Houtrak

Constructed in the mid-1990s on land reclaimed from the IJmuiden estuary between Amsterdam and Haarlem, the 18-hole course at Houtrak Golf Club is a challenging layout located within an attractive polder site. The golf club still has some way to go before its course reaches maturity but a good job has been done in creating a fine contemporary golfing facility.

Architect Gerard Jol has accumulated many golf design credits in the Netherlands over the years and he has become pretty adept – with the skilful use of earth moving machinery and intelligent planting of vegetation – at turning flat, bland terrain into interesting, subtly undulating golfing landscapes. Houtrak is a very good example of such a transformation.

The course lies close to the noisy main flight path into and out of busy Schipol airport and its proximity to surrounding wind farm and maritime businesses does it no aesthetic favours. However, it does somehow seem to overcome the limitations of its location, providing members and visitors alike with a much appreciated golfing diversion from the outside industrial world.

The Dutch Futures tournament on the European Challenge Tour has been held here since 2007.