I've just returned from a short but busy golf trip to Europe. Here's where I went and what I saw:
Took advantage of the easy connections between ATL and AMS to land in Amsterdam at 7:10am on Thursday. I've always found immigration/rental cars/trains extremely easy at Schiphol. Was in the parking lot at Kennemer by 8:30. Kennemer has 27 holes, and it's the B&C nines that you'll want to play if you want the traditional Colt/Alison routing. I've probably played Kennemer a dozen times over the past 20 years, because I've always found it's the perfect place to walk off jetlag after a flight, or to catch a quick last round on classic links before an afternoon return flight. And it's an easy walk. I don't love the look of some of Kennemer's current bunkers. Maybe because it's the most photographed hole, but the uphill P3 15th in particular has bunkers that just don't look right to my eye.
[/size]Drove down to Royal Hague that afternoon. RH is the oldest club in the Netherlands, but didn't move to it's current property until post WW2. The original 1893 course is down the road in what's now a national park/Canadian ambassador residence. They made the right choice when they moved - most of the current ground is fantastic for golf and Colt/Alison built some really good holes.The long P4 6th is particularly interesting off the tee. Royal Hague's clubhouse is a fantastic setting for a meal ore just a drink and look around. And the starter hut/pro shop is one my favorites.[size=78%]
[/size]The next morning I met up with local Jason Page for another full day of golf. We started in cold wind and rain at Noordwijske. The routing starts in open dunes land, moves into pine forests and then back out into open ground for the last few holes. It's close enough to the sea that you can see the water from the elevated clubhouse. I'd agree with numerous previous reviewers who compared the feel to Formby because of the out/back from the pines. But for me the comparison stops there because -as opposed to Formby - I thought the most interesting (and toughest) holes at Noordwijkse were on the open land underneath the clubhouse. At Formby I like the middle section in the pines away from the clubhouse the best.[size=78%]
[/size]And then that afternoon we drove over to Utrecht De Pan for a sunset round on what I think is a great golf course. De Pan had a new driving range and fewer trees than when I'd last played it 10? years ago. IMO it has even more upside if they keep making it wider. No revolutionary hole designs - but they all fit into the land really well. Could very well be the best course in continental Europe. It's a special place, and the members we played with were rightly proud of it. [size=78%]
[/size]So four great Netherland courses in my first 48 hours. All of them accessible at least Mon-Thursday unaccompanied via an email to the caddiemaster/secretary. Prices have risen since I first started going to Europe - but they are still relative bargains compared to the UK. And like OZ and the UK they are very inexpensive if hosted by a member. And for this American the relief of driving on the right hand side of the road is an extra plus. [size=78%][/size]Friday night I headed down to France. Four hour drive from De Pan to my hotel near CDG in Paris. I believe the tolls added up to 48 Eur.
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[/size]I had myself quite a weekend. Played Morfontaine on Saturday from dawn to dusk. This was the first time I'd visited Morfontaine, and it was especially meaningful to me because it was the last of the 50 courses I was determined to see that I had written down on a list over 25 years ago. Hard to think of many better days in golf. We played the traditional order: Eighteen on the big course, then lunch, then a couple of laps around the Valliere 9 hole course. I was surprised at how many changes my host pointed out as we went along. I knew Kyle Phillips was the club's architect. But I didn't realize they had rebuilt several greens and added tees in recent years. Like everyone, I loved the Valliere 9, especially 3-4-5. I did not notice the green speeds on the Valliere being any slower the the greens on the big course, as I had read they would be. Why can't all greens be this fun?
[/size]And then on Sunday I finished my golf by driving down to see the Gil Hanse New Course at Les Bordes. As Ran and a few others have hinted, it's a pretty special design. Large greens which reminded me a lot of the set of Simpsons I'd played just the day before at Morfontaine. Very wide fairways. Not much heather yet at Les Bordes New. But a great golf course that'll continue to get better as it grows in. I also played the 10 hole Wild Piglet that Hanse's team built while they were working on the New. Same concept as Bandon Preserve and other similar offerings. It's a fun way to spend an hour - although I wonder if it's distance from the clubhouse and lodging will limit it's draw?
[/size]They were still working on Ran's statue.
[/size]It's hard to suggest to anyone not to go play golf in the UK. But a trip to the continent is a worthy alternative, particularly for Americans interested in the ease of flight connections and right handed driving. Walking only in Europe btw, and extremely few caddies. But everywhere I've been allows trolleys.
[/size]Next up for me will be Argentina this winter. It's great to be traveling again.
[/size]Michael
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