Noordwijkse - Netherlands

Astonishing golf course! From the moment i got out of the " forest road" into the Club area i knew i was going to spend one day into a special place. Great views, superb manteinance, perfect greens also very, very fast and a terrific golf course under every aspect! My preference goes to holes number 2,3,6,11. Very happy to know that hole number 1 will be relocated, now its not high class level like all others holes due to the tee shot view with driving range on target!

Played Nordwijkse Golfclub on Thursday May 10th at 1:40 PM from the back tees with David Davis, Top 100 Benelux correspondent. This was my third golf club played in my four club tour of the Netherlands. Played Utrecht de Pan on Tuesday, Koninklijke Haagsche on Wednesday, and Kennemer Golf and Country Club on Friday. I must say playing these four clubs was a great golfing experience and would certainly recommend this rotation for any golfing enthusiast. All were excellent tracts and can understand why they are the top four ranked golf clubs in the Netherlands. I would say Nordwijkse is my top pick of the four golf clubs, however, not by much as all were excellent. I thought Nordwijkse had the best greens of the four. The colonial bent grass greens at Nordwijkse are a cool-season grass that thrives in cool coastal areas and is native to Europe. This same colonial bent grass is used on many of the excellent golf clubs in the Pacific Northwest and Northeastern United States. To be fair, de Pan and Koninklijke Haagsche were both aerated and top dressed when I visited, so cannot give a truly objective opinion. But I do know Noordwijkse has excellent greens. The greens and fairways were firm and perfectly manicured and the tees and bunkers were all in excellent condition.

One oddity at Noordwijkse was the location of the driving range which had to walk down the first fairway to get to the range. David showed me where the first hole is going to be relocated and it looks like the new location in the sand dunes will make the new hole one of the top opening holes anywhere. The range is also going to be relocated which will remove this oddity. The current first hole is a solid 353 meter downhill par 4 that is a slight dogleg to the left with the green guarded by bunkers on the right front and left of the green. The second is a strong three shot 547 meter par 5 that requires accurate shots to reach the green in regulation. The third is a 152 meter par 3 that has a two-tiered green. I thought the 423 meter par 4 fourth was the most difficult on the links as long and accurate shots are required on this hole. The 377 meter par 4 fifth was a dogleg right that requires a drive down the left side of the fairway to see the green on the second shot. The downhill 171 meter par 3 sixth was a nice hole with a relatively smaller green. At this point there were some pine trees that seemed to be out of place in the dunes. David explained that the Germans planted a long line of pine trees in this area to keep the sand from blowing on the farmlands. The seventh was a short slightly dogleg left 331 meter par 4 that requires an accurate tee shot with two bunkers guarding the right front side of the green. The eighth is a 369 meter dogleg left par 4 that requires an accurate tee shot and unless the drive reaches the top of the hill will have a blind second shot. The ninth is a strong 509 meter par 5 that played into a strong wind on the day we played and was a solid three shot hole.

The tenth was a strong 400 meter par 4 with the drive seemingly an optical illusion to me where to go. Looking out from the tee it looked like should keep the drive right but in reality the line was more left to hit the fairway. The eleventh hole is a 457 meter par 5 that is probably the easiest on the links as long as the drive is accurate. The green slopes broadly from back to front on this green with potentially big breaking putts depending on the pin placement. The twelfth is a downhill short 134 meter par 3 guarded by a bunker on the left. The thirteenth was a short 338 meter par 4 that requires an accurate tee shot with the line the grass bunker in the middle of the fairway. The green has an interesting oblique design and is guarded by a left front bunker. The fourteenth is a solid 514 meter par 5. The fifteenth is an interesting relatively short 340 meter par 4 with a blind tee shot. The correct line is the left center of the large sand dune with the green protected by bunkers on the left and right. The sixteenth is a 358 meter par 4 that requires a drive down the left side as the fairway slopes broadly to the right. The seventeenth is a scenic 186 meter par 3 that requires the tee shot to carry on the green. In front of this green is a very steep slope. The eighteenth is a 358 meter par 4 with bunkers on the right side and a bunker on the right front of the green. Overall an excellent links. Click here to see the You Tube photo slideshow video I’ve created. Jim Brady

A real treat.Was hosted by the top 100 Benelux correspondent which only added to the experience.A big golf course with lots of space that is very challenging yet simplistic in it's design and the general feel of the place.Lots of raised greens,a few blind drives and hidden pins with very small but fair greens.Plenty variety across the course and I liked the few holes in the forest.No really weak holes on the course in my opinionDefinitely worth playing and would love to play again when the greens are rolling trueA very good course with a very hospitable and welcoming clubhouse

In order for a golf course to be considered a great course and really belong to the group that makes up the world’s best, there are several things that have to be considered and many requirements that a course has to satisfy. My personal test is to take a quick look back after I have finished my round and see how many holes I can recall. I ask myself how many holes stick out as great holes and then consider what I like to call the “wow” factor. For me the “wow” factor has to do mainly with location, for example, the last 6 holes at Cypress Point, the rocky cliffs, the break of the Pacific and the cypress trees. That’s a “wow” worthy of only the top course in the world. In The Netherlands granted there are some nice courses, however, there is only one course that can possibly provide a certain “wow” in my view. That course is De Noordwijkse.

The moment you turn off the coastal highway and onto the entrance driveway proceeding through the wooded coastal pine forest you realise you might be in for something special and unique. Upon breaking out of the pine forest and entering through the entrance gate the landscape opens up to the purest of links land. That to which any jolly Scot or Irishman would be incredibly proud. Upon arrival in the clubhouse you experience the “wow” factor I’m talking about. It’s a view I can only compare to that of Cruden Bay or even Chambers Bay where you look out from the highly perched clubhouses and first see what lies in wait before you. The view allows you to look out over much of the course and the rugged, undulated dunes land. It’s tough to hold back the excitement from this point.

At De Noordwijkse it’s clear that everything revolves around one thing and one thing only, that my friends is golf. Everything else is understated, the clubhouse is very nice and cozy, a great place to sit inside before and after your round. However, it’s incredibly understated and from the outside looks like something you might see in the dunes in Scotland or Ireland. The facilities are nice and cozy but the only real luxury is the view, that is, until you’re standing on the first tee. Review by David Davis (Top 100 Benelux correspondent – click here to read the full story.

I have to comment on some of the remarks made here which I enjoy reading. To catch the Noordwijkse on a day when there is no wind is rare to say the least. Perhaps we've had about 5 of those this year. At nearly 7000 yds from the tips it's impossible to call this course not long, unless of course it's played from the women's tees. Let's not forget it's a links course and I'd challenge any single hcp'er to break 80 on a typical windforce 6-8 day. In fact, I even bet all my guests under 5 hcp they can't break 80 if the wind is blowing. Haven't lost that one yet. If your 5-10 hcp I make that 85-90 depending on the day. Win the bet, I buy all the drinks. The course is a bear, the rough is brutal in the summer the fairways are anything but wide as one reviewer commented although a couple are generous when there is no wind but miss them by a meter and let's just say pack lots of balls. The rest sounds pretty accurate. Let's face it, hit the ball long and straight down the middle every time and most courses fairways are pretty generous I guess. I'm a 6 hcp, have played nearly all the great links courses in the world and 44 of world's top 100 courses. Noordwijkse holds it's own among the best and has been kicking my butt all summer.

I'm going to preface my review by admitting that I am a very lucky boy indeed as I had the great good fortune to play this course a week or so after it had hosted the Dutch Ladies Amatuer Championship, so the course was in absolute top-notch condition. To add to my luck we had a wonderful warm, dry evening with only a hint of a breeze - very rare for any sea-side course - truly the Golf Gods were smiling on when we teed off that July evening! I have played a lot of sea-side courses, lots of real links courses and lots of other types of golf courses too. I have to say that I really, really enjoyed playing the Noordwijkse from the very first tee-shot to the last putt. I'm sure that it can be a beast when the rain is being driven in on a off-shore gale and I don't envy the members who'll have to try and maintain their handicap over the winter months, but I found the course to be a very fair test of golf. Well thought out with some holes picking their way through the trees while others have the more undulating traditional links feel with ball-grabbing gorse and blind shots. It is a pity that the dunes block out any view of the sea except from the club house, but of course I might think differently about that in less benign conditions. The course is part of a Nature Reserve which gives you opportunity to spot deer, rabbits and foxes when you are prodding the gorse in search of your ball.The Club House was warm and welcoming, the fare served up was much better than I had expected and the members I met were very friendly indeed. My playing partner, a lucky member, told me that there are plans to remodel a couple of holes and re-work the whole practice area, so I am looking forward to being invited back - whatever the weather!

Just played an evening round at Noordwijkse. Beautiful course surrounded by high dunes. Course is not too long and the rough was fairly lenient (no lost balls!). A proper links/dune course in that shot making to the green and putting important to make scores. Fairways wide enough that you can give it a blast with the driver from most tees. Course in great condition and highly enjoyable. I would rate above Pan and Haagsche, two other very good courses.

I've had the pleasure of playing this fantastic links and it is the real deal. Right off the first tee you get an amazing view of the links terrain you'll play throughout the round. I found the par fives to be especially good. The five holes that play through the trees are no less exhilarating and still play fast and firm. Anyone who says there's no trees on links courses needs still to see Carnoustie! The members were very welcoming and wouldn't even let us pay for a drink after the round. Put this on any must play list of continental europe! Joey

This is a superb golf course and must be one of Frank Pennink's best designs. It is a true links course carving its way through dunes but has the added attraction of a run of really nice tight holes played through a pine forest. It is a tough course where the wind is likely to play a significant part of your golfing test. The terrain is very hilly so the course has been designed with a great deal of variety in the shape and styles of holes. The direction of the holes changes a lot as well so you are frequently turning into a different wind direction. If you are ever near this place do not forgo the chance to play this course, it is absolutely top drawer.