Saturday, June 20, 2015

9. The Netherlands June 6-8

The Netherlands June 6-8


De Pan and Kennemer June 6

Many of you might be asking…why is he going from Scotland to Amsterdam? (years ago, I would have asked that question myself).  Truth of the matter is that Holland has wonderful links land along its North Sea coastline, and there are serious claims that the game was played in The Netherlands before being played in Scotland.  I shall avoid that battle.  Three courses in The Netherlands have been rated on a World 100, and my host for the three days convinced me to add Royal Hague to the program as well…more later.  My host was David Davis, who I met virtually last summer through Fergal O’Leary.  David is in Amsterdam (and has been for 20 years) by way of Oregon.  He serves as the Benelux correspondent for Top100GolfCourses.co.uk and is wonderful guy and host.  Perhaps a little crazed about this silly game, but nothing wrong with that.

David met me at the airport and it was off to De Pan…a heathland course well inland from the North Sea coast.  We played around 11am on a beautiful day.  One of several Harry Colt designs in Holland and oft-time host of the Dutch Open.  Was rated #55 in the world by the Golf Architect’s survey.

A number of holes with Pine Valley looks to them.  Exceptional shaping throughout the course.  Greens though were very very slow, and I could never get the feel of them.  I loved the 5th (reachable par 5 with a late dogleg right and a tree at the corner of that dogleg…and an island of long fescue grass opposite the tree in the middle of the fairway at that late turn….thereby creating the need for real decision making on one’s second shot),  #6…mid length par 4 dog leg left with large hill coming off the left side…and a large sand dune behind that hill), and #10…a short pat 4 that narrows down near the green due to impinging hills from both the left and right. 

I would have liked De Pan more if it thinned out some of its trees.  While they generally do not impinge on play, I prefer (and remember…likes and dislikes in evaluating courses is like picking a spouse…and my batting record there is just 1 for 3) more open courses, where one can look across wide expanses.  I also think I had the misfortune of playing it when the greens were very slow, which takes some of the bite out of Colt’s work.  Spring has been very late coming to Europe this year (despite the known and “proven science” effect of global warming).

After lunch, we proceeded to Kennemer, founded in 1910 .  In 1928, the club moved to its present location near the North Sea to a 18 hole course designed by Harry Colt.  Originally, Colt was to build 27 holes, but the last nine were  delayed some 5 decades by the Depression, and in 1985 the third nine was completed by SJH Van Hengel.  Additionally, the course has undergone extensive renovations, led by architect Frank Pennick, over the past 2-3 decades to bring back much of the Colt flavor.  Rated as #68 in the world by Planet Golf.

Teeing off just past 5:20pm, we played the Pennick (B) 9 first, followed by the Colt (C) 9.  Both are excellent especially B2, B9, C1, and C6.  We finished the first 18 and I turned to David and said “you up for holes 37-45 for the day?”  Of course the answer was a resounding yes, and so at 8:30pm, we started off on our last nine (the A or Van Hengel).  While all of this nine is utilized in the composite layout used for the Dutch Open (primarily because of its length), I was disappointed by this third nine.   We did however get it done by 10pm, just after sunset.  Truth is, all 45 holes were played with the benefit of buggies, or we (or at least I) would have never made it.  Wonderful land…well utilized (better utilized on B&C).  One real disappointment was that the greens were very soft and slow for a links course.  Was surprising.

Clubhouse was just about empty when we finished.  Then there was an issue of the gate being closed.  But that was solved and I got back to my hotel…a very tired puppy.  The good news was that we weren’t playing on Sunday until 6pm (more later) so I could sleep late the next day and relax.

Noordwijkse GC and Royal Hague June 7 and 8

Got up around 10am and just made it to the lobby to get breakfast before it closed.  Did some reading, worked a little on this blog, etc.  Then met David at his club, Norrdwijkse GC around 5pm.  It is hard by the North Sea and on a spectacular piece of land.  Club was founded 100 years ago and moved to “the beach” in 1972.  This course was designed by Frank Pennick.  The Golf Architects survey rated it as #68 in the world, and top100golfcourses.co.uk places it as #89.

The clubhouse sits just on the inland side of the barrier dune, overlooking most of the course.  Simply a spectacular setting.  Playing the course, I discovered a “tale of two cities.”  Holes 1-3, and 8-18 (14 of the 18 holes) are out in the open and are simply marvelous.  Holes 4-7 are situated in the dunes but are nestled in some thick pine woods…and just plain gets claustrophobic in these holes.  I loved the rest of the course.  It is in great shape, is very tough and yet is so much fun (that rare combination) and has some simply spectacular views (although not of the North Sea except from the top floor of the clubhouse).  Hole #8, a dogleg left looking straight out over most of the rest of the course towards the clubhouse, has a view that is one of the best I have seen in the game.  Finishing holes are particularly strong with #16 green reminding me somewhat of #14 Foxy at Dornoch, a very tough par 3 #17 with a sharp drop off right, and a wonderful 18th back to the clubhouse.

But what was going on with 4-7?  And based on what David says, there is little or no prospect of these trees being cleared.  Pity…this could easily be a world 100, but not with the current #4-7.

After the round, we had a wonderful dinner in the clubhouse and planned our next day at Royal Hague.  We are playing with Hindrick Gommer, a member, and also a member of Pinehurst CC where he keeps a small home (we have never met before and for sure will play again in NC).  He also was just appointed to the Golf Magazine panel.  Royal Hague, founded in 1893 is the oldest club in the Netherlands.  It moved to its present location, about 2 miles from the North Sea, in 1938.  The course was designed by Harry Colt and Charles Allison.

To put it simply, I loved this track.  We were about the first group off.  The land is rolling and moves in every conceivable direction.  It has a total of only 24 bunkers (only one fairway bunker), and five holes have no bunkers.  Greens are very tough to read, were of good speed and were nice and firm (whole course nicely firm and fast).  Best holes are:

      #3 (medium par 4…385 from tips, sharp uphill dogleg right to a very elevated green, with runoffs left and right…great views of downtown The Hague from this green),
      #6 (long par 4 –471 from tips and slightly uphill, fairway snakes left to right to left, to a green with a false left front corner that slopes down to a bunker that must be 15’ deep or deeper…to be avoided…and there is a sharp runoff to a valley right of the green…”piece of cake” as they say…just that :”they” forgot to mention the arsenic). 
      #9…shortish par 4 (360 from tips) that turns very slightly to left and rises sharply uphill to a green protected by a false front (which is an extension of a sharp hill up to the green)…moi hit perfect drive (playing from 312 yds) and stiffed a wedge to about 2’…and yes, made the birdie putt
      #13…424 yd par 4 from tips, turning slightly left (with the only fairway bunker)  to deep, narrow green with front right well protected by front right bunker and run off to left;
      #14---fabulous driving hole is 426 from tips with narrow fairway and OB along left side…second shot is sharply uphill to deep narrow green with a false front

What I do not understand is how this track has never made it into a prominent World Top 100.  To my mind, it clearly is the best of the four that I played.  I repeat, I loved this course!!


Having survived my four days in The Netherlands (thanks to David Davis…one of the world’s great hosts) it was time to d get to the airport and move on to Hamburg, Germany.  I was at this point 12 days into the trip and had played 17.5 courses (remember…27 at Kennemer)…was tired but not as bad as I feared I might be, especially after the last few days.  The worst of the trip (in terms of exhaustion appeared to be over with only one more double headed left...and 5 behind me).

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