Royal Hague vs. ROE

[Steve_Roths]

I had someone tell me the other day that they thought R.Hague golf club was better than Sunningdale and Morfontaine.  I have yet to play anything better in Europe than Sunningdale Old and what I have seen of Morfontaine, I just can't believe that the Hague could top either of them.

Has anyone played it?  And, is it worth a diversion on my next trip to Europe?

Thanks.

[Adam Lawrence]

I've played Royal Hague and Morfontaine. They are both wonderful, wonderful places, in the same ball park. Which is better? I would have to think long and hard about it, and I could come down on either side. Morfontaine has a bit more aura because of its isolation and the sheer otherworldliness of it. I think I could probably argue that Haagsche is better golf though. Certainly better terrain. It is a much harder course than Morfontaine, or Sunningdale too for that matter. Certainly they are my two favourite courses in mainland Europe.

[David_Tepper]

Steve Roths -

Here is a thread from a couple of years ago with pics of Royal Hague. It looks very, very good to me.

http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,41086.0.html

DT

[Steve_Roths]

Thank you for the thread.  I am even more intrigued now. 

[David_Tepper]

Steve Roths -

Here is a link to several more sets of very detailed Royal Hague pics:

http://www.golfarchitecturepictures.com/Pages/holland-royal%20hague.html

DT

[Cristian]

Steve,

I'm the one who did the photo-thread on Koninklijke Haagsche (Royal Hague) a few years ago. Last time round this track for me was yesterday.

Royal Hague is one of my favourite courses in mainland europe, and indeed it can certainly compete with some of the top courses in the Surrey sand belt and other courses in the UK which are let's say not top 50 world. It is off the beaten track, few people travel to play here and certainly very few Americans ever have laid eyes on the course. Probably that is why it gets overlooked in the rankings, (like De Pan) also until recently maintenance and upkeep were not up to par with courses in the UK. However that has improved recently and also renovation work by Frank Pont has enhanced the Colt/Alison heritage of the course. Some of the changes are being implemented at this time, including some new tee's on 14 and 15 and massive clearing of small trees and bushes throughout the course.

RHague, despite some semi-wooded holes, is a links course and therefore hard to compare to Sunningdale (which I have not played), or Morfontaine (which I have played). Although the course is not wide it probably is the most strategic course I have ever played among courses with limited fairway width. Among the links courses in mainland europe in my view it is the best by a margin.

I have played 15 of Golf mag world top 100, 34 of GW top 100 europe, including most of the classics, and if I would have to name one course which is  underestimated because of location and upkeep/maintenance issues in the past, this would be it.

If you go there by this summer all of the changes and clearing should have blended in nicely and you won't regret it, if you travel to play here. My advice: combine with De Pan, a wonderful heathland course, totally different, but of similar quality.
 

[David_Tepper]

2005 article from the late Travel & Leisure Golf magazine on the links of Holland:

http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/play-away-hollands-linksland 

[Chris Buie]

There is an early 60's Shells Wonderful World of Golf film of the Hague with Byron Nelson playing here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_InZgPCPKc

[Ed Oden]

Although the course is not wide it probably is the most strategic course I have ever played among courses with limited fairway width.

Cristian, very interesting comment.  Can you add some color?

[David_Tepper]

Ed Oden -

I don't wish to discourage Christian from responding to your inquiry, but, if you go to Christian's GCA thread of 2009 (linked above), you will find his commentary about the course accompanies his pictures of the course.

DT

[Ed Oden]

Thanks David.  I actually did read Cristian's commentary on the other thread.  While he touches on both narrowness and strategy, I don't see that he linked the two as he did in the quoted statement.

[Cristian]

Thanks David.  I actually did read Cristian's commentary on the other thread.  While he touches on both narrowness and strategy, I don't see that he linked the two as he did in the quoted statement.

I don't think the strategy is because of the narrowness, but more in spite of the narrowness. A good example is hole 3; a shortish par 4, usually playing downwind of some 395 yds. The tee shot is over a dune valley to a fairway some 180 yds away on the left side and some 200-210 yds to the right side of the fairway. The hole doglegs gently to the right, with trouble to the right side of the fairway and a steep fall-off to the right of the green.



It is tempting to hit driver and be left with a short pitch into the green, but the green has a huge false front as well, sitting on top of a dune, so a full shot has its advantages. Also hitting driver could have you running out of fairway if you do not hit a fade. If you hit 3 wood your tee-shot is safer but will probably end up in a depression in the fairway, resulting in an uneven stance and a partly blind shot. Hitting long iron of the tee to a flat part of the fairway just over the valley is another option, but this will still leave a mid-iron into the green, and also a pushed or off-centre shot may not make the carry.

If the wind starts shifting to other directions it becomes even more interesting.

Another example is hole 14; At 220 yds from the tee the narrow fairway widens into the slope creating an attractive lay-up area, but the green is still 160 yds away from here; uphill with steep fall-offs at the back and front, and trouble left and right. The player has a choice: hit driver and be left with a relatively easy pitch to the green or hit long iron/fw wood and have a relatively safe tee shot but a frightening second.