simply created by pushing up the ground in front of it and behind it. It really doesn't tie into the dune coming down from the clubhouse to my eye, i.e. it's not like someone just went up there found a great place for a green and put a flag there. That's just a personal critique and many may disagree, maybe you too. However, I always count this green complex as one of the worst at Noordwijkse.


The best and most natural for me are 13, 15 and 8.


Another alternative point is that there are 12 raised greens so at this hole you have already played 9 of them (although this has nothing to do with your original question.)

[David Davis]

Thanks for the photos, Malcolm, but I'm glad I missed the BenNeLux BUDA.  Some interesting holes, but little charm.

Rich, actually we also played, Royal Hague, Kennemer, De Pan, Noordwijkse, Hilversumsche and some also played a couple others.


Most guys played one round at Noordwijkse.

[Malcolm Mckinnon]

David and Cristian,


Yes, there was no wind. A member engaged with me to say how "lucky" I was to play in such benign( windless) conditions.


Re: The 14th...



As Cristian mention I ripped my drive right into the perfect zone in place for a second shot so pleasure endorphines were coursing through my brain! Me like this hole!!


I liked the shot value on the second shot but pulled it into the left rough. Endorphines now gone..


I love how the green hides behind a mound. I estimated a distance and hit away...


And I ended up left and long and down on my approach into the 20 foot below the green "pitching area" of this green.. David, as it was early April I had a decent lie and threw the ball back up to the green and two putted for a bogie.


I was wondering how to get a photo showing just how penal the missed shot to this green actually was. I could not, in the end, figure out how to frame it properly.


I would have been pissed off if the recovery area around the 14th green were deep rough and not recoverable but in early April it was pretty easy to get out of.


Cristian,


I would be pleased to go another round with you. Thank you for the invite.


Let me know if you get to the New Jersey, USA area. I would be pleased to have either of you or David as my guest at my club in Princeton, NJ.


And 8 and 16 for my favorite par 4's!


Best!


Malcolm

[Ally Mcintosh]

I liked that green, David. I had remembered it as 9 but the photo of 16 matches certainly.

Do you feel it's unnatural because it's built up? It seems to sit in that saddle quite snugly.

I find the false front very unnatural and jagged. What's tough to see from the angle and distance of the photo. There is a very unnatural nob on the left side of the green. You are calling this a saddle I think, though I guess the entire green was simply created by pushing up the ground in front of it and behind it. It really doesn't tie into the dune coming down from the clubhouse to my eye, i.e. it's not like someone just went up there found a great place for a green and put a flag there. That's just a personal critique and many may disagree, maybe you too. However, I always count this green complex as one of the worst at Noordwijkse.


The best and most natural for me are 13, 15 and 8.


Another alternative point is that there are 12 raised greens so at this hole you have already played 9 of them (although this has nothing to do with your original question.)

David,

Yes - On 16, I was thinking that back left mound / nob looked built (and out of place) to perhaps hold up the green but maybe also to partially hide the car park? It doesn't look right.

But I remember quite liking the sharp diagonal front cut as short grass. But I did only play it once a good number of years ago.

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