The course at Boston Golf Club is a tumbling routing that floats on high o’er vale & hill. It has a natural flow with ragged sand bunkers bringing to mind remnants from a glacier that may - or may not - have crept through these valleys years ago. Several of the course’s notable characteristics are evident from the 1st hole: A blind drive over a ridge falling away to rumpled fairway. A landing area arguably wider than initial perception. A choice between a safe layup or more challenging effort. A forced carry to a raised green. I laid up but the forced carry remains either way.The 2nd is a beautiful par 4 where the racing line leaves a good look at the green & a safe shot to the wider part of the fairway will likely leave a blind approach. The 3rd features a kind of reverse Redan on a plateau for what you hope is your second shot. The 5th is an interesting short Par 4. You hit uphill, not really sure what happens next, bringing to mind the 2nd at Eastward Ho! What happens next is that a cricket wicket slither of a green is abruptly met at the top of said hill, tucked behind a small concealing dune. I’d enjoy playing this hole 18 times, getting 18 different scores, and feel I’d gotten value for money. The first official short hole comes at the 6th and it’s a picture. Unfortunately I topped an iron 80 yards straight ahead into the junk. This was one of my life’s great regrets because this hole deserved better. Speaking of better, some have said Boston GC is a course for elite golfers. There is some truth in this: you’ll experience intimidating driving lines, elevation changes, forced carries, false fronts, and blind shots. I also played my worst round of what was a 6 trip jaunt through this part of the world, leaving my scorecard in Bruins and my only Larry Birdie coming at the 4th. And admittedly I am as likely to be described as an elite golfer as Vladimir Putin is likely to adhere to commandments 6, 8, 9, & 10 from the St James bible. However, on balance I still hold a different view. It’s more than a feeling (more than a feeling) that Boston is simply a challenge where you need to think and then execute on that thought. Sometimes it was the wrong thought and more often poor execution. There are plenty of angles on offer but you may need to concentrate. The fairways were often fairer ways than initial tee box evaluations, elevation changes are surely officially fun, and blind shots are only blind the first time you play them (and even then only if you’re not tall enough). There are many false fronts and a forced carry will always be a forced carry, so iron play in particular needs to be exacting. The greens were well undulated and firm, but it was not a case of a Boston baked greens kicking balls off into impossible spots. I chose the correct tees and don’t think I lost a ball. My own poor score was in fact partly due to my caddie Dick Dastardly who insisted on sabotaging my game. Anyone who feels Boston is an overly difficult track may only have played it once? As a member’s only club, I think you do need layers of challenge and puzzles to solve for future rounds. In this respect it was a bit more exacting than the Gil Hanse’s Castle Stuart. You will occasionally hear comparisons to Pine Valley and the Founding Father of this course did make trips to PV whilst researching this project. But this isn’t a penal course and I wonder if such conclusions are based more on aesthetics than playability. Where was I? Oh. More top class holes follow after the 6th and it’s easy to appreciate the design variety on offer. The 14th & 15th in particular were great fun and I have no qualms finishing on a Par 3 if they are as good as the 18th here. You may also notice classic design features en route such as stone walls and principal’s noses. The only hole I didn’t care much for was the Par 3 8th, which I found a little bland. Perhaps you could also make an argument for reversing the 9’s for those who don’t wish to finish on a short hole, but I wouldn’t do this. It’s not really surprising that Boston is a success for it enjoys all the ingredients for cooking up a successful course - great land, budget, top architect complementing a visionary founder, etc. But you still have to go out and build it and they did it. They didn’t build too much else either and this really helps you focus on the golf. The supporting facilities are all sufficient and of high quality, but there’s nothing extraneous, ostentatious, or superfluous here. I really liked this aspect and it immediately felt like a home for golfers. One pity of Boston - particularly because of the focus on golf - is that it’s private. When it comes to my networking skills I can reuse the earlier Vladimir Putin metaphor, so had to rely on the kindness of strangers to get a game here. It so easily may not have happened and I’m very grateful that it did. This situation of course applies to so many top courses in the US whose operating model focuses on exclusive rights. Which in turn inflates prices for great public tracks .But Golf courses like this are interactive works of art and as such should be on display as public goods in national galleries - not sequestered away in private collections. Even an infamously exclusive club such as Muirfield accepts the responsibility of sharing its gift, welcoming visitors on Tuesdays & Thursdays. Hopefully more US courses can consider such a two tiered model in the spirit of sharing & inclusion.Back in the Boston proshop I picked up a copy of “A triumph in craftsmanship”, which is an excellent account of the club’s origin story. This adds so much understanding of - and appreciation for - both the project and the course. Normally we play a golf course and as it’s already there, it simply exists already and you don’t think any more about it. But this book takes you back to when it didn’t exist and how it came to be. It’s a great story. In particular, it tells of one man’s drive to execute on a vision and showcases that Boston is a golf course and not a country club. And a fairly brilliant one at that - Hopefully I won’t have to wait 86 years to play it again.

Upon arrival at the massive carpark I wondered if I’d mistakenly arrived at a Walmart. On the long walk to the clubhouse things improved as the audacious “Welcome to the people’s country club” sign came into view. This surely beats the better known “warning” sign? Once inside, I paid the (relatively) modest green fee and entered the retail delights of the pro shop. The guys behind the counter knew some golfers by first name. Where to start? I plundered tat & swag like it was an episode of Dale Winton’s Supermarket Sweep. At this point the experience struck a fine balance between a busy corporate operation that almost felt like it could be a golf club.I’d been sweating over this tee time for a week, checking the online booking system every 6 minutes. Nothing doing. It’s one thing to champion a public golf oasis amongst a desert of private clubs, but it may as well be Paradise Cove if I couldn’t get on. It was looking like a night spent in the carpark queue. Not something I was looking forward to (despite my usual semi-intrepid & careless nature) because I’d wrecked my back during athletic misadventure the day before at Yale.And then it happened. 9pm on my final night in New York and some Crazy Fools (surely the collective noun for those opting to give up a coveted slot at Bethpage Black) decided to cancel their 11:20am 4-ball for the next morning. It was the only spot showing and perfect for me to make a 7:00pm flight out of JFK. Elsewhere in New York 2 others were likely also silently celebrating. The Golfing Gods were either finally smiling on me or didn’t want to miss setting me up for a fall at this infamous test. At the starter’s hut I was met by the more famous infamous sign and my two playing partners. They were unacquainted locals who regularly checked the tee sheet and could drop work commitments as golf became available. Nirvana. We’ll call them Chas & Dave because I can’t remember their real names. Brief intros and then off we went. I pulled out my driver and gingerly punted my first Bethpage Black Metal wood of the day down the right side. The first hole is really nothing special, at least not considering this is a (take your pick) US Open/PGA/Ryder Cup venue. Still, it might be a highlight on an average course: An elevated drive to a fairway that doglegs right to a smallish green benched into a gentle slope.10 minutes later Dave was in for his par and I was gratefully holing out for my bogey. As Chas was lining up his 12 footer, Dave was already disappearing from sight down a tunnel & headed for the second tee. Before casually stroking it home, Chas looked up and called over no need to wait for him. Humming Taylor Swift’s “Welcome to New York, it’s a different soundtrack” to no one in particular, I waited for Chas. When we all caught up at the second hole, Dave was on a call, making some deal or other. He put his phone down on the tee box and ripped his drive away. We followed suit. I liked this hole better than the first. It was less forgiving and had a more interesting shot up to a semi blind green, perhaps the first example of the all or nothing nature of the course.I do have a nice Garmin sports watch, but more often than not I simply check the yardage on the tee marker, decide it’s not correct, and then randomly select a soon to be regretted club. Therefore my first par of the round at the 3rd was no mean feat if you are as useless at depth perception as I am. Club selection for this fairly shallow green that angles away right to left is crucial and dependent on pin position. Chas & Dave both airmailed and the up & down from the slope was no picnic.Then we came to the Par 5 4th hole. The sense of recognition almost floored and I risked collapsing under the weight of my grin. An attractive hole & so often my Bethpage nemesis from the Tiger Woods video game series. I’d finally get a chance to either get one back or compound historical performance. The strategy on this hole is simple & ideal. No real width providing multiple options or routes, more a case of deciding to go for it or not. From the back tees, I find it hard to imagine reaching & then holding this green in 2. My strategy was to play it as a 3 shotter, which became 4 courtesy of a fairway bunker. But another 2 putts for bogey and I felt quite satisfied. The hole is a beautiful monster and one I could probably play all day without a birdie. It would leave me a uber-cross between Bill Murray’s characters from Caddyshack & Groundhog Day. At this point I’ll depart the hole by hole descriptions and leave them to the experts. The family breakfast won’t make itself and this is a fine place to speed things up. Much of what follows from the 5th onwards is very good golf. There’s plenty of variety in the challenges ahead, but they are linked together by the word challenges - a need to keep hitting good shots from tee to green over the expansive property. It wasn’t all hitting bombs - the 9th was one of two holes where I drove through the dogleg and should have clubbed down. 10 & 11 were nice changes of pace, flatter, where you could be at Royal Worlington or a Walton Heath-erless. The Par 5 13th was another stout test and the short 14th felt like doing a bungee jump as you hit your elastic cored ball across a valley to a shallow green with death all around. At this stage Chas was now taking a video call for a work meeting. The 15th was definitely another death or glory highlight that was worth the green fee alone. Probably rivaling the 4th in terms of memorability. The bunkering throughout never fails to capture your attention, and often your ball. The 17th was perhaps the pick of the Par 3’s, where a double bogey effectively meant I would not be breaking 90. The closing hole is undoubtedly picturesque & recognizable, but misses something. After Dave holed out on 18, Chas & I quickly consumated our own bogeys. We shook hands and turned to Dave to do the same but he was nowhere to be seen. He’d vanished in a puff of smoke like a magician doing a disappearing act. In fairness I’d conversed them both to death so he was probably desperate to make like Houdini & escape back to his office. To Ryan’s earlier insight, I am a Neanderthal in many things & so welcomed the challenge that this course asks. You have to keep making good swings which makes a change from infinite variety where you often get let off the hook, or penal golf with watery graves. Have I mentioned that I didn’t lose a ball? To paraphrase Frank Sinatra, if you can make a score here, you’ll make one practically anywhere. The rough was at times sticky, although I was assured, nothing like it can be. Word is that the test on the greens is relatively simple in comparison, and this is probably true. But I didn’t find them boring - they had enough tilt and every now and again even had some internal contours. The way things are going with a European exodus to the LIV Tour, I’m and get another Crack at the Black sooner rather than later by making the 2025 Ryder Cup team. The experience goes down as one of my favourites and the course is burned into my mind as a rather unique creation. Despite the absence of water, a classic LCD Soundsystem track comes to mind: This is one pool in which I’d happily drown. Bethpage Black, I love you and you’re not bringing me down

One of the advantages of the Tiger Woods era is that golfers are now athletes. Having cleverly booked to play George Wright on the Patriots Day holiday, I’d have the place to myself. Local golfers would surely be occupied for a few hours running the Boston Marathon dressed as Paul Revere or his horse? Well, it turns out not all Golfers in Boston are distance runners & the course was rammed. But no worries, for the efficient starter kindly offered that I whizz round the back 9 first and then join an existing 2-ball for the front 9.The first tee shot (the 10th) is inviting, a gently rising fairway with hints of glaucoma. Weighing up risk & reward, I played to the right where I could see the fairway landing area. However, I accidentally hit it left & too far, which fortunately gave me an ideal look at the green way down below. Odd to have no bunker protection here short right - could slightly understand if it was a genuine opening hole. It’s an attractive hole and encapsulated many course characteristics (good & less so) that were to come on subsequent holes. I liked the second (the 11th) which hits up to a ridge and then doglegs around to a benched green. It just perhaps requires the green-side bunker to be pushed left so it threatens the green more. So far it was dogleg left, dogleg right, downhill, uphill. Variety box ticked. The third (the 12th) is a cataract straight drive where I did my best to fire a shot across the bows of a dawdling 2-ball up ahead. In truth my tee shot went much further than expected as, after an initial rise, the hole tumbled back down a sharp hill that I’d not expected. It could perhaps do with a traffic light system like Hunstanton, although it’s possible they don’t care for borrowing English traditions in these parts. The second shot here, despite crossing a burn, was not very interesting. The next 6 holes were painfully slow. The fourth (the 13th) had a pretty enough tee shot but I didn’t like the character so much with water on both sides. The fifth (the 14th) was the next decent hole, an elevated par 3 that’s well protected and has a good green complex. The sixth (the 15th) had a nice drive, fairly nondescript second shot, and the third into the green was okay. The seventh (the 16th) & eighth (the 17th) were my favourite holes on the opening (back) 9. My second into the former, to a sucker pin, rolled around 50 yards back off the false front after landing almost pin high. It was the most thrilling element of the round and ultimately a bogey to cherish. The shot into the latter, with plenty of trouble, was probably the prettiest one of the day. The ninth (the 18th) was a largely forgettable way to finish the loop. To summarize the opening (closing) nine: The property is fairly grand in scale & well routed over more than adequate topography. You’ll need a fairly strong constitution to walk these fairways. The holes require decision-making & the green complexes are generally good. Some were clearly better than others, but the weaker holes were at least different to the others, so contribute to the overall variety. The maintenance could be better and arguably bunkering was a bit tired. I have to end my course summary here because I didn’t actually play the back (front) 9. When I got back to the first tee (my 10th), the offered 2-ball had become a 4-ball and the rest of the day was now full with 4-balls. The nearby race must have finished early and those athlete golfers who made the effort must have opted for a quick loop for their warm down. It’s great that the course is so popular but it became clear to me that playing George Wright on most days is potentially marathon & not a sprint. And so I left. It’s not ideal writing a course summary after just 9 holes (even if I did do the same for Royal Worlington) but there is still plenty of good golf worth describing on the half I saw. Perhaps nothing revolutionary at this Boston course but it’s worth fighting for a tea-time. It offers up quality golf that is accessible to all at an affordable price. You really can’t go wrong at George Wright

Speeding down I-95 from Cape Cod to New York, bursting for the loo, with road signs coming at me from all angles for yet more places that hadn’t bothered to think up an original name. Ironic then, I thought to myself, to be making a rest stop at a golf course known for its use of Template Holes. By all accounts groundbreaking stuff from Seth Raynor. In theory I’m skeptical of this copy & paste approach - it’s just cookie cutter design for the “thinking golfer”. But might Yale unlock a new way of thinking?Standing on the first tee I’d not so much as sharpened a pencil, let alone done my homework. For those who like to study the course materials in advance, expectations will be high & you’d be ready for the examination on this seminal text. Various laws of physics, some yet to be explained, saw my ball sail away over the pond, before losing itself right. Then getting hacked out via inexplicable bounces, dribbling on in 3, before gravity gratefully dropped it into the little black hole for a 2-putt bogey. Only then did I stop to consider the hole. It was the big natural looking putting surface, split diagonally into two tiers, that I underlined with my highlighter pen. You could almost be at St Andrews. And so began my history test at Yale. Heading off the second tee I started to realize every hole might have something to takes notes on. In this case it’s the green angled away from the fairway with death on the left. Try to come in from the right side, but the danger remains either way. The dogleg right third involves a challenging water carry that lets you choose your risk, to a blind and otherwise disappointing green site. Including the fourth - where I’d argue the bunker is the wrong side and calling this one “Road” is a bit of a stretch - it is a high quality opening stretch that scores a solid BB+. At this point I glanced at the strokesaver - which functions as a kind of Cliff/York notes - and saw the template names & useful hole descriptions. This provides answers for what is in front of you, like a multiple choice exam. As your design tutorial unwinds around the substantial property, I started to appreciate the suggestion that Raynor “engineered” golf holes. The greens often felt like structures as opposed to natural sites. From the 7th greensite through to the perhaps the 14th, the land takes over. You play up, over, around, and down. Sometimes on the same hole. But the strategy of the early flat openers remain where you can usually choose your level of danger on the spectrum of risk/reward. Many of the holes are distinctive & memorable, but not due to any traditional eye candy. It’s down to how they play. And the big greens are anything but ordinary. By this time I’d decided Yale was no dunce - but it wasn’t all top marks. The presentation was questionable and for some this will disguise what a good course it is, in the same way the poet John Donne obscured insight via complex language. Ideally you need a George Orwell thing going on where meaning & style are pragmatically yet elegantly aligned on the same page. The Bunkering was rather tired and the undergrowth needed clearing out. It was just the opening week, so things will improve, but better conditioning would let the design features of Raynor shine and elevate Yale’s final grades. I found the Par 3’s relativity underwhelming. The 5th “Short” looks uninspiring and could do with more internal green contours. The 8th “Biarritz” has a truly great green but I did not like the death or glory carry from the back tee. Hitting to a pin position on (thankfully) the rear tier, I pulled a 3 wood into the back left bunker. Unsatisfied with not seeing my ball roll up the green like something out of Tin Cup, I then hit two more into the water like Roy McAvoy (or Rory McIlroy). The 13th “Redan” - by now I’m really enjoying name checking all these Templates Holes - is another nice green, but plays downhill and so holds less mystery. Hole 15 “Eden” - I again liked the green, but not how the hole was framed. This is splitting hairs/atoms/bananas though. And I’m inclined to ignore it anyway as there’s something else at work here, a double major of art and science. It’s like walking an interactive golf museum. Maybe it’s an overseas exchange programme, where American golfers go to St Andrews & the Brits come here to study? God only knows what I’d make of NGLA. The skeleton of Yale is strong & supple. The scale of the property is hugely impressive and the routing a very nice walk. The balance & variety of the holes ideal. The golf shots faced can be thrilling so you won’t be falling asleep in this class. The greens repeatedly shows signs of genius. I’d struggle to pick a favourite hole as there were many contenders (the 6th being the only one I didn’t really care for). The course just requires a minor cosmetic procedure here & there. Speaking of which… I’ve no idea what the renovation plans are but curious to see how Surgeon Hanse operates. Yale is already a seminal paper in my eyes, one that gets more than it’s share of citations, and just needs a change of font & spell check to tidy things up.I had wanted to conclude that the Template Holes here was like plagiarising someone else’s work and passing it off as your own. Or listening to Greta van Fleet pretending Led Zeppelin never happened. But that would not be accurate and so the metaphor needs some revision. A better comparison is perhaps Hendrix’s rendition of All Along The Watchtower - copying something excellent, whilst taking it to a new place, and arguably improving it. And as for the location in New Haven, I’m not even sure there is an “Old Haven” anyway. My own theory disproven then - I’d learned a valuable lesson and Yale was indeed an education

I made the mistake of reading Adam’s review below & now have little more to add. This error has likely spared all of us. Keney Park has an excellent start at 1-3, which is largely mirrored by the opening 10-13 on the back 9. However, some of the routing in between loses its way - with a few holes on the latter part of the front 9 feeling a little back & forth. Quick note on opening holes in general: I like the gentle handshake concept but it’s also important they look inviting, impressive, & create anticipation for the round ahead. Keney Park succeeds in this respect. Other elements that did not work for me: The Church Pews bunkers on hole 8 felt like the golden age equivalent of putting a water fountain on a Florida resort course. I would have preferred the Principal’s Nose bunker on 17th to be more of a fairway hazard as opposed to pushed up against the green, and a random bunker to the left of the teeing area on one hole (also #8 I think) left me scratching my head. I would remove a couple of trees on hole 10 to open up the view of the attractive waste bunker and perhaps also a few fir trees on the inside of the dogleg on hole 2. Conditioning also was not great - although special dispensation as it was very early in the season - even the logo balls for 2022 were yet to arrive in the pro shop. Okay, so I had a few drinks last night, a sore head this morning, and note the whisky glass described above is half-empty thus far. I must take an alka-seltzer & bring myself back to Adam’s earlier comments. Keney Park’s glass is assuredly half-full (and at risk of overflowing when you consider Steve’s earlier point on value for money). It has significant green complexes & rambunctious fairways - which adds up to fun & challenging golf. Also numerous hat-tipping to classical design elements & templates for the initiated to enjoy. Redan 13th, et al. Several distinctive holes remain lodged in my remaining memory banks: 1, 2, 6, 10, 12, 13, & 17. In Summary #1: My life’s golf experience is better for having played Keney Park. America seems to excel at these types of courses and has even managed to make them exciting. In Summary #2: Parkland Golf in New England it’s more Phil the Thrill to Old England’s Richard Bland. In the UK, this form of the game can make 5 days of test cricket more thrilling than a bungee jump (Note: You could actually bring the willow bat along should you need to lower the heart rate post-round for there is, oddly, a cricket pitch right next door). If humble $45 Keney Park in Hartford Connecticut, (the Constitution & Nutmeg state) was in somewhere like Wales, it would likely be a national treasure. In Summary #3: I’d play here often if living within an hour or so, and you should too.

Visiting Eastward Ho! was something of a pilgrimage for this limey. It was therefore with several ironies that my drive along the thin strip of Cape Cod - passing signs for the likes of Sandwich, Falmouth, Yarmouth, Harwich, & Barnstable with a b - occurred on Patriot Day. Stepping out of my car I was taken aback by the enticing vista of holes 1 & 9. Aside from the absence of any sea views, this relative safe haven typifies what you can expect for the remainder of the course: Rising & falling fairways that resemble a rolling heaving ocean swell. Golfers with open umbrellas are likely to resemble little sailing ships all at sea. If your soul is not shaken or stirred at this point, then you might be better off staying in the clubhouse with a Martini. So I set sail from the first tee, hoping for fair winds & following seas, facing a scenic downhill drive followed by an uphill long shot. It’s a great opener to get the heart rate up. The second involved crossing a road to a tee box down by the waterside and a hit up over the water and over a rise, slightly blind. You’re unlikely to be dead in the water with this carry as it’s of no significant distance. Crossing another road to get to the third tee, you may be reminded that this unusual design element was also employed by Herbert Fowler, less successfully, at Walton Heath. Here in Chatham it worked much better in the routing. The third was another blind tee shot as you tee off over another rise, with the right tack being to shoot across the bows of the inside fairway bunker on the left. I cannot agree with the previous reviewer saying this is a great strategic short 4, because if you can’t see the options off the tee then it’s hard to make or appreciate the decisions. It’s a good hole though but relatively plain sailing up to this point. At this point I turned the corner and arrived at a tee box overlooking Pleasant Bay, with the lovely short hole 4th to contemplate. From here on I sailed closer to the wind, and on this Par 3 caught between the devil & deep blue sea. My advice would be to focus and club up. Beautifully framed holes now came hand over fist. The par 5 5th tacked uphill with a dramatic fairway that looked remarkably like something from Royal Hague. Hitting my third onto middle of the green, by the time I’d made it up there, the wind - helped by the slope - had blown it off the false front like a rat deserting a sinking ship. The 6th was a beauty and unless you’re a long hitter your tee ball will likely end up kicked right off a crest into a fairway trough, leaving a blind second into a back to front green perched into a dune. Don’t go long here - unless you’re running short on balls in which case you’ll find many that have run aground behind this green. Great hole. The Par 3 7th was another scenic short hole, this time uphill, giving more challenge than it’s short predecessor. The 8th was a lovely open Par 4 when you can make waves with your driver and the 9th moors your anti-clockwise loop back to the clubhouse in fine fashion. It’s a tough fairway to hold and easy to go off course. The outward half went by at a significant rate of knots and at this point everything was shipshape & Bristol fashion. Nothing other than world class describes the voyage thus far. The back nine didn’t quite hit the same heights, but this was largely due to the early holes that play away from Pleasant Bay. This reminded me to rate the painting & not the canvas. The tumbling fairways, shot values, beautifully varied & restrained bunkering, excellent presentation, & pure greens all remain. Holes 12 & 13 might be where the course found itself in the doldrums - at least scenically speaking - but then I turned another corner on the clockwise routing and welcomed back the pleasant sight of the bay for 14 & 15. Both great holes. You’ll want to give the right side a wide berth if you can on 14 to make your second easier, and take an extra club on the picturesque 15th to avoid being high & dry in one of the frontside bunkers. Battened down the hatches for one final battle with the wind on 16, before trying to channel my inner John Daly on 17 & 18. If you can get a long drive away at the last, you may roll all the way down a steep slope to give yourself a shorter but blind shot in. Leave yourself a bit shorter and you’ll have a longer but well sighted look at the target. I opted for the former but achieved the latter. The beautiful clubhouse framing the 18th green - land ahoy! - is a welcome sight after being all at sea for a few hours. The rolling fairways and elevation changes were a huge part of the challenge here, liable to bamboozle. You may need multiple plays before passing this test with flying colours, ideally shaping it up both ways to hold them. This is beyond me - at least intentionally - which meant my tee balls would often hit the fairways and then follow the currents to a final sunken resting place. But there is often line of charm to toe at Eastward Ho! This usually became evident after finishing a hole, so the course will be easier when you know the ropes. You will need to be a decent player to hit these targets consistently. Having played the course in both calm and rough waters, you may find yourself feeling blue & under the weather when it really blows. Members decided to scuttle their rounds and landlubber it up the clubhouse during my second round - a sensible enough course to chart to avoid shipwrecking confidence. Apparently the rough will grow significantly during the summer, adding a third dimension of difficulty. This would make it very tough and then it’d also be Yo Ho! Ho! & a barrel of IPA for me. Despite the aforementioned Olde English towns on Cape Cod, it’s Royal Hague that springs to mind at Eastward Ho! It has the same scale of property, (arguably extreme) natural landforms, tilted greens, and tough-cookie thrill. It’s just as good yet right on the ocean. So why is one ranked in the World top 100 and the other “only” present in the USA top 100? You’ll often read reviewer comments like “if this course was located elsewhere, then it’d be more highly regarded”. This sound bite is usually reserved for courses in isolated or unfashionable locations - and I don’t generally agree with it. But for Eastward Ho! the opposite might be true - it potentially suffers as it’s in the North East amongst so much quality. As though Massachusetts is not permitted to claim too many world ranked courses. Or maybe because US raters are always looking further Eastward for seaside courses. It of course also helps Royal Hague that the likes of Golf Magazine is seriously over-indexed with raters from Holland. But whatever the reason, switch locations with the Dutch Cousin and it’d be Eastward Ho! in the world top 100 - no question in my mind. This is epic & inspiring golf beautifully presented over dramatic landforms. The course is good enough to distract you from the wonderful sea views. It may beat you up but it’s hard to beat. As you gratefully dock on the 18 green, you are fully onboard & convinced that Eastward Ho! is a world class course that has fully earned its exclamation mark.

The views here - much like their pasties - are to die for.

Today is an appropriate time to collect my thoughts on playing a newcomer like Dumbarnie. After all, it’s out with the old & in with the new. And coincidentally, I’m also writing this at the start of a new year. This course is big on playability, scenic to the point of distraction, expansively well routed, and contains high quality greens & surrounds. It all adds up to great fun, approaching the dizzy heights of Castle Stuart in this regard. Like all courses that begin with a blank canvas, the variety offered up is very good, ticking many boxes. It’s a very nicely balanced collection of strong holes that offers up the instant sugar rush that traveling golfers crave. There is a lot here to offer the average golfer like me. Driving greens on short par 4’s & reaching par 5’s in 2 shots is fun. This is the kind of experience we need every once in a while. Many tee shots are thrilling, whilst not offering up too much danger (although perhaps I just had a good driving day). The real challenge was scoring on or around the putting surfaces, conquering the shaping & sizings (although perhaps I just had a bad putting day). The design means you might not expend too many shots getting near the greens, but you’ll need to stay focused until you hole out. If this doesn’t sound challenging enough for a scratch player, I should mention we had plenty of wind to contend with and you can always chose a different tee if you wish to decrease margin for error (this course is elaa——aastic). Dumbarnie has a perfect Spider Web location that will catch many a Golfing Fly arriving into Edinburgh and heading north to plug holes in their leaky bucket lists. This geographical fact, coupled with a course that cannot disappoint, and a price point that is reassuringly-expensive-yet-competitive-versus-Kingsbarns, means that Dumbarnie is set up for success. One comment on the architect Clive Clark: I only vaguely knew of him as a 70’s Ryder Cup player, but hopefully efforts like this will show developers that there are many out there who can design high quality golf courses. Are there any negatives? Yes. Some of the shaping flanking holes is a bit pointy. The mixed bunker styles won’t work for everyone. I also wasn’t a fan of the water on the 10th hole. And the bunkering at the back of the otherwise excellent Par 3 16th felt unnecessary. But I can’t think of much else. Where does Dumbarnie fit in amongst the established Scottish golfing landscape? I think it could currently take a seat around 15 or so in Scotland. This means it’s a must play - a world class visit you won’t regret making. Potentially pushing Top 10 once it settles down. Scotland already spoils you for choice and doesn’t need any new golf courses. But if they are going to be this good, then they are most welcome.

The Castle Course features well designed attractive holes that traverse a fairly extreme hillside location. Biggest talking point might be the infamous “challenging” greens - which certainly ruffle some feathers. For me it was being serenaded for around 10 mins by a pair of gorgeous Barn Owls on 16 & 18. With all due respect to the NFL, I’d suggest this majestic avian wonder is the genuine Superb Owl. We skipped 3 holes as the slow play on the day destroyed our will to live. Despite this, the course was a real hoot with some memorable playing moments. The Castle Course is in many respects a Cuckoo in the St Andrews nest. For me it is a must-play when visiting the town - even if just to facilitate moaning about the greens (or pace of play) afterwards. Owl be back.

We played here following the previous day’s Pilgrimage to the next door neighbour. Would it consequently be a case of after the Lord Mayor’s show? Or more out with the Old & in with the New? While it would flatter to suggest the latter, and you might be much warmer if stating the former, I’d pitch my tent somewhere in the middle ground between what are twin peaks of St Andrews golf. Some commentators say the New is better than the Old. I don’t agree with that. Others offer up the cliched assertion as to which course locals might prefer. There were definitely more Scottish accents on the New, although I suspect affordability also plays a role here. It doesn’t quite have the same baffling array of landforms & striking bunkering to navigate en route to the wonderful green complexes. And you never, at any point, get to aim at the “H” from Hotel. But if you said you preferred it to the Old, I could at least get into bed with that idea (even if I would sneak away in the morning without saying goodbye or leaving my number). The New has a lot going for it - both in its own right -and by way of providing a welcome complimentary counterpoint to the royal & ancient history of its high profile establishment partner. If Kate Middleton was a golf course. The playing corridors are more defined, giving a more conventional links feel, where holes tend to run along dunes. It’s also narrower with less of the wide open spaces & shared fairways. It also offers a slightly different challenge: More squeaky bum off the tee - where going left was often not an option, but less upset tum around the greens - where shots were less likely to require a PhD in Imagination. During 18 holes on the Old course I didn’t go in one bunker, one of many things I have I common with TW circa 2000. By contrast, my first sandy lyle on the New came at the very opening hole - after foolishly succumbing to a pin position resembling Elle Macpherson in Sirens. You also won’t see many Caddies or extras from Downton Abbey here, which offers a sense of golfing sincerity far from the madding crowd. The routing displays perhaps one similarity with the Old - a fairly conventional out and back affair, excepting a couple of switchbacks, that explores the property well. Another familiarity might be a slight randomness with bunker placement. This potentially makes you more likely stop & think when playing than if a designer had stopped to think where to place them when designing. There is also a single double green shared by holes 3 + 15 = 18. A final point of comparison might be the presentation of the course, which was excellent. The New has a few lovely holes showcasing good variety. Whilst not displaying the Full Quirk of next door, it contains more than enough to stop you getting bored. I liked the grass mound breaking up the shot in at the very first, and the sentinel dunes guarding the entrance to the green on hole 8. The blind drive on home 10 was also welcome. In general some of the holes are admittedly more functional, but for me it all adds up to slightly more than the sum of its parts. There are twice as many short holes here, and half of these I found to be very good. The bunkerless 9th plays fairly blind (depending on how tall you are) 200-odd yards uphill into a sunken green. Thrilling to crack a 3 wood up at the horizon and then cross you fingers and toes whilst wheezing up the hill. The 13th might be even better - an excellent shortish par 3 of around 150 yards with a putting surface tilting from back to front and left to right. Hitting the middle of the green feels like an achievement but you may still have a testing 2 putts for your par. It’s not quite the Eden hole but it certainly wouldn’t be out of place on the Old. Would probably say the same for the aforementioned 9th - especially as the Old is missing a couple of short holes. The round finishes with a fitting par 4 in front of the eye-catching newish clubhouse, with reasonable length & conventional bunkering of 2 on each side keeping you honest. This is perhaps one of the best “second” courses you could have - assuming you can’t have 2 “first” courses. In this respect it brings to mind Saunton East & West, albeit with the quirk & convention reversed between “first” & “second”. There are enough points of difference & sufficient quality that it cannot come across as a disappointing afterthought. Plenty to enjoy & I for one never new this course would be such a pleasant surprise.

Southerndown, grazing sheep up ahead,Don’t forget what Tom Doak’s book said,Something special gonna come at the last,Downland fairways are running fast,Southerndown.The urge to paraphrase Neil Young’s famous rebuke of southern values is strong because I question if this is “The Best Downland Course In The World”. Unless it’s the only downland course there is. Whatever “Downland” means anyway. Looks a bit like a links, plays a bit like a links, but isn’t a links? Because you can’t feel that soil-pH-altering-salty-spray? Or because the actor who played Hannibal Smith in The A-Team says it isn’t?Digression #1 Course classifications can be a tough task at the best of times. Walton Heath remains the best heathland I’ve played primarily because it’s the only one I’ve played. Any course with more trees than heather plants is surely a woodland course? A parkland seems an easier call. And of course identifying a true links is an obvious one. But of this ilk, my preference is for Yelverton & Sheringham. Assuming they are of the same ilk. It’s quite confusing. Digression #2: A side note on the ProShop. I only actually visit other courses in order to collect a colorful logo ball for my son in to help indoctrinate him into golf - but Southerndown didn’t have any. I was tempted to just have a beer in the clubhouse and leave without playing the course. Glad I stuck around, because it’s supposed to be about the golf course, but still. Back on topic: Negotiating the first hole climb is such an effort that I forgot to write my score down. Could this be “the steepest opening hole in the world”? The second hole is a welcome downhill respite with a blind drive and a great view out over the estuary when you reach the green. The third goes back up the hill. Then the fourth back down the hill. At this point it felt like I had the Grand Old Duke of York on my bag calling the shots. I loved the par 3 fifth - an all or nothing knob to knob shot playing across a valley (for a change), where you secretly won’t mind coming up short in order to enjoy the challenge of getting up & down. At least this is what I told myself in retrospect as I walked off with a bogey. Hole 6 is an uphill par 5 with a series of imposing bunkers seemingly devouring the left side of the fairway, and hole 7 is a downhill par 3. The 8th is a nice par 4 that, you guessed it, goes back up the hill. From memory, the 9th may have been a flat hole. My recollection of the back 9 is a little lesscomplete although one thing sticks: If you’re not getting up & down around the greens, you will at least regularly do so on the walks from tee to green. They remain quality holes, but I felt they blended into each other somewhat more than the front half. The obvious exception is the closing 18th, a hole that would grace many a course and is worth calling in sick from work to play. It could be improved if they’d clear the vegetation out a little on the right side to give a fuller view of the clubhouse - but even in its current state it’s a pretty special way to end a round. Southerndown is a quality golf experience and worth adding to any South Wales trip. But I’d argue it’s overrated. If you don’t agree with this view, then I brace myself for the Sweet Home Alabama rebuke: Southerndown don't need him around anyhow.

Each time we play golf in Scotland it feels as if we are playing a game of Russian Roulette with the weather. To date, we’ve been for the most part, lucky. At Carnoustie the gun finally went off and shot us point-blank between the waterproofs. This is already an uninspiring location but at least the horrible weather wasn’t ruining any beautiful views (I like to think my glass of rainwater is half full). And the setting does allow you to focus on the golfing challenge in front of you (by now said glass was full of rainwater).On the first tee we were paired up with 2 young French lads. At Carnoustie. I couldn’t believe my luck. The opening drive is nothing special, but your second shot blind down into the hidden green is an early & unexpected introduction of mild quirkiness. As I walked to my ball I couldn’t help think what touring pros make of it. After enjoying another nice green complex on the second, the drive on hole 3 was another early highlight. Here you decide which central bunkers to take on/avoid. Left proved ideal for the preferred angle on the next shot (I went right), but there’s also water protecting that side. Carnoustie continues in this vein - engaging shots and quality green complexes - until you reach the 6th. This hole was right up my alley - with staggered fairway bunkering & out of bounds all the way up the left side liable to leave you flustered with indecision. I Gareth Baled out (i.e. my ball disappeared - albeit by choice, I’ll have you know), But a decent hybrid back into play from a friendly lie, followed by average short iron into the green, and then a satisfying long 2-putt for my first par of the day almost removed the fire hose soaked grimace from my face. History does prime your senses when a playing “famous” hole, but this is a clearly a good one.One side note to what is potentially already a side note: Regardless of the extraordinary feats of Bionic Ben in the Open of 1953, my thoughts briefly turned closer to home. I do not come from (anything approaching) a golfing family, yet there is one obscure exception. My Grandad’s Uncle - the fantastically named Bill Branch - played with Hogan on property here during Open qualifying on the Burnside that week. Unfortunately it didn’t work out for him on that occasion, but he had at least finished 13th in the 1937 Carnoustie Open. Amazing what the family tree can throw up. I found walking in these footsteps more poignant than those of anyone else who may have navigated Carnoustie - Ben, Jack, or Tiger (may the Greek goddess of Victory forgive me). I guess no one is immune in seeking out historical connections with this game. Next up will be a photo on the “Bill Branch Bench” at Ganton…Carnoustie then continues on in the vein of this start, with quality & engaging hole after hole. A stoic beauty that the torrential rain was doing it’s best to obscure. The conditioning was & remained great throughout, with the greens in particular running beautifully. They were also noticeably quicker than the Old Course where we’d played a few days earlier. Not quite how quick because we’d left the Stimpmeter back in our hotel room (the night before we’d been been measuring the distance which Tunnock’s Teacakes would roll across our carpeted room). The Gallic Golfers making up our flight had insisted on playing the back tees, so we were spending more time getting wet than absolutely necessary. Their self-flagellating approach searching for lost balls in the rough did allow me to take a few photos and start with the Jean van de Velde comments a little earlier than anticipated. I managed to mention the 1999 Open meltdown on every hole from the second onwards. As for this famed difficulty, I came within a whisker of breaking 90 whilst playing in scuba gear. Nevertheless, choosing the right tee boxes is even more important when the heavens remain open for 4 hours. The finish at Carnoustie was magnificent. Holes 13-18 are tremendous in their variety, challenge, & perhaps notoriety. Still not a view in sight but a memorable closing stretch demanding full focus. The setting is dour (and the weather still dire), but the holes were so enjoyable. And anyway, what kind of golfer wants to be looking at the mantelpiece when there’s a fire to be poked? On the 18th I made an admirable attempt to convince our French companions into an impromptu photo shoot in the Barry Burn, but unfortunately they declined. Probably for the best because on this day it was a literal raging torrent that may have carried them all the way home. As we finished up on the golfing icon that is the final green - my own playing partner securing a memorable birdie - I began to collect my thoughts on the course. Rating courses is one thing, but I don’t envy those at Top 100 who need to put them all into an actual ranked order. That is often comparing apples & pears, elevators & stairs, tables & chairs, skinny jeans & flares. If you rank Dornoch or Turnberry ahead of Carnoustie because of the respective settings, I can understand this. But the quality of this course surely stands shoulder to shoulder amongst the creme de menthe of links greats? Carnoustie is probably more of a Portmarnock Pomme than a Ballybunion Poire, but no less worthy for this. Many of us have our bucket full of water lists and are always excited to see the next course. The Madness Gene is after all what got our forefathers out of Africa to fulfill our species’s evolutionary destiny of inventing golf in the first place. But despite this human longing for new experiences, Carnoustie joins a very select backlog of courses that I would prefer to play again in lieu of risk-chasing new experiences. A friend asked me just yesterday for my top 5 courses played, in ranked order. This is like asking which child you prefer, so I gave him an unranked squad of 11. Carnoustie makes the cut. This course was simply brilliant and even the worst weather Scotland could throw at us did not put a dampener on things.

From the days of Dutch sailors “kolving” their stones across this linking land, to the present day invasion from all points of the compass, many things have been written about the Old Course. I’m not going to get into that for I can find no angle and am lost for original words. Instead, I will attempt 18 takeaways for each tee shot taken on my long delayed first visit here:1. Standing around waiting on the 1st tee was quite cool. We were paired up with 2 Canadians and they’re not nearly as bad as Americans make out. With a surprising lucid mind, containing just one swing thought (Ian Baker Finch), I drove it slightly left. 2. Over the next 18 holes, I only lost 1 golf ball. Therefore this course is very playable. On one Dutch course last year I consigned 11 to a watery grave.3. It soon becomes clear that you can drive left on almost every hole. My plan was to bail out, then make a bee line for the flag with the second shot. One of the only exceptions was at the Par 5 hole 14, where I aimed left, then further left with my second, before aiming at the flagstick. I’m undecided as to what this says about the strategic merits of the course. 4. At no point before, during, or after my round did I think of all the pros who’ve walked these fairways. Not once. Perhaps I forgot to remind myself of this. In general terms I was very aware of all the golfers like you and I who’ve walked those fairways. It’s clear that it’s some kind of pilgrimage for the regular golfer and it’s with those I felt something akin to a kinship.5. After a few holes I decided that it’s the areas around the greens that makes the challenge here. That and the wind that wasn’t too present on Friday day we played. My strategy (see #3 above) ensured I was faced with all kinds of long & winding roads to the hole. Occasionally I don’t think it was possible to get within 6 feet. Better players armed with a little knowledge would take different routes to the hole - but next time I’m in town I’ll still aim left then enjoy what happens next. The massive greens themselves were true yet surprisingly slow. 6. The Spaghetti Junction nature of holes 8-11 surprised me, and I don’t think I’ve really got a sense of this multi-directional congestion from watching Opens on TV. It reminded me of a roundabout in Naples.7. Hole 11. I asked myself if was a perfect par 3? The world’s shortest Par 5 some say. Happy to report I parred it. 8. Every bunker I strolled past in my dreamlike state seemed to have a name, so on the back 9 I started browsing the stroke-saver to pay attention to this. Tough to beat a behemoth named HELL, but needless to say my favourite feature was Mrs Grainger’s Bosoms. I again drove left to steer clear of any tempting trouble they might offer up. Despite my best efforts, I didn’t go in any of bunkers at all. With hindsight, a shame.9. Our green fee was £137. All things considered, is there better value, amongst the absolute elite, than this? I’m left wondering if Golf should have some kind of New York style rent control that references the Old Course pricing. Shadow Creek costs $1,000 to play. For the same outlay you could play 97 holes of The Old Course. Tomorrow I’m going to ask my manager to quadruple my salary and see what happens. 10. By now I’m starting to think this is a memorable course. Any critical powers have long since evaporated along with my score and I’m just really enjoying myself. On one hand I’m thinking it’s not that great, but at the same time I’m racking up memories left, right, & centre (mostly left). Neat trick. 11. Driving over the “railways sheds” on 17, whilst trying to avoid a hotel window, was definitely something different. And accompanied for the first time by palpable fear. The first 3 in our group had split the fairway, so it was a great feeling to see my ball sail over the “L” from “HOTEL” (was aiming at the “E”). My future swing thought on all holes will be to aim at an imaginary “L”.12. Standing just off the 17th green working out how to hit a bump & run, was Positively Transcendental. Not quite sure what the word means in this context, but it feels like the correct one. Also gazed across to The Jigger Inn at this point (my view, for what it’s worth, is that the Dunvegan knocks it into a Cocked Hat). 13. Driving on 18, whilst trying to avoid a car window, was another highlight. I’ve seen disaster here so the fear is justified & thank goodness for high MOI drivers. My second swing thought is now to imagine a line of expensive cars lining the right side of every fairway. I hit another shot for the age last here and the course accordingly gets an extra half ball rating from me. 14. One of the aforementioned playing partners, must have been a 5-6 hcp, had up to this point played pretty well (aside from a putter that needed jump starting at the turn). Yet he did something very impressive on the last: He topped his ball at an outrageous pace and it embedded itself into the side of the Swilken Burn on the fly. It sat there smiling back at us and 3 of us reciprocated with unbridled laughter. I desperately tried to think up some kind of “he drove his Chevy into the Swilken Levy” quip (for it referenced his name), but couldn’t quite nail it. Later on we enjoyed a few drinks with these 2 fine members of both The Commonwealth & The Pulpit Club (which allegedly knocks TOC into a Cocked Hat) and it brought home the brotherhood of traveling golfers. I do fear we owe them quite a few drinks, so if you’re reading, please do get in touch. 15. But now it was my turn. As we took the obligatory photos on the Swilken Bridge, I slipped over comically & heavily - stretching my knee ligaments and breaking my backside into several pieces. Should it be more widely known that it’s a slippery bridge? I’d sue the R&A if I thought it’d get me a free round. 16. In terms of value for money, I’d advise you to end up in the Valley of Sin. No, not that club you went to on your Stag Party, but the infamous ridge running infront of the 18th green. After a decent drive, I tried to hit some kind of clever three-quarter wedge (which a man of my means should never attempt), and watched on helplessly as a well-struck shot teetered on the green for a few seconds near the front left pin, before rolling back into the Abyss. Yet another memory that I would not have any other way. 17. Standing briefly back there on that bridge, or in fact anywhere out on the course, I felt the course to be a strong symbol of golf. Whatever that means. And I’m usually immune to or pretty cynical about these things. And I know it’s a cliche, but some cliches have a hint of truth about them. The Old Course at St Andrews is not the home of golf (that’s Holland) and it’s not the best course in the world (that’s RND), but it’s perhaps everything else in between. 18. My final takeaway is that, perhaps in the same way your don’t talk about your friend’s wife, this course should arguably be beyond a rating. Geoff Shackleford once proposed this (which means I really have to play NGLA) and I agree with him. If I coldly break the Old Course down into component parts after one visit, I can’t yet justify such a high rating, yet it’s the course I’d most like to play again.

We had a choice - 15 mins to invest in a sensible warm up, or 5 mins to enjoy a bacon roll & cup of tea. It’s not unusual that we chose the latter and enjoyed sitting out on the terrace trying to listen in on the stories of possible Welsh Rugby Legends. We then ran to the first tee to make our time, ketchup contrails following us around the corner. Some things will never change. It was a case of hurry up & wait, as the group ahead were taking their time. A fine view awaits you. It’s grin inviting, but sneakily technical, with the sloping fairway bringing bunkers into play. I opted for the right side, missing the fairway by an estimated 3 metres. I say estimated, because I couldn’t find my ball. A Welsh Magician, possibly Shane Williams, had made my ball disappear. Slightly vexed, I gave myself a Dutch Mulligan, and played 3 up into the green. And what a green it is, I thought, the smile quickly returning to my face. I was going to have a nice day. What follows isn’t at all flashy, but ticks most links boxes in an assured fashion. After deciding to hug the left side on subsequent holes, I really enjoyed chatting to the walkers out walking out in the fresh sea air, on holes 2 and 3. The routing takes you to the moon & back, and your rocket only has a minor wobble around 6-8 as it navigates one corner of the property. Conditioning was good and the green green grass paths a nice touch - even if the one from hole 7 to 8 was a little too long. The set of Par 3’s is excellent, with the 11th being my pick of the bunch. Although I might add a few yards of length to the 7th (did I really write that sentence?). Hole variety throughout is more than fine. The 15th was a strange one - good enough, but rough-edged bunker style at odds with what had gone before, making the home feel transported in from somewhere else. 18th is a fitting finish as you sex bomb your balI into the unknown. Only lost one more ball after the 1st hole suggests the course was pretty playable. And you don’t need to be a big spender to tee it up here for there are twilight deals to be had - wish more top courses would follow suit. This course isn’t perfect, but diamonds in the rough like this are surely forever - it’s very good. And the beer? Enjoying a pint of “Royal Porthcawl” - from Glamorgan Brewery - in the clubhouse proved a fitting end to a quality experience

One of the better 9 hole courses that I’ve played. The 1st is not great - draw it back from the JCB on the right side - before hitting into a welcoming green complex. Off and running. From here you enter the dunes, where any lingering concerns of Covid, Afghanistan, & the Eurovision Song Contest will likely get left behind. The 2nd is a short & wide Par 5 which invites you to first swing away like Johnny Weissmuller & then use the right side dune to kick your ball back onto the green. Next is an attractive Par 3 with a raised tee & well guarded at the front. Take an extra club. Following a fairly fiddly 4th came my favourite the 5th. A dogleg right where you decide how much of the dune you wish to bite off with your carry. The reward for your risk is a shorter second shot, slightly uphill to an elegant green complex guarded by sentinel bunkers. Definitely not the worst hole I’ve played. Interest faded slightly over the remainder of the course like one of Monty’s tee shots. But Golf amongst sandy hills is not to be sniffed at - I hold this thought every time I’m playing a soggy parkland - and this alone makes Pyle & Kenfig a course that should be considered for any South Wales itinerary

Pennard wasn’t quite what I expected. It is like a big brother to Perranporth - that was confirmed. But it wasn’t the golfing hipster’s minimalist wet-dream that I’d hoped for. The extreme nature of fairways was just a bit too much. Maybe I’m getting old and the only thing hip about me these days is a potential hip replacement following my round here. Whether uphill or downhill, landing areas always seemed blind. Aside from being unsighted, it was (as suggested) a tough walk - the next day my glutes burned as though I’d been playing squash with Jahangir Khan. The topographic smorgasbord is also highlighted by the meat & two veg of the Par 3 15th. A very solid links hole that serves to illustrate the madness all around it. Hole 17 was seemingly unfair - death everywhere and no obvious strategy (despite being perhaps the only Par 5 I’ve ever hit in 2 shots & had a good look at eagle - missed it). I only went for the green because the layup seemed just as difficult. The irony is that the terrain at Pennard actually risks becoming monotonous. But have no fear, lay down your pencils & set down your devices - for there’s plenty of good stuff here too! Second shots are often very cool & the green-sites consistently excellent & varied. I found some spots where a 2 putt was simply impossible & that’s a great thing. The routing moves around like a toddler with ants in his pants & holes come in a diversity of all shapes & sizes. Conditioning of greens very good (and fairways very bad - might be first time we played preferred lies on a dry summer course). The scale of the course is probably bigger than expected - very expansive & offers attractive looks across other holes. Coastal views are delightful. Beforehand I sneakily hoped Pennard might be, in my twisted judgement, a 6 ball course. To quote the great 20th century Philospher Collins, I would be an Easy Lover. Maybe it took my heart but I don’t feel it? It did offer more than enough to ensure I look forward to returning - but the likes of James Finegan & Tom Doak still have a lot to answer for

Speed of play is a big issue of golf and I’d like to apply this concept to writing the following. I’ve decided to share this course summary in the time it takes me to get through a bottle of Fropical Ferret IPA that I picked up when I was in Devon last week. Here goes:Yelverton GC must be around 15 mins from the infamous Dartmoor prison. This felt entirely appropriate as I myself was out on parole from nearby Netherlands - serving a lengthy sentence for a crime I - sip - didn’t commit. This all left me looking forward to what amounted to a conjugal visitation with a hot little English golf course. A bit old perhaps but undoubtedly attractive. My anticipation was further heightened by the odd fact that Yelverton is (almost) an anagram of the greatest football team in the world. Surely I’d be a fan?The course turned out to be like a country cousin of RND, because it is a rustic & soulful lay of the land design replete with various animals & their droppings regularly soiling your clubs & shoes. Also similar to RND, the greens were surprisingly good to putt on. The subtle genius of Herbert Fowler was also responsible here. And to make one final auspicious comparison: you turn into Golf Links Road on your way to the clubhouse. Duh-Duh-Duuh!As with Fowler’s Walton Heath Old, Yelverton opens with a Par 3 before then crossing a busy road to the main property. Perhaps this should be known as one of his design traits - creator of The English Road Hole Template? For me, this iteration is superior to that at Walton Heath Old - more picturesque, a gentler hand shake, an easier transition to the next hole. This road is even busier - arguably due to Grockle season - adding a new dimension to the terms “ heroic carry” & “risk & reward” as you sprint across carrying your golf sticks. That beer is almost gone. Once on the main property, you’re faced with a long Par 4 that requires a tee shot over what were once excavations of some sort. I aimed at the second horse on the left and let fly. Many of the subsequent tee shots have this kind of attractive view. Fairways are by no means narrow but keep one lazy eye open for the ball swallowing gorse. Every now and again you’ll have a blind tee shot. When this is because the land dictates, as with holes #4 & #5, Proper Job. Occasionally an unsighted tee shot is due to the vegetation (e.g. #8 & #12 -yellow tee), Improper Job. These should be sorted ideally out because it’s unnecessarily spoiling a good look at an attractive hole. My favourites came at #12 & #13. The former is a picturesque downhill par 3 where you ideally need to bring the ball in front the left. But any slight misjudgment and your ball is caught up in an array of bunkers & rough ground guarding that side. The latter is a longish uphill Par 4 where you’re faced with a big decision on the second shot. Do you take on the ravine guarding the green or do you lay up? I laid up and finished about a yard short of doing a Thelma & Louise. I curse the gods when I make a sensible choice yet fail to execute and end up in the animal droppings anyway, so this was no small victory. Now still facing a harrowing pitch over the Grand Canyon from a tight lie, I clipped it to around 2.5 feet- before confidently missing the par putt. A bogey still felt satisfying though. Probably because it’s a great hole. Yelverton continues to rise & fall over a lovely landscape, using minimal fairway bunkering, with either those robust excavations or stream-like channels often guarding the greens. I have read that the routing is a too little up & down with scant use of cross slopes. I don’t agree with this and felt in many cases I was trying to land a shot on a specific side of the fairway to take account of a slant or two. The only occasion the routing grated was at #8 & #9 which played right next to each other in opposite directions. Those were admittedly up & down like a manic depressive yo-yo.After a bit of a climb to the 16th tee I enjoyed a rest on a commemorative bench to deceased member BJ Grant (gives me an idea) which had the inscription “Golf & Family were his life”. As I sat there for a moment taking in the lovely views, I had to agree that he had his priorities in the right order. A nice moment. The aforementioned ravine made another appearance later in the round at #18 and this time I went for the green in 2. This turned out to be the worst decision since Hugh Grant stopped off for a coffee on Sunset Strip, because my drive had been mediocre. A solid blow followed but didn’t quite escape the grip of the tabloid-esque slippery slope. A moment of insanity. While the hole might be divine, it had me caught with my trousers around my ankles. I hoped to take relief… on the premise that giant bunnies were responsible for these enormous scrapings, but I was informed that they were unfortunately the work of man. But no common or garden artificial hazards - instead Fowler had cleverly worked old tin mining digs into his routing. I somehow hacked up & out onto the green and once again savored the bogey like a hungry 3 year old. My round took 3 hours and had I rushed it would perhaps have been 2.5 hours. I can’t go any quicker than this because I take too many shots & usually have to look for balls. But I also took some photos, chipped some extra balls from cool positions, generally inhaled the golf course, and even had a little rest on Mr Grant’s bench. Why do I say this? Some people seem to take great pride in going to a great golf course and simply rushing through the experience in 2 hours like it’s a race. Some perverse badge of honour. I used to work with a world speed golf champion and I do wonder if you can really get the most out of a golf course this way. Life is short - may contain the odd low - so why rush through the really good bits? I’ll only understand this if you’re dashing off to make another tee time. And your partner will likely thank you for taking a less hasty approach to life’s pleasures.But I digress. That first beer is long gone. I digress again. If you’re ever on your way to the golfing delights of the north Cornish coastline, it would be a wise decision to take the easy detour to mine the rich vein of holes at Yelverton. It’s even worth making a special trip for. You’d be a right foul Herbert not to.

After bad weather for much of the day, we got very lucky with a fine July evening for a quick 18 at Noordwijk. So shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? No - because thou art not more lovely nor more temperate. Whilst always looking for a poorly chosen analogy, Sonnet 18 simply cannot be shoe-horned in here. Think…In honour of my learned & engaging Oregonian host - I’ll opt for comparing Noordwijk to Astoria-set 80’s movie classic “The Goonies”. Our principal cast might be:SLOTH (played with distinction by the Noordwijk Golf Course). An ugly beast, contains a heart of gold and deserves a better life following a lifetime of abuse at the hands of his evil family. A monster who (spoiler alert) will go on to save the day and claim glory at the film’s climax. THE FRATELLI’S (played here in pantomime villain tradition by Noordwijk golf club’s course committee). A criminal family who l, amongst other nefarious doings, dropped poor old Sloth on his head multiple times as a baby - causing his obscene deformities. They then chain him up as a prisoner throughout his adult life.THE GOONIES (played last minute following various contractural disputes, by the Noordwijk golf club members). A group of young outsiders who take it upon themselves to follow a treasure map to save their town, taking on The Fratelli’s in the process. Chunk, one of The Goonies, unshackles Sloth which set up the film’s climax, and Mikey becomes an unlikely hero.ONE-EYED WILLY (played by an as yet uncredited consulting architectural firm) A long dead pirate who mystically helps the Goonies throughout as they strive to find his hidden treasure, in doing so helping provide Sloth the better life richly deserves.Note: This review is set mid-movie and our heroes Sloth & The Goonies have yet to save the day. Hole 1 starts with a gentle handshake of a short dogleg left set against a dune ridge. Good opening hole but the eyesore of the driving range is the first sign of visual deformity. Don’t be looking at your ball here thinking “I’m gonna hit you so hard”, because a little restraint is required. Hole 2 changes direction like a plot twist with a Par 5 that winds its way up the hill. Another nice looking hole, but another minor physical blemish with a uncharacteristic pond on the right side of the fairway. Played to me like a true 3 shotter (don’t they all) because your blind second shot to the green is protected by a minor chasm. Hole 3 is a potentially lovely little Par 3 where an awful scar of a path maims the intrinsic beauty. The Fratelli’s at work I assume. Following a pleasant sweeping uphill dogleg right to a raised green at hole 4 - this becomes an overused feature - you then enter a few wooded holes. The first of these is a lovely vista from the tee, despite perhaps being borrowed from a different course. It is here where I first noticed the pitiful pits that pass for bunkers. At times they are more akin to rabbit scrapings, and especially with the fairway bunkering. They probably should not bother. I often fell into them, risking a twisted ankle, long before I spotted them. The heaving land perhaps doesn’t really need fairway bunkering so I’d suggest taking a leaf out of Royal Hague’s book. But there is also an opportunity here to provide something impressive that is commensurate with the grand scale of the property. While I’m calling out these goofs, I should also mention the Par 3’s. Only hole 17 does this wonderful dunescape justice - a great short hole that would not be out of place at The Island or Cruden Bay. The others need work. In terms of general maintenance, several beautiful tee shots are reduced by unnecessary small trees blocking the frame. More signs of The Fratelli’s. And one final note on all those raised greens - variety remains the slice of golfing life. Hey You Guys - sort it out!Okay, so those were the architectural rejects but before you’re thinking “Jerk Alert”, there are also chunk-sized positives here. The site is world class and the routing is good (only a minor trek from 6 to 7 felt a bit awkward). The course is visually very impressive (Sloth analogy doesn’t help me here) and it’s great fun navigating the roller-coaster fairways and occasional blind shot. This alone makes Noordwijk a movie most will enjoy - you wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t, I told myself. I particularly enjoyed the madness of hole 14, a sweeping uphill Par 5 that left me 20 yards short after 3 reasonable blows. If you visit Holland, this course should be played so you can make up your own mind as to the plot holes & bloopers. I’d happily play an awful lot of golf at Noordwijk even in its current state, because great land near the coast deserves an Oscar nomination every time. I initially felt previous reviews from Matt Collings & David Davis were harsh. But on reflection they are constructive & fair. When deformed & tortured Sloth is first revealed to us, you’d be hard pressed to envisage his later heroics. And if you play Noordwijk without really seeing it, you may also conclude it’s a great course. First impressions can be misleading. This means it’s not at the level of Royal Hague or Kennemer - but it easily could be. Like Sloth, it deserves better. The search for One-Eyed Willy’s rich stuff goes on, but redemption could be just around the next booby-trapped corner. Noordwijk: I believe in you, golf club Goonies always make mistakes. Just don’t make any more. You also deserve a happy ending

Describing Texel as “links-like” is just about right. There are times on the back nine when, with just the right about of imagination (& missing perhaps one or two of your contact lenses), you could be at The European Club. And there are times on the front nine, on the lower side of a fairway, that your ball is in meadow grass and you’d swear (quite literally) that you’re at a common-or-garden polder course.
My playing partner got us underway with a stiff slice onto the driving range - where members on the tee insisted it was not out of bounds. Shut the front door! Can’t be true. The hole is named “De Cock”, and my Viking companion muttered something similar as his ball sailed right. But not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he then spent a questionable 3 mins looking for it amongst the others lying around (making strong argument for using yellow golf balls). He then got a great second with a regulation “nothing to see here” par 4 the ensuance. My own drive was excellent. I do have this knack of falling out of the car, sprinting to the first tee, then under the watchful gaze of impatient onlookers (technically on time because it’s still the same minute as our tee time) cracking away a decent drive. For a fleeting moment it’s actually as though I can play golf. This is often my only good drive of the day but does make me think I’ll thrive under the pressure of the Seniors Tour when there should be also onlookers for the other 17 holes.
The front 9 is a little more restrained and a little less “links-like”, but engaging holes nevertheless. The 2nd is a welcome view, a tight little black dress of a dogleg left, arguably with hips on the narrow side. People need to stop describing doglegs as having elbows. Knees might make more sense, but I’m going with hips for now. The 3rd is a complementary dogleg swinging back the other way, with incongruous (not for the last time) water hazards out left. The links-o-meter starts clicking on the 4th & 5th holes. I enjoyed the latter, a short dogleg right with blind second shot depending on where your drive ends up. Holes 7-9 remind you where the “like” in “links-link” comes from. And I didn’t like them as much.
After a so-so par 3 10th, the course changes fairly dramatically. These are the newer holes and they are more impressive looking. This is where the greener shades of Ireland threaten to emerge. It looks like natural duneland to my untrained eye, every now and again you’ll have an incongruous chocolate drop mound lining a fairway to remind you it’s all just a ruse. They should take a page out of Cruden Bay’s book and claim it as some kind of ancient burial ground - might put a positive spin on these lumps. Occasionally I’d hit a tee shot behind one, just 4-5 yards off the fairway, and not find my ball in the long grass. This would be my main criticism of this back 9, it’s too narrow in places and the rough could do with some sheep shearing. We only had a mild wind but on another day these fairways could be too much of challenge for weaker players. Considering it was pretty much all manufactured from flat farmland, they’ve done a very good job. And it’s not just the landscaping from tee to green - the green complexes also take a step up on these inward holes.
Highlights on the back 9 were several, in particular the short holes at 12 & 16, and the stern links tests of 13 & 15. On the 18th tee you are faced with a familiar looking site, a topical rendition of the Himalaya bunker from Royal St George’s - which serves to remind you that this course it but a pastiche of a links. I actually liked this touch - not sure how many golfers would know this provenance, and if it’s a good feature, why not copy & paste it elsewhere? If Ronald MacDonald gets credit for this perhaps Alan Rijks should too. Although I’ve been informed that Sandwich has since removed the railway sleeper filling from their version, so maybe Texel will now follow suit.
Texel does have an important role to play in Dutch golf. It offers something distinct and the quality is generally high. Clearly an NL top 20 track for me and I will be back. I’d pay to play it again (but always opt for the twilight fee after 4pm as it was more than 50% cheaper that the rack rate). Perhaps not a standalone destination for the international have-sticks-will traveller, but all domestic golfers should check this course out. They will lose a few balls, and they will enjoy it.
As a brief side note, writing this humble review has ticked off one of my cherished golf bucket list items. Sitting Royal St George’d between #6 “playing NGLA” and #8 “not losing a ball during a round” was: #7 “write up the first review for a course on Top 100”. I can now lay the pen to rest and start practicing properly for #8

After lining up a 36 hole day at Haviksoord & Swinkelsche, you would be forgiven for thinking I was off for a game of Quidditch with a couple of minor characters from Hogwarts. However, Swinkelsche is a golf course and a decent one at that. The property has fewer of the natural charms of a Haagsche or De Pan, so the golf on offer is laid bare - more blue print than oil painting - but it delivers. Typified by striking bunkering, funky greens, and a variety of design ideas, it is not a boring round. You will need to engage the grey matter here as you will face choices. Much of this is due to the angling of the greens together with the pin position of the day, so follow Lee Westwood’s famous advice (not having your wife caddie for you, the one about playing the hole backwards in your mind).A favourite hole was the short par 4 3rd. An attractive half par that will be driveable for those of you who can hit enormous fades on demand. Hole 15 was quite typical of the dark arts defending the course, with a drive closer to the watery boggarts left sets up an easier second shot. Sod that - dry quaffles for me so bail out to the right - only to face a more difficult line in over a protective bunker tight to the shallow green. Hole 16 seemed to be a not so gentle nod to the 10th at De Pan, and hole 17 is a very attractive Par 3. Occasionally the features are a little too much - like the raised green on the 13th, or the split fairway on hole 11. Generally though, no two holes are the same and the options you are faced, coupled with the greens, make for a fun & thoughtful round. On this visit the voluptuous basilisk greens might have been under the spell of Emma Watson because they were suspiciously firm, liable to frustrate, & and leave a sense of rejection. A shame because the contours and angles on offer might be the course’s best feature. I’d left my trusty wand at home and they made a muggle of me. Despite wilting as if kissed by a Dementor, my playing partner admittedly embraced this challenge and was playing with Harry Putter’s magical touch. Stopping a ball with a full shot did bring to mind that Jack Nicklaus comment about landing balls on car bonnets though, and shots around the green remained challenging. Cursed by the bat bogey hex, my only birdie - Felix Felicis - came after a chip in on the 9th. The greens seemed as though they were in need of some irrigative alchemy (and a draught of peace for me). Memory does serve us well though and having played here before, I know that the greens have always been a playable pleasure. Turns out they have since fixed a problem with the irrigation (Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandu), so presumably the curse is now lifted. Appreciate I’ve written more than necessary about the conditioning of the greens, but they have been very good here and are central to how the course plays. Not everyone is a wizard on the greens, so they do need to be looked after. Swinkelsche has plenty of charms, and on a fairly pragmatic property, delivers an engaging high quality playing experience that you’ll want to repeat. It also won’t cost you untold galleons compared to competitors. Comfortably in my Top 15 NL favourites - with potential to rise as it matures - Swinkelsche is a course I’d recommend to anyone

Hoge Kleij might be the best course in NL that you’ve never heard of. Unless you’ve heard of it. It usually hovers around the top 10 in most ranking lists, so is not unknown to indigenous golfers. It’s well worth a visit. The course routing wanders over an undulated landscape that rises & falls over sandy river deposits pushed around by glacial movement. If it sounds ideal grounds for golf, that’s probably because it is. It bears some similarity to the golfing property at Rosendaelsche.It’s a woodland track, with several tight-ish tree-lined holes. There are moments during your round you’ll find yourself saying “that tree doesn’t need to be there” or “they could thin that out a bit”. There was some kind of logging operation affecting the 3rd hole, so I guess they are busy with this. There are also enough holes opened up, like the sweeping downhill 9th, which affords views across to other holes. If you stand on the practice putting green, you also have attractive sweeping views across 3 or 4 holes, which whets the appetite as you watch golfing groups do their thing. There is a spaciousness to the property, so it gives good scope for further work to open it up further. The key feature of Hoge Kleij were the consistent pushed up tilted greens. You need to increase your concentration as you get closer to them. The short 8th hole was a typical example. They might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but then not everyone has the correct understanding of a decent cup of tea (in Holland it’s little more than weakly flavored water). The missing milk & 2 sugars to the greens here would therefore be a little more variety, but in general I liked the identity they give the course. The bunkering was also distinctive and attractive to boot too. More Tom Simpson shapes than Harry Colt. There were in good shape too, so I think the result of relatively recent work. Hoge Kleij is an easy to reach & must play component to an inland trip based in the wonderful city of Utrecht - also taking in De Pan, Lage Vuursche, & Hilversumsche. You’d probably be looking at no more than 20 minutes driving to reach any of them. It also adds to the list of Dutch courses you can have fun failing to pronounce correctly. I like Hoge Kleij, would happily play it regularly - and it sneaks into the Netherlands Top 10 for me

Much of 2020 has left me feeling like a pro golfer - only time you’ll ever catch me writing this - who has lost his tour card. So when a friend managed to get me a sponsor’s exemption for an event in Germany, I was pretty happy. A short trip across the border & one Big Mac later we found ourselves at Gut Duneberg, a course ranked #19 amongst Germany’s 700+ options. The opening hole, a pretty enough little left to right dogleg, had my Spider Sense tingling almost immediately. You see I had feared my unintentionally excellent opening drive had run out of room, yet in Mysterio fashion I found my ball in the fairway, about 3 inches behind its deep plug mark. Where was the Sand, man, mentioned in the previous review? These ground conditions continued for the first 7 or 8 holes. Much of the front nine was also too narrow (or a relative lack of width was exacerbated by wild rough immediately outside of the fairways). This gave no chance of recovery shots and lead to balls lost for shots that were not the worst you’d ever seen. One additional observation would be that several of these opening holes had unnecessary tree/shrub growth obscuring some targets, both into greens or in front of tee boxes. If this was an Alister MacKenzie course you might credit the camouflage or applaud the deception, but it was just messy.And it would be the simplest of fixes. On the positive side, I enjoyed the green site on the 3rd hole, hitting up into a benched target with trouble left, and the pretty dropshot short 4th. My Spider Sense did tingle again, one final time, when using the shortest stick. This time it was Green Goblins that caught my attention - seemingly exhibits from Kew Gardens were on display on some of the putting surfaces. Thankfully, things dramatically improve at the turn, and what follows is a series of more expansive woodland holes, with intermittent clusters of heather (as well as that legend, sand). If you had 18 holes like this, you might have something that rivals the likes of Rosendaelsche in The Netherlands. These holes were a pleasure to play. Hole 18 returns to the softer conditions of the opening holes and a par here is well earned. It requires a very precise drive up the right side of a tilted fairway, and then a forced carry steeply downhill over a pond to what is essentially an island green. 3 stableford points here were appreciated and sneaked my total up to 30 or 31. I’d played well but had lost too many balls. Gut Duneberg could be greatly improved by better maintenance and I wonder if the Corona situation has had an impact on this? This would still leave a distinct quality divergence between the 9’s, but that could be forgiven if the overall playability and conditioning was optimized - especially as the better holes are saved for later in the round. I have limited experience of playing in Germany, but a current ranking of #19 feels too high based on what we saw. Back 9 sneaks it up to 4 balls.

Houtrak is a polder course. Uh-Oh. So, yes, there is quite some water around. If Noah was a member here he’d have built his ark long before god suggested he do so. Long & soft? Yep. Exposed to the divine elements like Hugh Grant on Sunset Boulevard: cruel wind often not too far away & wet wet wet rain when we played (you feel it in your fingers, you feel it in your toes). Longish rough and scrubby undergrowth can be found on any dry patches of land lining the unfairways. In short, it’s a test befitting a minor Hollywood scandal (which might explain why they put out some decent teams in the national competitions). Not always the ingredients for cooking up a tasty golfing treat in my humble view.However, the twist in this movie’s plot line is that it’s not at all bad. Seriously. It’s a decent course - probably the best option in Amsterdam after The International. And in reality it is a fair test, especially if you can hit your ball straight. Matt Fitzpatrick would probably love it here. As early as the second hole you see enough fairway movement to elevate it - literally - above your average Polder Baan. The holes showed some variety, particularly on the back 9. Having said this, if you felt a sense of Deja Vu (of Deja Vu, of Deja Vu) at playing the same 400 metre par 4 you played a couple of holes ago, I wouldn’t argue with you.The Par 3 14th would grace many courses, and I also liked the Par 4 16th where you hit to a rising fairway that gently doglegs left, leaving you with a testing shot over a small canal to a green raised up and staring back at you. The greens were generally good and certainly not flat. Bunkers were sometimes in the right place. Conditioning throughout was good. Probably the most interesting architectural aspect for me was the routing - kind of like the spokes on (half) a bicycle wheel, with holes returning to the clubhouse hub. There is now some tree growth that it’s starting to resemble a polder course in parkland clothing. This gave holes some isolation & definition which many golfers will like. And because it occasionally affords some shelter from the elements. Not a course I’d rush back to, but one I will play again. If you see golf as a sport and want a good test, you’d like it here. A good example of its type and one of the better options to seek out if in the Amsterdam area

Anderstein is on a lovely undulating site with a nice routing that winds through woodland and some open meadowland dotted with heather. We played the Heuvelrug & Heide loops of 9. Plenty of water in play helps make this a challenging course.Ultimately the design of a few holes felt a bit awkward and made decision making difficult for a first time visit. On occasion following a reasonable tee shot I was confused as to my next move. When this happened, I also tried to imagine myself as a better player (i.e. 50 yards further up the fairway, on the fairway) but the holes didn’t make much more sense from that perspective. I felt this on holes 2 & 6 on the Heide loop & 4 on the Heuvelrug, amongst others.Highlights would include the canted fairway of hole 2 of Heuvelrug, tempting you to find the speed slot to gain an advantage. And hole 3 on the Heide, an attractive short Par 4 (which admittedly must compete with this loop’s 9th hole as The Most Intimidatingly Narrow Hole). The greens had enough interest and left us with some interesting pin positions.Dare I say it, the design did feel a bit random at times and I think Anderstein would be a good candidate for a redesign/renovation to get more out of the property. Maybe playing strategy would become apparent on a repeat play and I will try again here because it’s a lovely environment in which to spend an evening. Its current ranking feels about right, but it has potential to be higher. Does anyone at the club have Frank Pont’s number?

If you can recall the opening credits to The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, then fast forward 30 years, and that’s how this William felt arriving at the entrance gates. I’d gotten into one wrong flight, and my Mom got scared, so sent me to... Les Bordes to get a better golfing education. Truth be told they were so welcoming it was mildly disarming. Maybe they’d mistaken me for someone else. Not necessarily a reaction I’d expected at, if not the Augusta National of French golf, then perhaps the Pine Valley. You see, one other preconception I had was that this haute bourgeoisie member of French golf might actually be a Euro comparison for the New Jersey golfing aristocrats. After all, Les Bordes is a course, whilst difficult to access, is also renowned for its difficulty and nerve wracking demands of hitting from Island to Island. Apparently the original remit was for a design to test the very best French players.And so it transpired that the course was very... playable. Much to my relief because I’d only brought 26 balls with me. This happy fact is patently due to definite changes brought to bear upon the holes - primarily reducing the rough so that you can now find your ball. A good friend who played it 10 years ago had painted a very different picture (proud of the fact his name was on their honours board for breaking 80 off the back tees). How I only lost one ball will remain a mystery though. There is a premium on tee shot placement to give the easier approach, but if often felt about the second shot to me. The greens - and missing in the right spots near them - was a big test. A final preconception was that the course would be pure target golf, yet this also wasn’t the case. There was some roll on the fairways - for better or worse in my case - and it was only really hitting up to back to front greens where my ball might sit next to it’s pitch mark and make me feel, momentarily, like a stalwart of the PGA Tour.The most striking element of Les Bordes is the setting - how the course sits so easily within its forest sanctuary. You of course know it’s not been just carved out of the woods, yet it belongs. It brought to mind those stunning Mayan ruins uncovered in Central America - you know it’s the work of man, yet it somehow fits in and enhances the natural beauty. I’ve not seen anything quite like it and it’s must have been a fine balancing act to pull it off. Perhaps the nearest thing I’ve witnessed is Loch Lomond Golf Club. Either way, it’s a meaningful riposte to the fashion of minimalism in golf design (and those who would have all golf courses looking the same). Having said this, not many courses could choose to be like Les Bordes. They don’t have the land or the money. The construction here is consequently very good and not heavy handed. The presentation/conditioning is the best I’ve seen so far. Neither are ostentatious. The routing is excellent (as it should be considering the lack of restrictions) - with only one switchback feeling awkward. It’s a real journey of 2 anti-clockwise loops that explore the forest, where each hole is revealed to you on the tee box. From memory, 2 of the Par 3’s Parky in the same direction, if you want to be a Fussy Fred about it. The framing on each tee shot is almost perfect and let’s you choose your spots. And then there’s the tranquility. It’s so quiet you can hear a pin. Or a ball drop. You enjoy birdsong throughout your round. Billionaire’s Golf. Why isn’t this in any of the seminal architectural texts?Of course, ignoring the idyllic setting, the other side to this argument is that’s it’s quiet because it’s very private. And it is a shame that most golfers will not experience this course. US golfers tend to accept this. British golfers don’t. Both likely understand it. It is what it is. Several aspects of the course are already excellent but what about the actual golf holes? A few that stick in my mind:Hole 1: A gentle-ish handshake dogleg right, with a striking green surrounded by a single encircling bunker. It’s a great start because most golfers should get a chance at hitting this green in regulation. But I am not most golfers and it took 3 shots. This was perhaps the only hole where the mounding (on the left) feels a little unnatural - a minor shame to have it on the first hole as it’s not really present on the rest of the course. Hole 3: Fantastic 369 yard Par 4. You must drive as close to the fairway bunkers as you dare in order to get the best angle in. The angled green is a picture postcard and is the first time you notice how well the course sits with the forest.Hole 4: Great little short hole where you are introduced to the water front first time (it won’t be the last). Almost an island green, but with a bail out area left. I aimed for the middle and pushed it right, where coincidentally the pin was on the day. My ball settled 4 feet away from the pin (and water). My playing partner may at this point have thought me a maverick talent - until I missed the tricky putt. Hole 7: Dogleg left Par 5 where on consecutive strokes you need to choose how much water to involve in your ball’s fate. Billy, don’t be a hero. Good players may go for it in 2, but my heart rate was up, and I was very satisfied with my concentration & execution to get on in regulation with 3 good shots. Hole 8: Stunning Par 3. You don’t always get strategy on a short hole - it can be a case of ignoring intimidation & distraction, enjoying the view, and then hitting the middle of the green. One of the more memorable Par 3’s I can recall playing.Hole 14: Meandering 534 yard Par 5 where the landing area for the second shot is hidden if you go up the left side as I did. An Island green where I’d like to see someone get on in 2 shots. I nervously pitched on in 4 and bit the holes’s hand off for the bogey it offered up.Hole 17: Another pretty dogleg right Par 4 where left off the tee - this time threatening a walk in the woods - gives the best angle to attack the thin sliver of a green that runs away from you left to right. It’s also protected by a huge bunker running along the right side, so the second shot is progressively difficult depending on the flag location on the day. Hole 18: It wouldn’t be Les Bordes if it didn’t finish with a water carry. This Par 4 has an interesting 2 tiered green that I didn’t notice on the approach shot. Ensured I finished with a 3 putt bogey and left me wanting to play the hole again. As mentioned above, the greens are the real test at Les Bordes. They have a fair bit of contouring and come in all shapes and sizes. And as you might expect, they are quick (by European standards). The water also cannot be ignored and requires significant concentration. But if you don’t get too Marvel Avengers about it, you can humbly plot your way around. The variety of holes matches the variety of greens, and good players will have fun with the various shots demanded of them. For me it simply ensures a better experience.I’ve not played enough courses in France, but if considering rankings, this can’t be far off a World Top 100 spot? I imagine courses in the 80-150 range are splitting hairs to some extent and Les Bordes is at home amongst them. A course ranked 6th in Europe has to be in the conversation. That’s for others to decide though. My own rudimentary ranking system is a display case on my desk with 30 logo balls from my favourite golf courses. Les Bordes as a golf course has made the cut (relegating Walton Heath Old - which was admittedly on borrowed time because of that opening hole). In truth it probably rivals De Pan as the best non-links I’ve played. It also inspires me to visit other Robert von Hagge courses, to see if this is a one-off or if he had something. They are also investing in a second track here, designed by Gil Hanse, which is almost complete. This should appease the minimalists and those who like big name designers (guilty). And of course it may be even better than this one (I didn’t get the feeling these guys here settle for the concept of a “second course”). Good news then for the members and twice as many reasons for everyone else to be envious.I came in here expecting to feel like a social imposter who would have his game exposed, but both were far from the truth. The staff were as welcoming as the course. Yes, I had feared it might dish out the Royal Treatment (i.e. Louis XVI) but instead I felt like Napoleon. But as well as I felt my round went, you are often just one moment away from Waterloo on the course. I could play Les Bordes every day without being beaten or bored into submission. A huge treat for the lucky few who get to tee it up here.

The Dutch is billed as an “Inland Links”, but it isn’t. There are some tricky burns crossing fairways/greens and an unexpected prevalence of Oyster Catchers, but that’s as far as it goes. You see, there is a certain shame to being a “Polder Course”. Saying you’re playing one is like admitting you’ve named your son Adolf or Boris. For those of you without a Geography degree (or “van” prefixing your surname, preferably by birth), a Polder is reclaimed land that was once flooded. By definition it’s usually flat, silty, and often remains surrounded by a lot of water. Not ideal golfing terrain. Polder Courses feel endemic to The Netherlands like acne scars on a teenage boy.I have played many Polder type courses here in Holland and many of them are terrible. Much of the better land in NL - for there is an abundance of dunes & fantastic heathland - is protected via Environmental regulation, which leaves many Dutch golfers to make do with the Polders. Where is Donald Trump & the Scottish government when you actually need them? However, The Dutch is an exception to this rule. That’s right. It is an Uber/Elite version of a Polder Course. It confirms that with a bit of design smarts & lots of cash you can create a good golf course. While I’m having this epiphany, I should also mention that apparently generic name “The Dutch” used to make me roll my eyes - more than “Polder Course” does for others. Post-epiphany I have to admit it is a much more relevant name than I’d initially assumed. I agree with the previous reviewer on this point. No less appropriate than “National Golf Links” perhaps. My humble opinion is that as the course gets older they should be bolder in showing pride for the Polder. Having created a Polder Course this good is no small achievement and there is no need to call it an “Inland Links”.The interest on the tee shot is fine - better than at Bernardus and comparable to Lage Vuursche - but for me it’s the green complexes that make the course. Via a combination of undulation and speed, coupled with an anxiety not to miss the target, they are challenging and memorable. We had some daring up & downs to make from short grass & run off areas – which was a lot of fun. They’ve clearly invested money here and sometimes you get what you pay for. The excellent conditioning and presentation also cannot be ignored and highlights how important this can be to elevate a course. I normally enjoy firm & fast conditions, but I don’t think that would fit here. For one thing, I would have had more balls running off of the fairway into water. The H2O is very much in play and visible but it won’t kill the average golfer - i.e. me. The fairways have plenty of width and usually a safer side (consequence of which is a more difficult next shot).The routing is not the most inspiring walk, but this was designed as a tournament course and that calibre of golfer probably isn’t looking around checking out landforms, biodiversity, and considering taking his dog for a walk. In all seriousness though, this must always be the case when you purchase a new parcel of land in a small wealthy country like NL. I think they’ve done a better job with the routing than at Bernardus (which can feel restrictive) and despite being tetris-shaped, the holes themselves never feel cramped. The green to tee walks were fine and I also can’t remember more than 2 consecutive holes playing in the same direction. But to Bill Coore’s routing qualifier/question “how would you walk the land if there was no golf course there?”, at The Dutch the answer might be that you’d walk over to the (excellently appointed) clubhouse and have a beer. There is plenty of hole variety on offer here and that will really help with giving the course a lasting appeal for regular visitors. Some examples:Hole 1: Avoid water on right off tee, with left giving better angle to green. No bunker protecting this safe side, therefore a gentle handshake. Hole 2: Things immediately get interesting here as you have a choice on the tee - bite off more of water to leave easier approach, or play safe to the left but face a longer shot in. This tee decision repeats on a few of the following holes. Hole 3: Well bunkered shortish par 4, with bunkers imposing on landing zone. If you can fly them you’ll gain an advantage. Hole 4: Big green for a shortish hole. Would like to have seen more challenging recovery shots should you miss. Later holes have this, but maybe it’s good pacing not to have a difficult par 3 so early in the round (here’s looking at you De Goyer).Hole 5: First time I missed a fairway, and promptly left my second shot in there too. Warning heeded.Hole 6: I am omitting describing this hole, as above I suggest only “some examples” would follow.Hole 7: Proper short Par 4 of around 330 yards, with a few options from the tee. Water fronting the green will discourage mere mortals from having a go, but it must have been entertaining during the KLM Opens Hole 8: Interesting green at this mid length par 3. My ball ran through the back and I may as well have taken a tent & sleeping bag with me. Avoid this spot if you can. Holes 9-11: Ditto Hole 6. This isn’t one of those reviews of all 18 holes. Hole 12: Another enjoyable shortish Par 4. Not sure this one is driveable, but you almost get a tantalising glimpse of the green. If you’re not in perfect position on the fairway, be warned there’s water in a depression fronting the green (this was my one lost ball).Hole 13: Striking raised green dominates the hole in the distance, rising up like a Volcano (calm down, not suggesting it’s a template). You almost want to miss it on any side so that you can challenge yourself to the up & down attempt. Holes 14 & 15: You get the picture now. Hole 16: Good time in a match to put in a significant water carry with a Par 3. Squeaky bum time (I closed my eyes & nailed it - just).Hole 17: Perhaps the best short Par 4 on the course. You must hit the fairway and the left bunker is really a distraction - you want to be near the water on the right to have a chance at the relatively shallow green that is angled away from you. Hole 18: Nice closing hole - decisions off the tee and also for the second shot. Want to hit the green in 2? Good luck Bryson.As I try to recall the holes now, I realise some of them were very worthy, and the finish 16-18 is particularly strong.In terms of constructive criticism, I would suggest 2 aesthetic things: Some of the artificial fairway mounding was a little too “pointy” on a couple of the holes. It is mostly well done, so on these holes it then becomes noticeable. Apparently it does settle with time. The other item was a bank of reeds on #12 – which disguised the tee shot a little and partially hid the green. I’d like to have clearly seen the bunker complex and have a glimpse of the direct route (before taking the safe option). This would provide a bit more temptation to go for the green. Previous reviewer also calls this out. Other than this, I probably won’t criticise The Dutch for not being an ancient windswept links course on the west coast of Scotland. Accept it for what it is - and not what it isn’t - and you will enjoy it. This is Top 10 NL in for me, perhaps #9 at best. The Dutch as such is not a particularly soulful natural experience - so don’t expect that (I didn’t). It’s value proposition as a playing experience is good: A strong test offering ample hole variety, best in class presentation, and good greens. A quick mention too of the service levels & practice facilities - they are outstanding. This isn’t my thing as I usually rush from the car to the first tee and then immediately speed from the final hole to back in my car before my wife notices I’ve gone - but it’s important to some people, so I should call it out. If you can get on for a round at The Dutch (good luck), do it. It is an elite experience and offers a welcome contrast to the more natural courses in the country. Rumour even has it that George Peper & Malcolm Campbell are preparing a sequel to their True Links book, detailing the world’s 246 True Polder Courses (all of them in Holland). The Dutch will be the first course featured.

If De Pan is Holland’s antwoord to Swinley Forest, then might Eindhoven be a Dutch cousin of Sunningdale New? It’s slightly less pretty and slightly more challenging, and no less effective. A routing winding its way through mature woodland & a place that you could get lost in is what you will find here. You reach the edge of a hole or a corner of the property and are either met with another hole or just nature: Views out over more forest, or healthland, or wetland. This lends a spaciousness to the course and ensures Eindhoven is a quieter place to be than a roomful of strangers upon hearing one of my Dad Jokes. It’s also a good test. With sufficient length, tree lines occasionally distracting you, and (we had) pins tucked away near run offs making you think twice. Middle of the green is often the right idea (and in other news, the earth is not flat). The sandy property doesn’t have significant elevation changes, but is rumpled & far from being flat. This raises the challenge from uneven lies, as well as shooting uphill or downhill to targets. And conditions are firm so you will also need to take into account that where your ball lays it’s head might not be where it calls home.There is plenty of hole variety at Eindhoven - especially amongst the Par 4’s. Shorts ones, long ones, lefties, righties, and straighties. The second hole stands out as a very good par 3.5. Long hitters can go for the green and risk punishment if they miss. Laying up still provides 2-3 length & line options for placement, as there’s a bit of a split fairway. Is great to stand on a tee box and have to think twice before having a stab at the ball. Following a semi-sensible decision here, I still tugged it left, causing me to wince like it was actually a hamstring I’d pulled. Finding fairway yet blocked out by a lone tree. Instant Bogey. Is there anything more magical in golf than taking the sensible option but failing to execute & still finding trouble? The 5th was another good short 2 Par 4, with a few bunkers to make you think twice, with a treacherous raised green falling away sharply on all sides (if I’m mentioning think twice more times than Celine Dion, it’s because this course made me do so and not because I’m a fan of the music).The par 3’s were mostly good, and I particularly like the 11th. It has one bunker well short of the green to add some disguise, and the putting surface is tilted severely from right to left. 16 is another attractive one shotter, with the clubhouse across the lake behind the green framing the hole. The par 4 18th is beauty with a cross bunker and some discerning humps welcoming you back to the clubhouse. A couple of holes fell short of the general high quality for me - the driving line at the 12th didn’t feel right (hole looks better from the yellow tee) and the short par 3 8th felt like green was angled all wrong (hole is better from the back or even ladies tees though). Aligning all tees could solve this though. Perhaps there’s also a case for more variety in green sites - especially on the inward 9 - as 2 or 3 felt familiar.A quick digression to mention the facilities. The clubhouse is lovely - an old thatched roofed building renovated inside to create a settled marriage of the old & new. The style is nothing unfamiliar if you’ve played at Hilversum or Kennemer, but what is perhaps unique here are the modern practice facilities: an impressive and extensive area tucked out of the way with all mod cons you could wish for working on your game, both indoors & out. You’ll rarely see this at any courses, let alone older clubs with limited space. What you get at Eindhoven is maybe a little more science than art - mathematical puzzles to solve and less of Jackson Pollock splashing golf holes everywhere. In truth the differences are more nuanced than this, because there’s fun to be had here. With regards to woodland courses in The Netherlands, I would put this at #2 amongst my hall of famevourites, just ahead of Rosendaelsche & then Hilversum. It is a lovely course and hard to find many faults. Although Top100 already has it at #4 in NL (& #23 in Europe), it feels like it flies under the radar. Comparing with the country’s pre-eminent inland track, De Pan, some might even make a case for Eindhoven being better. Ultimately it may come down to what you look for in a golf course - the thrilling artistry of a Dennis Bergkamp or the brilliant efficiency of a Ruud Van Nistelrooy? Both hit the target, just in different ways. You must play them both and decide for yourself. Eindhoven is a treat of a course where you don’t have to think twice - for once - to go play it

Toxandria is not the least celebrated of the “Oude Negen” courses - that relative dishonour likely belongs to cuckoo-in-the-nest Broekpolder. Yet it doesn’t have the wider recognition of a Hilversum or Kennemer. Does it deserve to fly thus so under the radar?First up though, the name. Despite sounding like a polluted nation state from a dystopian Aldous Huxley novel, Toxandria actually refers to an old part of Southern Holland (& Northern Belgium). A region first documented around 400AD by Roman scholars, the rough Germanic translation might mean “Land of the Southerners”. Nowadays the Dutch area is a province called Noord Brabant - hence the club’s full title. I do not take this trip down memory laan to name-shame those clubs with generic titles, but rather to applaud the small effort required to add a dash of local flavour. Any golf club that encourages you to Google its name before your visit is off to a good start.Second up, the golf course. The first 9 holes were laid out by Harry Colt, and I think he also completed the second 9 around 10 years later with the help of John Morrison. This architectural provenance ensured my expectations were as high as the average British tourist in Amsterdam. The attractive opening hole is therefore a slightly confusing. It’s a natural beauty with a fairway gently curving away from you left to right, framed but not interrupted by trees. There is a single fairway bunker on the inside of the dogleg and then another right side of the green. This means the smart play is to hit well away from the bunker, leaving you with the best angle to the green. No real risk & reward or sliding scale of strategy here. Tis but a scratch though and just one of eighteen.Many of the other holes are as pretty as the opener and the bunkering becomes more logical. The land is not particularly undulated and in general it’s a flat course. Several holes feel like they need the same draw from the tee (which meant my power fade often ended up right edge of fairway). This never gets boring as there’s enough variety on second shots, but it does become Familiar. Only one or two playing corridors felt narrow and generally they were just wide enough. It didn’t feel like a particularly tough course, but my scorecard begged to differ, so perhaps it’s a sneaky one. A strong wind did add to the challenge and apparently it often gets breezy here.Certainly not beezy though and we had the place to ourselves on a Saturday morning. This is a trend I’ve noticed at old clubs with members of a respectable age. Perhaps they avoid weekends as they think it’ll be busy and are happier to play during the week. Could of course also be the current C-word situation having an influence. One of my favourite aspects of the round was actually the relaxed vibe of the place. Some courses let you know they’re a bit special but others allow you to discover it for yourself. Toxandria was friendly & at ease, humility with just a dash of quiet confidence. It’s just the kind of place I’d apply to for membership if a mid life crisis tempts me to cheat on my links course. The routing is a fine walk in the woods, yet is interrupted by 2 new Frank Pont holes that quite literally go off at a tangent at #5 & #6. These do not have the character of the originals - more Noord Brabant than Toxandria - but I liked them. Taking on & carrying the large bunker 50 yards short of the green at #5 is a thrill, and the tilted green #6 is one of the more striking on the course. More generally it all flows together very well, with just one awkward green to tee walk deep into the back 9 that I can recall.The class of Toxandria was probably the greens. No dramatic shaping to them, but subtle breaks that will take a few rounds to get the hang of. They rolled as true as steel shafts and were as well conditioned as any in NL. I imagine they can get them up to Linford Christie levels if they so desire.Toxandria isn’t resting on its Roman laurels and they are busy improving the course with a clear vision of what’s needed. They aim to be finished before their centenary in 2027. Key areas they are working on is tree removal for width, turf conditions, & opening up views between holes, as well as creating (or reinstating/expanding) short grass areas around the greens. The Usual Suspects then, but a fair piece of police profiling as an absence of these qualities are often responsible for crimes against many golf courses. I would maybe touch up some of the bunkering too, but perhaps that’s also part of the plan. When complete, they will be close to maximizing the site’s potential and will have significantly improved their course. Toxandria does fly under the radar - although it’s not quite a B2 stealth bomber - more people should already see it. As to where it fits into the bigger NL picture, the top 5 courses are sewn up (for now). Positions 6-9 are also fairly secure (you can throw a blanket over these in any order you like). This leaves Toxandria, along with maybe 4-5 other courses, slugging it out for a coveted 10th place. For me it misses out on a split decision (that might all change by 2027’s rematch). Missing out is just a flesh wound, because Toxandria is a fine natural golf experience from the golden age & one that can feel right at home amongst the upper echelon of golf courses in The Netherlands

The opening 2 holes at Dunbar are like queuing on the street waiting to get into a favourite pub. Not that much to see from outside, yet you stand in line. Hole 3 sees the queue reach the doorway and you get a glimpse of what’s inside. You catch a girl’s eye. No wait, she was looking at someone else. Are you starting to get cold? Then hole 4 finally sees you inside.You now have a fine old time drinking it all in for the following 2.5 hours (albeit wondering when a round at your local became so expensive). Your old elemental mates Earth, Air, & Water are here. Fire seems to be running late. There’s decent beer, and even an old Jukebox. Work is a faded memory. Choosing this bar is like many others you could have dun, but it has what you need. Time flies and you have some nice stories to tell/secrets to keep. You then reach the back 9 of the evening and things really get going. The pulse quickens as Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys starts up. But just when you think you’re playing your cards right with that girl who in fact was looking at you after all, the tee box of the 18th hole signals closing time and this bouncer unceremoniously tosses you out onto the street. Not the way you wanted the night to end, but you’ve had worse evenings and you’ll do it all again. Off to the 19th hole then to find a kebab. If you’re ever near Dunbar, you should definitely pop into for a pint or two

In need of a great value Billy-Goat climb (I’m not kidding), enjoying great views, lost balls, & fun shot demands - within a thinned flop shot of one of the world’s greatest cities?

I guess Harry Colt’s best work did not take place in France. A couple of notable appearances on French soil, yes, but ultimately failing to reach the dizzying heights of more celebrated efforts on the correct side of the English Channel. This could make him the Glenn Hoddle of golf course design. The La Mer option at Le Touquet actually felt like a close relative of the Haagsche in Holland. The land here has good movement but is less dramatic (less severe, even). The well-sited greens have challenge due to tilt, run offs, and false fronts, but I found them less difficult (also not a bad thing). Stands of scrubby trees lining the holes are more ubiquitous, but it’s the same sandy dunescape that brings to mind its Dutch Cousin. The course is well routed through this suitable land and several good holes make this a fine experience. The dogleg left opener is a perfect getaway, with your second shot hitting up the hill, leading into #2 - a pretty & challenging short hole (that feels a bit randomly bunkered). Holes #11 & #12 were favourites, but there were others. My only negative is that it arguably lacks the hole variety of the very best courses - Deja Vu on a few tee shots. I’m looking forward to returning though and paired up with Hardelot Les Pins, it becomes more than the sum of its constituent parts. It might not be from Harry Colt’s top drawer, but I preferred it to Royal Zoute, and there are those Haagsche hints. And the bar is set high, so don’t let this discourage you - it’s still a Prince Harry on Doak’s lesser known poor relation scale. This sneaks it a 5 ball rating from me, rounding up from 4.751

Tom Simpson may well be the best British export to France since the humble Croissant. His gallic efforts of note include Chantilly, Chiberta, Fontainebleau, Morfontaine, and this one. Despite being relatively well known in the UK, he seems to have done his best work in France - which must make him the Chris Waddle of golf course design.Morfontaine is the one most golfing dirty stop outs would drop their plus fours to play. But good luck getting on what might legitimately be the Augusta of Europe (in terms of the golfing public’s right to roam). Although right now might be a good time to sneak on. Anyways, Hardelot might be the poor relation, but as I was pleased to discover, we’re still talking Pippa Middleton.This course scythes its way through a majestic pine woodland. The land is sand, the terra firma, and it rolls like a rolling pin. Occasionally it’s narrow, but more often it offers width with open arms. As conditions were hard when we played in June, you had options in shot selection and in particular needed to control your tee shots. Les Pins has sufficient scale to satisfy its design ambition - it’s relatively Grand & Flamboyant if you’re used to the forested old timers in Holland & Belgium. The routing twists and turns enough to leave you, now a bemused defender, with twisted blood. Only a couple of holes run back & forth. The visuals & placement of the bunkers is excellent and reminded me of those Simpson courses I’ve played in Belgium. But as mentioned, this course feels a tiny bit bigger.#1 is nothing special as a getaway hole, although a cross bunker and the hard undulating fairway serve as a decent pre-match warm up. You need to get a few holes in before the land starts to get even more rumpled at around #4 or #5, the odd landform sneaks into view, and with this the holes immediately become more interesting. Driving the ball at angles over dune like banks at #9 & #10 is a joy & a pleasure. The par 3’s are great, especially #7 & #17 (I think). You’ll surely enjoy the puzzling fairway #15, which essentially gives you two routes to the green. I chose the racing line and it didn’t end well. The final hole is a fitting finish. After holing out, your thoughts drift to Agincourt - less than an hour away and the scene of a similar resounding British success on French soil.This course is deservedly popular and draws an international crowd - as evidenced by my own group first bumping into a colleague on one fairway - despite us both being 400km from the office, and then hearing the cockney birdsong in amongst the trees throughout the round. Any golfers hoping for a diamond lights out experience should check this place out. Hardelot Les Pins is well worth your effort. And while you’re here, perhaps hoddle down the road to nearby Le Touquet La Mer - it’ll be a collaboration you and your mates won’t soon forget

The reversible Links Valley is a thoughtful effort, with the variety of green sites being the course’s (courses’) best feature. It’s a shame this thoughtfulness didn’t extend to coming up with a better name than the oxymoronic “Links Valley” though. It’s not a Links, and being perched up on a hill, it’s not a Valley. Bit of a rubbish name then but perhaps it’s wonderfully appropriate after all considering the former land use.

There are skyline greens, perched greens, graded greens, greens with false fronts, and most of them have sufficient undulation, as well as short grass around them with collection areas for enjoying various recovery attempts. This draws comparisons with the designer’s decent efforts at Turfvaert & Swinkelsche. A punchbowl is all that’s missing. I also like the way the greens are angled to the line of play, so that second time around you would think a little - execution optional - about your angle of attack. The designer may be recycling old ideas here, but they are good ones <img src="/images/links-valley-golf-course-review-LINV008.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Links Valley Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Links Valley Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> that give sustainable pleasure.

I’ve played 36 in one direction and 18 in the other, so the routing is actually a little mixed up in my head. It’s efficient use of the land and there is little that goes to waste. You essentially play a few holes on a hill and then the rest around said hill. Or vice-versa. This isn’t super-inspiring but was likely the best option available. At this point it should be noted that when golfing on a “hill” in Holland, “hill” is usually a euphemism for “landfill site”.

There is good hole variety within the compact routing - blind tee shots, gentle doglegs in both direction, at least one short par 4 (with an overly penal blind central grass bunker), and some interesting routes to the greens. There’s also more land movement & elevation changes than on your average Dutch polder course. It’s not overly long, so there are no yard trimmings required here, as long as you choose a suitable tee. At this point you have to tip your cap to the designer.

The green side bunkers are well placed but I’d welcome a few more fairway versions. Perhaps this was considered, but due to a lack of width in the site, the idea was binned. In places there is too much sand near green sites, an idea reused a few times, which leads to extremely hazardous waste areas, an idea I personally find rather trashy. It is clear that the designer has treated the land as a canvas on which to throw down a bunch of ideas that he had at his disposal. The design feels quite minimalist and is not littered with the superfluous features you find on some courses.

I’m happy enough with 9 <img src="/images/links-valley-golf-course-review-LINV009.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Links Valley Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Links Valley Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> holes but undecided about the reversible concept. Is it a clever sustainable & commercial solution to adding additional hole variety on a limited parcel of land, or is it a compromise that jeopardizes the full golfing potential of a site? Perhaps it’s both and the tipping point is in the quality of the execution. Recently I’ve been working from whilst schooling my kids, and I imagine this is a little what it’s like trying to design a reversible golf course. Multi-tasking like this surely has an impact on overall quality - with each hole likely to be affected when it cannot have complete focus and consideration in isolation. Perhaps there’s a niche market for female architects to design reversible golf courses.

If anyone tells you this place is garbage, they wouldn’t exactly be lying, but context is everything. I do like this track and it’s a pleasant environment that I’ll happily to visit once a year. It was a bit of a dump when I visited, due to being unfinished, so I’ll also look forward to seeing how it beds in and improves over time. There are even little voices in my head suggesting it could have been a Nederlands Sacred Nine - which would also have provided some significantly better naming possibilities.

The Links Valley is undoubtedly a welcome addition to the domestic Dutch golfing scene, and worth seeking out for any international visitors curious to experience the rarity of a reversible golf course. If you have the opportunity to play here, don’t refuse.

Despite playing Elie around 10 years ago, I can still picture the periscope on #1 - which helps determine if the blind fairway up ahead is clear. I’m sure when <img src="/images/elie-golf-course-review-ELIE072.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Elie Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Elie Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> I looked through it I saw a lady doing something that would make Patrick Reed look like a choir boy (but perhaps I’m imagining it now). There is recall of a decent short hole sweeping downhill at #3. I also can’t forget hitting a window on #4. My heart was in my mouth but the club pro I was playing with simply laughed it off. He’d obviously seen it all before.

Then there was the tricky undulating short par 4 #6 that heads down towards the beach, that saw my rumpled kilt thin somehow weave its way past a plethora <img src="/images/elie-golf-course-review-ELIE073.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Elie Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Elie Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> of bunkers and mysteriously come to rest in the green. The imaginatively named #8 was another highlight that sticks in the mind for no particular reason - but maybe it was the Dutch who brought golf tonFife after all. And from a purely golfing perspective there is a lovely stretch of holes from #10-13, which would be worth the admission price alone if only the green fee was a little more friendly. A birdie at #16 confirmed that was obviously, with absolute certainly, the best hole on the course.

This place, where James Braid learned to play, is not a hidden gem - it can’t be at a £105 a round peak season. I’ve bought Ford Escorts for less. It also has a few average holes. But it’s an idyllic little corner to enjoy some golf - and the course left me with more vivid memories than you can shake a stok at.

Royal Ostend could more accurately be called Royal Odds & Ends. It’s a fragmented series of holes patched together to create an 18 hole layout. A routing that crosses more roads than a failed 1980’s British sitcom. Golf might be a good walk spoiled, but here the routing is good golf spoiled. Did I mention about the routing?
Hole #1 is a nice introduction - a short dogleg left on undulating ground next to the clubhouse. Hole 2-4 are a drop in standard, and it’s not until you make your first road crossing that things pick <img src="/images/royal-ostend-golf-course-review-ROOS009.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Royal Ostend Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Royal Ostend Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> up again. The class of the course then follows from 5-10, with #6 & #10 being my pick of these. Many will surely also be impressed with the drop shot Par 3 #8. At this point I felt the course to be a Doppelgänger of the 9 holer just across the Westerschelde at Domburg.
Holes 11-14 follow after another road crossing, and these are okay. I liked the Par 4 #12, although noted at this point that, despite the necessary spaghetti routing, a few drives still hit back over prior greens, which risks lives (thanks to that assistant pro at Eaton Golf Club). The inevitable happened at #15 as one of our group hooked the ball onto a road and we saw it bounce several times as high as the street lighting. Funnily enough this had also happened at Domburg (hitting a car on that occasion). A final crossing sees you hit holes 15-18 and at this point the landforms alter to resemble a poor relation of Royal Zoute. The final shot into the well-bunkered #18 is, however, a fitting finish.
In the links-poor lowlands, Royal Ostend stands out, and is easily paired with a day at Royal Zoute when based in Brilliant Bruges. During our visit The Proclaimers were giving a concert in one of the many quaint squares. Despite this Scottish link, if comparing Royal Ostend to its tartan cousins, you might be disappointed. As mentioned above, I found it to be more like an 18 hole version of the solitary Dutch Links at Domburg. But routing aside, it’s still solid links and, although I wouldn’t walk 500 miles to play it (let alone 500 more), if in the area again I would look forward to another go

Eaton golf course is quite the oasis within suburban Norwich. It’s not a massive parcel of land - so can feel hemmed in at times - but is nevertheless a pleasant routing with surprising elevation changes. It’s not long, but provides a test due to tight driving lines on several tee shots. Oddly, when we signed in to start our last round here, we were certain the assistant pro pointed us to the 7th tee, rather than the 1st.

Favourite holes would include #2 & #7, both decent one-shotters of varying length. The deja-vu second shots on uphill Par 4’s at #6 & #17 are other highlights, and the sweeping drives/vistas at #3 & #17 are also enjoyable moments. The assistant pro suggested we’d enjoy holes #1 & #18 the best, a view also shared by one-time member Ben Hogan, but we felt they were less interesting.

Having played all of the inland courses around <img src="/images/eaton-golf-course-review-EATO001.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Eaton Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Eaton Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> Norwich, Eaton is my favourite. It was always just ahead of the now defunct Weston Park. The one caveat is that I have yet to see the new Royal Norwich - but Eaton was superior to their previous iteration. It has a nice settled feeling and is comfortable in its own skin, something you tend to get when a course is 100+ years old. The assistant pro firmly stated it to be the best course in the East of England and at least 475 years old.

If I were to suggest improvements, I’d remove a few trees to maximize the width on offer, and renovate the bunkers to make them more visually intimidating. Not sure if any work has been undertaken since my last visit. The assistant pro had earlier stated the course to be perfect as it is and more highly regarded than The Old Course (whilst giving us incorrect opening times for the catering).

I do wonder what the future holds here if nearby clubs like Royal Norwich sell up from their prime locations and move elsewhere. Hopefully Eaton stays where it is for another 100+ years. Although the assistant pro did mention in passing that he held shares in both Barratt homes & Tesco. It is definitely worth your time if in the area - I always look forward to my next quiet & testing round here.

Footnote: Eaton GC actually has a lot to answer for, as it was here 15 years ago that a distracted assistant pro gave me my first lessons. In completely failing to produce a solid right-handed swing for this left-handed golfer, a pestilence was unleashed upon the golf world. If only he had some lefty clubs lying around. I had planned to become the next Arnold Palmer but have been more mocktail than cocktail ever since. Despite this, I do have a fondness for the place. Mentioning this in the interest of full disclosure - although I’m certain no trace of bias has crept into the above text to negatively represent my view of a course that is befitting of such a fine city

This golf club is like a golfing version of Red Bull Leipzig. On one hand you have to admire what has been achieved in a short space of time, but on the other hand I feel it simply should not exist.

None of this is the course’s fault though. The linksy feeling, hole variety, and green-sites are nice. You feel this can add significantly to a country where modern golfing options are still greatly overshadowed by their octogenarian counterparts. The end construction result on this flat wet polder next to Schipol airport is impressive and I enjoy the uniqueness of a 747 almost landing on your head as you walk to the 8th tee. It’s not an inspiring natural site, but it is at least memorable. I have always enjoyed my games here too, especially in matchplay. Holes like #2, #8, #10, and the finish of #16-18 all offer something different.

This is countered by examples <img src="/images/international-amsterdam-golf-course-review-INTR005.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="International - Amsterdam Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="International - Amsterdam Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> like #3 & #4 - good holes that would work on a course like Lage Vuursche, but the watery graves here are clumsy juxtaposition for me. In terms of strategy “The International “ feels quite binary - one difficult route for your 300 yard driving scratch player, and then one other taken by the remaining 90% of golfers. This might be my main criticism of the course - it feels slightly one dimensional & doesn’t deliver the greatest pleasure to the greatest number of golfers. The average member, distracted by the excellent service, the exclusive vibes, the decent conditioning, & tournament credentials, will not be at all bothered though. And it was likely intended as a tournament course, so perhaps the designer was less concerned with playability aspect. It has recently hosted the KLM Open.

Their website has a lengthy ode to their designer Ian Woosnam, but this course was Ghost Written by Bruno Steensels (it has a very similar routing to De Goyer). This branding touch feels like a clue as to who they are trying to appeal to - and for me hints at the experience of style over a product of substance. I have even been asked by a member of staff upon arrival if he could clean my clubs. My clubs are always clean before a round, so these kind of touches feel ludicrous. Last autumn I was playing at the Kennemer and my playing partner there - a friend of means - was considering joining “The International”. I asked why on earth he wouldn’t try to get in where we were currently enjoying ourselves (27 holes of classic design on delightful linksland that’s never busy). He replied that “The International” is where business gets done and so is much better for developing his network. This sums the place up for me - but the golf is still good. If you are a golfing visitor to The Netherlands, you won’t really be missing out if you don’t play “The International”, but if you can get on, it’s still worth playing. And it is convenient for the airport

The USA took a public game from Scotland and turned it into this private thing. If Margaret Atwood, Aldous Huxley, or George Orwell wrote golf novels, surely even they wouldn’t dream up such a dystopia? In this context Oregon’s Bandon Dunes - admittedly a resort - is exceptional with its accessibility to multiple world class golf courses. It is appropriate that the playing experiences here may remind you of a round in the UK or Ireland. America could clearly do with a little more golfing philanthropy, until then they’ll have to make do with Mike Keiser.

The Pacific Dunes course at said resort is quite brilliant. We played in a stiff breeze, and as we fought our way around, we thought our way around, and appreciated every shot. I soon realized, as I <img src="/images/bandon-dunes-pacific-dunes-golf-course-review-BAND034.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Bandon Dunes (Pacific Dunes) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Bandon Dunes (Pacific Dunes) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> tried to keep my ball out of that great big ocean, that this is everything that can be achieved with a good/great design, on good/great land, with the odd sea view thrown into the mix. It reminded me of Castle Stuart in this respect, but probably better. Amongst the collection of 18 excellent holes, some were more excellent than others. Yes, I loved dramatic ocean views at 4, 11, & 13, but at Pacific Dunes the inland holes, like 16 & 17, were equally engaging - the terrain, angles, and variety were top drawer - to the extent that sea views became almost irrelevant to the golf experience. I think the sequencing of holes on the back 9 was anything but standard, but presumably it was designed to take advantage of the land offered and disregard any kind of scorecard convention. It strengthened by view that this course was a bit of an outlier.

One of the minor highlights for me here was our playing partner, who owned a swing that made Jim Furyk’s Octopus falling out of a tree look like Ben Hogan’s textbook drawings. I actually failed to stifle a laugh - had to turn it into a cough - when he slashed away on the first tee, his ball heading towards Korea. We had never seen anything like it. It came back like a boomerang though, he birdied the hole, and he must have beaten me by a good 10 shots come the end. In some ways, his effective unorthodoxy mirrored Bandon Dunes place in American Golf. It’s a tough trip from some parts of the world, but all US golfers should make the pilgrimage here. One of the very best I’ve played so far

If truth be told I only played Corballis because a good mate was a member there and he bullied me into it. I was on a rare weekend escape and my preference was to fritter away my hard earned euros at one of the impressively expensive shamrock-bait tracks that are so adept at taking a golfing tourist’s cash. I would then impress all my American golfing colleagues who think they’re Irish.

Corballis may not impress them <img src="/images/corballis-links-golf-course-review-CORB008.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Corballis Links Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Corballis Links Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> much, but it did hit some sweet spots for me. Firstly, it’s proper links golf (which always earns bonus points). Box ticked. Secondly, it’s rife with blind shots, elevation changes, coastal views, and no small challenge with its narrow fairways, uneven lies, and dangerous rough. Not all links have all this. A few more boxes ticked. Furthermore, it’s not too long (admittedly due to a small property) and was inexpensive (it was tempting to ask the Pro if I could pay 2-3 times more so that I could feel comfortable in the knowledge I was getting a premium golf experience). So more boxes ticked. Finally, the greens ran incredibly true. For a quick & dirty municipal, this was a pleasant surprise. Highlights included the run of holes from 3 to 7 which explored some of the prime real estate, and several of the Par 3’s - holes such as 6 & 13 are simply excellent. Also a couple of Par 4’s on the back 9 stick in my mind.

Of course not everything is fabulous at Corballis and there is a reason why it’s currently ranked 97th in Ireland. <img src="/images/corballis-links-golf-course-review-CORB009.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Corballis Links Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Corballis Links Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> Holes 8 & particularly 9 were low points and out of kilter with what had gone before. The out and back 15 & 16 also felt tagged on (I think that’s because they were in fact, tagged on). This leaves in my mind 14 worthy holes to enjoy. Occasionally 1 or 2 of these (on the inland side) feel hemmed in by an occasional unsightly boundary fence, with these limitations being due to the size of the property. Others may call for more fairway bunkering (not me though). The Island next door had clearly eaten up the lions share of better links land, but some tasty leftovers remained. It all makes me think that Corballis could have been a world class 9 holer. Or it could get a Tom Watson quote and then market itself as the best 13 hole course in Ireland.

I would recommend pairing Corballis up with The Island for a great day of golf, and playing Corballis first. For many visitors, it may offer a great first taste of Links golf in a humble inclusive setting. And if you’ve just crawled off of a long transatlantic flight, why waste an expensive green fee at a more famous track when you’re <img src="/images/corballis-links-golf-course-review-CORB007.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Corballis Links Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Corballis Links Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> still half asleep? I actually did something similar with a group a few years ago when playing Braid Hills in Edinburgh, before heading out to East Lothian. We were exhausted after our flight from Amsterdam and it worked a treat. And when I visit the Monterey Peninsula, despite life being short, I will also play Pacific Grove. This feels like some kind of Golfing Scouting Code.

Back to Donabate: We visited Corballis the day before (or after) playing Killeen Castle. One is a Jack Nicklaus championship test that has hosted the Solheim Cup. And the other is quite simply a fun, memorable & good value experience (that I’d rather play). Don’t discount golf at Corballis just because Corballis is discounted golf. I do still wish my mate would join Portmarnock though

An incredible historic idiot wind caught my tee shot at the first and dumped it into the large bunker on the left hand side of the fairway. I have to say “incredible historic” as the trap must only have been 130 yards away and otherwise I’d feel pretty self conscious. Fortunately I had yet to check the course guide, because if so I would have seen that my ball was in “The Shamrock Bunker”. Most likely I would have thrown up the bacon roll I’d just hastily stuffed inside me. Was it too late in <img src="/images/killeen-castle-golf-course-review-KILC005.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Killeen Castle Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Killeen Castle Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> the day to go somewhere else? Would I be the first person to walk off the course after 1 shot? At least this Jack Nicklaus design was already asking serious questions of a golfer.

The rest of Killeen Castle wasn’t this bad though, and things did improve. It was a decent enough place to be and if life wasn’t so short I’d surely have fewer regrets about playing here. It was challenging (if you like challenges) and the early season conditioning (April) was also good (if a little soft). The routing was effective in how it explored the property. I liked the use of the burn at the par 5 12th. In truth, other holes probably stick in my mind too, I just can’t recall them right now.

I am struggling a little to find the <img src="/images/killeen-castle-golf-course-review-KILC004.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Killeen Castle Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Killeen Castle Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> inspiration to write about Killeen Castle, but my OCD ensures I must submit something for a course I have played. I may not rush back, but would consider giving it another go. On a lovely windless sunny summer’s evening. This course is currently ranked as the 5th best of its type in Ireland after all. I don’t know if this talks to the quality of parkland golf in Ireland, or more my view of garden golf in general. Presumably the latter. I feel like a gymnastics judge being asked to preside over a figure skating competition. Or a figure skating judge filling in at a gymnastics competition.

As for a visit: if you like parkland golf, then don’t think twice, it’s alright. And if you know that’s not your thing, then you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows

The par 5 8th hole at Brancaster is one of the best - or at least fun - holes I’ve ever played. And it’s so deceptively simple you could miss how effective it is. Or so deceptively effective that you miss how simple it is. It’s like velcro in this respect. The 3rd & 9th holes are also not far behind, and what they each have in common is basic yet optimised use of natural features to provide strategic options, from <img src="/images/royal-west-norfolk-golf-course-review-ROWN044.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Royal West Norfolk Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Royal West Norfolk Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> both the tee and the fairway. My favourite stretch was unsurprisingly 3-9. The back 9 can’t maintain the quality, despite containing some diverse and fun holes.

On the day we played several fairways were effectively out of commission due to maintenance work. We were not advised of this work beforehand and there was no green fee reduction for the lesser experience. It is quite a trek to get to North Norfolk and we’d actually flown into nearby Norwich specifically to play here. However, this isn’t the course’s fault, so no hard feelings. And I accidentally took a Royal West Norfolk coffee cup home with me, so we’ll call it quits. I guess the simple lesson is, when traveling for a special round, be sure to ask about any scheduled maintenance.

It’s difficult - or at least unorthodox - to review this course without making a mention of near neighbour Hunstanton. Most reviews tend to describe Brancaster as <img src="/images/royal-west-norfolk-golf-course-review-ROWN046.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Royal West Norfolk Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Royal West Norfolk Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> the “quirky” option and Hunstanton as the more standard “championship” course. There is some truth in this but I feel it tends to lend a lazy characterisation that is unfair to both. Brancaster has several orthodox holes and Hunstanton has a few odd ones. The sum of this stereotyping perhaps tends to favour Brancaster amongst the cognoscenti. I feel there’s very little in it and I can’t decide which I prefer. Here the highlights come earlier in the round, whereas at Hunstanton they are more evenly distributed and the 16-18 finish is more memorable.

Royal West Norfolk perhaps just shades it for me. Definitely. Hunstanton perhaps just shades it for me. Maybe. Be sure to play both

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single golfer in possession of good sense for history, must be in want of a trip to The Netherlands. After all, it was in this low country that the game was invented.

This view had been suggested by <img src="/images/kennemer-golf-course-review-KENN027.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Kennemer Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Kennemer Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> Dutch golf historian Steven van Hengel, which brings me neatly to the 27 hole Kennemer, golf club, where he was a prominent member. Its the course currently ranked #3 for The Netherlands on this site.

Harry Colt designed the original 18 holes (B&C), then Frank Pennink came up with the A holes many years later. The Colt B holes are named Pennink, the Pennink A holes are named van Hengel, and the Colt C holes are (at least) called Colt. Confused?

More importantly, this course is an authentic links experience. Adjacent to Zandvoort, it contains the right Formula to the Max: Just the right kind of undulating land, a variety of green <img src="/images/kennemer-golf-course-review-KENN028.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Kennemer Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Kennemer Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> sites, and a twisting & turning routing that doesn’t reveal the next hole until the current one is finished.

My favourites included the Par 3 B2, where anything left is a killer up & down, and the shortish Par 4 C1 with a benched green fronting trouble which reminded me of a hole at Pacific Dunes (16th).

I didn’t care much for holes 5 & 6 on the B holes, or 2 & 3 on the C holes. They were a bit bland. And the iconic Par 3 C6 is arguably let down with pathetic bunkering - think 3 sand pits dug by small children (but it’s otherwise a great hole). Maybe the bunkering throughout could be made a little more visually striking, and I do wonder if they could be a little better placed because I didn’t go in any of them. One of the better bunkers I discovered was a world war 2 <img src="/images/kennemer-golf-course-review-KENN029.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Kennemer Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Kennemer Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" rel="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;"> concrete example whilst searching for a wayward drive in one dune.

Royal Hague is my favourite links in Holland, but Kennemer isn’t too far behind. It doesn’t have the scale and challenge of the former, but it does possess an easier walk, a quality routing through ideal land (albeit with some communist era apartments intruding on some holes), as well as a few more holes to choose from. It also allows guests on Saturdays and never seems to be busy. If planning a golf trip to the birthplace of Kolf, you have to play here

Bernardus goes straight to the very top of modern Dutch golf courses in my conceited opinion. I prefer it to The International, Lage Vuursche, Swinkelsche, and Stippelberg. I’ve not played The Dutch or The Duke, but I don’t expect them to offer more.

Fairly generous off of the tee, albeit <img src="/images/bernardus-golf-course-review-BERA017.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Bernardus Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Bernardus Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> usually with a preferred side of the fairway to find, this course really comes alive with the variety of the green complexes. Hitting into and around them is both thought-provoking and fun. The 3rd is a great example of this, with its right to left sloping perched green protected by a treacherous run off to the left.

The shaping throughout is very good and they have executed well on what I imagine was a significant construction budget. Playing conditions were fairly firm when I played, meaning you had the option to run some shots in as you might on a heathland. The illusion is not yet fully convincing though as the heather they’ve planted has not established itself at all, giving the rough a kind of burned wasteland look to them (which I didn’t mind). I don’t think 3 years of hosting the KLM <img src="/images/bernardus-golf-course-review-BERA018.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Bernardus Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Bernardus Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> Open are going to help improve things aesthetically in this regard. The routing is very much back & forth, and this is perhaps one area where Bernardus isn’t as strong as some of its contemporary rivals. Admittedly, the size of the property doesn’t really allow for anything with a more natural flow though.

The facilities and overall experience here are very strong, and the “member for a day” approach they’ve taken is pretty interesting. The course isn’t a six ball rating as one reviewer suggests, but it doesn’t have to be to stand out amongst its local rivals. If you’re planning a golf trip to The Netherlands, supplementing 3-4 of the Oude Negen courses with a day at Bernardus would certainly not be a waste of your time

The front 9 on this unassuming property near Mildenhall was enjoyable. It contained plenty of variety - half par holes, violent changes of direction, etc, but the most striking characteristic were the greens. Probably fair to say that they don’t make them like this anymore. At least they’re interesting. And I’m not sure any <img src="/images/royal-worlington-and-newmarket-golf-course-review-ROWO024.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Royal Worlington & Newmarket Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Royal Worlington & Newmarket Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> two were alike. I even managed 8 shots on the 5th hole.

Even more striking as the greens was the halfway house. I’ve never seen such an impressive array of facilities - you could have a sit down meal, a shower, and even buy some additional supplies in a little Pro shop there! It made the Turnberry Lighthouse feel like a bus stop.

Suitably refreshed, we made our way over to the 10th tee. At this moment two things happened. Firstly a fellow golfer came driving across the tee box as I was taking my stance, and continued moving towards us in an intimidating fashion as I, unerringly, launched one off the tee. Slightly bemused by this, but relieved at not being run over, all soon became clear. He suggested we’d pushed in: starting our round on the 10th, when his group of members had already played the front 9, meant they had right of way. I (politely?) stated that we’d also already played the diverse front 9, with his group consistently behind us all the way. I guess he was so <img src="/images/royal-worlington-and-newmarket-golf-course-review-ROWO025.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Royal Worlington & Newmarket Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Royal Worlington & Newmarket Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> engrossed in his own game that he failed to notice us up ahead. And some crazy fools say Golf has an image problem.

The second thing that happened on the 10th tee, was that I got this overwhelming sense of Deja Vu. After all that variety of the front 9, I now felt that the back 9 all felt a bit familiar. There was the same satisfying frozen ocean waves in the green on the 10th as at the 1st, and a comparable pushed up dome at the 11th as at the 2nd. The 12th also turned on a sixpence and fired back over the previous green. The 13th had the same rollercoaster ride from swale to fall away green. The 14th even had a treacherous green that fell away on both sides like an eroded pyramid. I scored a 3 this time, perhaps a little more cautious for my earlier experience. The penultimate hole on the back 9 was also a half par hole where we did well to reach the green in 3 shots. The closing hole even had a similarly pleasant view of (this time) <img src="/images/royal-worlington-and-newmarket-golf-course-review-ROWO026.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Royal Worlington & Newmarket Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Royal Worlington & Newmarket Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> the clubhouse and the nice risk/reward drive where you could attempt to get within 60 yards of the green if you fancied taking the Max Verstappen line again. When holding out on the 18th, part of me even wondered if we played the front 9 again by accident, but my playing partner assured me this wasn’t the case.

Royal Worlington & Newmarket was an interesting and challenging golfing - admittedly not a real verb - experience, and even though it didn’t contain the total variety I’d usually expect in an 18 hole course, I look forward to playing it again. It might not have the wow factor of some eye candy courses, but it has more than enough to hold your attention and test your game in ways other courses might not.

Shiver Me Timbers, this place is excellent!

The first hole might be a gentle downhill drive and mid iron to an infinity green site introducing a lovely view, but from then on it’s all hands on deck as you negotiate a stormy ride to all points of the compass through twisted swirling links terrain.

The par 5 second is an excellent challenge and links landlubbers will wonder what’s hit them. You may face your first blind shot on this hole, and it won’t be your last. For some golfers this is like walking <img src="/images/perranporth-golf-course-review-PERR027.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Perranporth Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Perranporth Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> the plank, but it’ll make others feel like a buccaneering version of Tom Daley.

The 3rd offers a magnificent crow’s nest view of the hole and ocean laid out before you. You then try to judge your second shot perfectly to the poop deck of a green high up above you. And so it goes on. Each hole feels different to the last and often isn’t revealed until you reach the next tee. And even then you might not see too much on your first shot. Anticipation is everything here. It’s not a long course and there’s only a handful of bunkers (8 or 9 I counted), but the land and wind alone will serve to scuttle your hopes of a bountiful score.

Following my round I conducted some further investigations (Google, “Perranporth”, I feel lucky, Enter) and discovered that in the ancient Celtic Cornish language, “Perran Porth” actually <img src="/images/perranporth-golf-course-review-PERR028.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Perranporth Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Perranporth Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> means “Batten down the hatches you scurvy seadog”. Not surprising at all.

At risk of visiting Davy Jones’s locker, my only criticism would be that the green surrounds don’t always match the quality of the green sites themselves, or the fairways, or the views on offer. There could also be an argument for 2-3 fairway bunkers throughout the 18 holes. Maybe.

These are minor gripes by a fussy old Scallywag though. By my standards, this is a booty-full golf course which avoids the green fee piracy of lesser coastal courses. It’s links like this that prove England truly rules the golfing waves: quality, variety, strength in depth, and accessibility are all encapsulated here. It is undoubtedly a vital member of this country’s incomparable golfing flotilla. The only thing missing at Perranporth is a Jolly Roger on every flagstick, for this is a swashbuckling adventure that every serious golfer should plunder before they too become shark bait

When tracing my roots I discovered that many years ago a Branch from my family tree had once excelled at The Belgian Open. He was possibly the only relative ever to hit 2 consecutive straight shots and was likely adopted.

It was this accident of history that brought me to Royal Club du Belgium. And one thing you do get at Ravenstein are families of trees: A great variety in all shapes and sizes. This is pure parkland golf and a round here is like playing in a King’s back garden. It’s an impressive setting for a game and driving slowly up to the beautiful 17th <img src="/images/royal-belgium-old-golf-course-review-ROBG001.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Royal Belgium (Old) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Royal Belgium (Old) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> century clubhouse only adds to the expectation that you’re indeed about to enjoy a right Royal round.

On the elevated first tee you’re met with an inviting drive as a short Par 5 unveils itself before you. It sets a pitch perfect tone for what follows: beautifully framed tee shots and surprising elevation changes. Hole variety and routing here also hit the right notes - doglegs stray both ways, long ones, short ones, and the par 3’s playing to all three points of the compass - as you leisurely explore the regal property.

The bunkering wasn’t as striking as the other Tom Simpson tracks I’ve played. Positioning was good but it just wasn’t as visually impressive or distracting. The club itself isn’t too sure who designed the course - suggesting Seymour Dunn - so perhaps it either isn’t a Tom Simpson course, or his influence has been diluted over the years. Regardless of this provenance though, the course would benefit from the sort of bunkering seen at the likes of Royal Antwerp or Royal Des Fagnes.

Some of the views and shots were unfortunately obscured by excessive tree growth - the bush that obscures the right hand bunker on the Par 3 third being a typical example. They <img src="/images/royal-belgium-old-golf-course-review-ROBG002.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Royal Belgium (Old) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Royal Belgium (Old) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> could cut back much of the vegetation, it would detract nothing, and it would instantly improve the course. I wonder why they haven’t - perhaps some of the rare specimens have Royal protection. The green sites were engaging and the greens rolled very true and were a joy to put on. To my surprise, internal contours were conspicuous by their absence.

I’ve played a handful of the better courses in Belgium and Ravenstein is a must-play. It offers a welcome distinction to the country’s forest/heathland tracks, and is different again to the Royal cousins at Zoute & Ostend. It surely wouldn’t take an extensive renovation to really elevate this place to one of the best courses of its type in Europe. It’s possibly that already and delivers a special golfing experience. As I walked off the 18th green sodden after a downpour of biblical proportions, there was a smile on my face and a desire to return. Meanwhile up in Yorkshire, my dear ancestor was turning in his grave

One of my life’s biggest regrets is not having a go at the Tom Watson up & down attempt from the back of the 18th hole during the final round at the 2009 Open Championship. It gave me a restless night. Where was my focus when I needed it most? My feeling <img src="/images/trump-turnberry-ailsa-golf-course-review-TUAI210.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Trump Turnberry (Ailsa) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Trump Turnberry (Ailsa) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> is that we’d all surely be able to make that par to win the Claret Jug. I did at least semi-emulate the feat with a bogey, albeit in a different manner. I will have to go back.

And returning won’t be too much of a hardship for this is a great place to play golf. We skillfully escaped the couple we’d been partnered with (“sorry no comprendo Engels”) and set out as a 2-ball. We found the first 2-3 holes to be a bit ho-hum, yet it cannot be denied that at they same time they subtlety informed you that you were not at an average golf course. But it did not feel like a world beater.

That all changed from holes 4-11. A <img src="/images/trump-turnberry-ailsa-golf-course-review-TUAI211.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Trump Turnberry (Ailsa) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Trump Turnberry (Ailsa) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> sublime run of holes which proved to be a golfing version of hot buttered Crumpets. I can’t describe them at all well because I was experiencing some kind of sensory overload where most of my critical faculties were disabled. Maintaining only a foolish grin and sense of euphoria was all I could manage.

The remainder of the course fell a little short by comparison. Either that or I was still distractedly reminiscing about holes 4-11, a stretch as good as anything I’ve enjoyed and experienced. You may struggle to get your expectations exceeded at Turnberry, because you likely know it’s supposed to be great. It doesn’t need me to blow it’s own hot buttered Trumpet (note <img src="/images/trump-turnberry-ailsa-golf-course-review-TUAI213.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Trump Turnberry (Ailsa) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Trump Turnberry (Ailsa) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> to catering staff), so purely having them matched is impressive enough. The course is part of a well-rounded top drawer venue - design, setting, routing, variety of holes, and conditioning are all very good. As are the catering and facilities. It does lack a bit of soul, being the resort that it is, but that’s not the course’s fault.

If you have sufficient moral fortitude to stay away (Trump & Chump do, after all is said and done, rhyme), then I commend you. There are plenty of other golf course fishes near the sea for you can enjoy. But if like me you have no moral compass & a weakness for naughty pleasures - Turnberry Ailsa is a must play. Just don’t forget to try that Tom Watson shot on the 18th green

Taking an Uber to RMS directly from Heathrow ironically meant I was indirectly contributing to one of the criticisms thrown at this course. We didn’t get bothered by plane noise pollution at all though. Perhaps a suspicious drone had caused an air traffic standstill whilst recording golf course flyovers in the vicinity.

After a brief chat with the starter, <img src="/images/royal-mid-surrey-golf-course-review-ROMS005.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Royal Mid Surrey Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Royal Mid Surrey Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> we were away on the Par 3 first. I don’t like beginning a round in this way, so have recently decided to treat all such holes as short Par 4’s. So I went way out to the right and had to chip over the green side bunker to a tight pin. I ran through into the other bunker. Note to self: greens quicker than expected. Despite this I was happy to walk away with my bogey 5.

In the conspicuous absence of any topographical thrills, it’s crucial that the greens and bunkers at RMS are well done. And they are. The former were very good - often distinct from the fairways, rolled very smoothly, and had just enough interest. The latter were also well executed - especially the use of cross-bunkering on second shots on some holes (I enjoy a decision of left or right, short or long, rather than simply don’t go right/left because there’s a bunker there - and this, along with the odd crossword. is possibly postponing any future dementia by a few months). Tidy looking sand pits they were too and in general the <img src="/images/royal-mid-surrey-golf-course-review-ROMS006.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Royal Mid Surrey Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Royal Mid Surrey Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> course conditioning/presentation was very good.

Not too much pressure off the tee, but the rough was fairly punishing so still worth staying out of it. Often one side of the fairway was better than another, and this often served to wipe the smug grin off my face for simply finding the fairways. The JH Taylor mounding was interesting to see first hand. First noticed on the second hole, it seemed as though the smooth fairway had a case of acne. Despite being completely artificial, it works okay though and does give some feature to the otherwise flat land. I made the mistake of mentioning this to my playing partner and he just stared back at me, making me feel like an unsuccessful plane spotter.

There’s enough variety of holes in this routing to stop the golf becoming boring - repeatable pockets of diversity like holes 3 thru 6 - but my attention was still waning a little later in the back 9. This could also have been the jet lag kicking in. The 18th brought me <img src="/images/royal-mid-surrey-golf-course-review-ROMS007.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Royal Mid Surrey Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Royal Mid Surrey Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> back though, quite literally, as it was a good finishing hole. But more focus on the tee shot with trees lining both sides, although not really in play, and with good bunkering and length. 2 good shots were required to reach the green (I took 3).

I played RMS in a back 2 back with London Scottish GC (which felt like a golf course designed by a fox hunt), and the contrast was favourable to RMS. Perhaps a better comparison would be with nearby Coombe Hill (once I’ve written a golf book and got an invite there, I’ll be able to judge for myself).

Just as with property prices in the area, this course could have an inflated golfing value because of its location (put it elsewhere and you may be less impressed). However, I imagine RMS just has to be one of the better options near central London, as well as a convenient stop en route to or from Heathrow. It’s a perfectly pleasant peacock pagoda & pheasant of a parkland promenade that I would happily play again.

This place is a clearly a cut above the plethora of average modern golf courses in the Netherlands (where “modern” can admittedly evoke uninspiring design on poor land). Several times during our round we felt that what we saw before us could have been lifted from a dozen other Dutch cousins, but what <img src="/images/lage-vuursche-golf-course-review-LAGE019.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Lage Vuursche Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Lage Vuursche Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> sets this place apart was the superior conditioning, scale of the holes, quality of the construction, and a nice sense of tranquility while out on the course.
The design offers fairly wide fairways, water in play on many holes, genuine risk/reward options, and well guarded greens. There was also also knee high rough in places and soft fairway conditions when we played, ensuring that 6,600 + yards off of the yellow tees was sufficient challenge. The fairway bunkers though proved to be sandy mirages - we thought we saw them, but they remained just out of reach.
Quite a championship test then. Perhaps questionable in a country where the average golfer holds a handicap of around 20, but then I’m not <img src="/images/lage-vuursche-golf-course-review-LAGE021.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Lage Vuursche Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Lage Vuursche Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> sure Lage Vuursche is for the average golfer. I’d still add in another set of tees around the 6,300 yard mark though. I just scraped into my handicap buffer despite playing well, and I did enjoy the challenge on this occasion.
I like this course, and the Dutch Golfing Landscape would clearly better off with more of this quality. It did ultimately leave me a little cold, but there will be plenty of golfers who will get a warmer feeling here. A four-ball jumping straight in front of our 2-ball on the 10th tee - who then proceeded to hold us up on our entire back 9 - reminded me why I prefer to play my golf elsewhere. Notwithstanding this, if you’re in the area playing the likes of Hilversum & De Pan, you should definitely consider adding Lage Vuursche into the mix

Initial impressions after playing any course for the first time can often be influenced by preconceptions. My visit to Western Gailes was no exception. I already knew it would be good, and so it came to pass, but this meant it could struggle to blow me away. Or perhaps it just wouldn’t be that good after all? The course was also too well known to be discovering a hidden gem, and ultimately wasn’t <img src="/images/western-gailes-golf-course-review-WEGA128.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Western Gailes Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Western Gailes Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> surprising enough vs my expectations to give a feeling of experiencing something truly special.

What you objectively get though is surely a very good links course. Proper firm irregular turf? Check. Sea? Check. Railway line? Check. Dunes? Check. Variety of green sites? Check. And so on. As previous reviewers have mentioned, the early holes head north inland, and it’s the stretch from 5-10 or so which really captures the imagination.

Some of these holes were thrilling and the land over which they traverse is excellent. If I had one criticism though, it would be that too many of these holes felt like teeing off from a tee-box beside the ocean, <img src="/images/western-gailes-golf-course-review-WEGA129.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Western Gailes Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Western Gailes Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> back inland to a hole that runs back to the sea. This made it feel like several left to right doglegs in a row that play in the same direction, and dare I say it, a little monotony crept in. However, it meant my “power fade” worked a treat.

I think another designer may have been more creative with the exact routing of these seaside holes. And if I can allow myself a second criticism, I would also have squeezed in another Par 3 along this opening stretch to add some more variety in the direction of play. The less spectacular (i.e. inland) holes were perfectly acceptable and even provided some welcome diversity, with obstacles such as burns guarding greens.

Notable holes for me were the Par 5 6th, <img src="/images/western-gailes-golf-course-review-WEGA130.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Western Gailes Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Western Gailes Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> where I always seemed to be hitting a blind shot with the 4 blows it took to reach the green, and the Par 3 7th with its sheltered green. The 9th was a lovely short par 4 with scattered bunkers guarding the green at varying distances out. The 11th has an interesting approach that disorientated like a distant cousin of Dornoch’s Foxy, and the 17th did something similar, only the other way. On both of these par 4’s I played to the green with my third shot as I wasn’t quite sure where I was going. I also enjoyed the camouflaging/graded central bunkers on the Par 3 15th that must cause issues with club selection.

In 2019 Western Gailes is probably overrated. Nevertheless, it’s a must play course and one I will happily return to. And as long as it has the fairly mundane looking track just down the coast at three times the price, I think Western Gailes will always be a very pleasant surprise for any golfing visitor to Ayrshire

This is a fantastic Golf Course. The location, routing, variety, and links credentials were all of a very high standard. And everything at the resort is purely about Golf (I didn’t spot a spa or pool anywhere). This round probably comprised 50% of my favourite Golfing day of all time ever.

Very good holes are spread throughout the 18. The first is a proficient starter, and I particularly liked the 5th, but my favourite moment was standing on the 16th tee taking in both the expansive view of the coastline and the options available to me.

Meanwhile, in a <img src="/images/bandon-dunes-bandon-dunes-golf-course-review-BANN023.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Bandon Dunes (Bandon Dunes) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Bandon Dunes (Bandon Dunes) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> quite unexpected moment on this hole, my friend stumbled upon a rattlesnake sunning itself near the back tee. An incredible find that thrilled the herpetologist in me. I did later mention this in passing to the caddy master, and he denied they had such animals on the property. I don’t think Bandon is quite Barnbougle & Tiger Snakes, but he was obviously concerned. Hopefully he didn’t dispatch a team of green keepers armed with rakes. Many Golfers surely enjoy their rounds in natural environments

Anyways. I decided that fortune favours the foolish, so took on the 16th green from the tee. I hit a good drive which just caught the lip of one the bunkers just short on the top section of the fairway, and there it stayed. One metre more carry and it may well have rolled out to the green. The ball lay delicately balanced in the steep grass face and in a show of my inadvertent inner Lefty, I managed to hit it backwards over my head onto the fairway behind me. The only time I’ve ever managed to pull this shot off. To compound the incompetent affect, I also fell over backwards <img src="/images/bandon-dunes-bandon-dunes-golf-course-review-BANN024.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Bandon Dunes (Bandon Dunes) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Bandon Dunes (Bandon Dunes) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> into the deep bunker. Often during precariously moments like this for my playing partners, I’ve been known to start taking covert video footage. Fortunately my companion that day wasn’t so quick witted or cruel. Either way, a chip and a 2-putt later, the 16th at Bandon Dunes turned out to be the most memorable bogey I’ve ever made.

Bandon Dunes was quite a journey to reach from The Netherlands - an 11 hour flight to Portland, followed by a drive of almost 5 hours. After 6 hours sleep, we then had a 36 hole day, followed immediately by another 5 hour return drive. A trip here from Europe does require a bit of planning, but it is well worth the effort. 4 world class courses and another on the way. It is such a special place to play. Of course the UK & Ireland does already have a plethora of stunning links courses to enjoy, so this may influence your decision to make such a long trip. However, if you’re in North America and haven’t visited yet, you’ve really got no excuse! My advice would be to abandon June’s current Golfing schedule and plan a Bandon Dunes trip without delay

Pleasant parkland walk with old school charm. Playing conditions were firmly firm in August 2016, the routing is well conceived, and the land undulates gently. The primary interest <img src="/images/royal-colwood-golf-course-review-ROCO002.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Royal Colwood Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Royal Colwood Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> for me was around the green sites.
Several holes were narrower than an aphid’s artery, and many of the fir trees that now shade the fairways were presumably much less intrusive when planted a 1,000 or so years ago. Yes, it really really really needs some trees removed to give some width. You could then, you guessed it, add some fairway bunkers to provide some strategy and definition off of the tee.
The Pro mentioned that the club did have some plans drawn up by a fancy designer (Gil Hanse?) to restore the course, but hadn’t yet acted upon them. Royal Colwood is currently a 4-ball Billy Gibbons with potential for a 5-ball Frank Beard

Part 1: (1893-2019):Royal Norwich opens with a Par 3, but it’s a good one that requires an accurate shot to a well protected green. The deceptively placed central bunker ensures you need a decent full swing to start your round. Shame it comes so early, but do have a few stretches beforehand, and enjoy the hole regardless.You then cross a busy road and get the chance to open your shoulders at a mid length dogleg left Par 4. It’s a nice hole, which shares a fairway with a later hole, which gives clues to the slightly cramped nature of the site. This feeling is confirmed with the tight drive with OB left at the 3rd hole. The property is not flat and does include nice elevation changes along with some interesting angles, several of which are facilitated by driving over other fairways. After 8 or 9 holes of this (special shout out to the peaceful Par 3 7th), you cross back over that busy main road for the remainder of the course. This portion does have 2-3 open field-like holes, but then returns to some of the intricate lines of the what has gone before. Perhaps there is slightly more opportunity to slash away with a driver on these remaining holes. Royal Norwich is a product of the parcel of land it occupies. And that’s fine. It’s tight in places and you do need to think consider ball placement. The sparse but effective bunkering also gives you enough to think about. In this respect it draws comparison with nearby Eaton Golf Club. It also has that additional satisfaction you get when playing an older course - everything seems a bit more settled and the course is at ease with itself. Worth playing if you are in the area and catch it while you can because it will be turned into concrete at some point this year. I do think Eaton has a slight edge over this track as a quality urban parkland option, and would give Royal Norwich a benefit of the doubt 3.51 ball rating. Worth seeking out if in the area. This may change when this club’s new course opens later in 2019 on the new site at Weston Park. If you feel the current course doesn’t cut the (Coleman’s) Mustard, the new incarnation may do it for you. Either way, that Canary will sing a different tune. I look forward to playing there later in the year for Royal Norwich Part 2

It was the best of times (playing The Island), it was the worst of times (a 4 club wind), it was the age of wisdom (€80 green fee in March), it was the age of foolishness (playing off of mats).

This place is a bona fide 5 ball golfing experience. I enjoyed standing on almost every tee box, every green, and almost everything in between. 6 ball for some and I’d have no complaints at <img src="/images/the-island-golf-course-review-ISLA078.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="The Island Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="The Island Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> that.

If I can be ultra critical, some of the green sites felt a little repetitive (raised/elevated), and a minority of holes (perhaps the 10th) were not up to the quality of the majority.

But overall a great golf course full in space and scale and - along with Portmarnock & County Louth - the foundation of an excellent itinerary of East Coast Irish Links Golf.

In 2019 The Island will be co-hosting The Amateur Championship, which speaks to its credentials to test the best. I don’t quite fall into that category - or even the 4 categories below it - but I did find it surprisingly playable, even in the ill wind that blew. As you face challenging tee shots like those at the 13th or 14th, it’s wonderful anticipation to see if your ball is going to heaven, or is it going direct the other way... Great fun!

Talk about an inauspicious start – a fairly tatty uphill par 3. The sweeping second might have been a better option as an opener, but in truth none of the plain sailing opening 4 or 5 holes left much of an impression on us. The Addington gets off on the wrong foot. We’d played Cuddington earlier in the day, and so far that was the better course. It was April and course conditioning was also poor. There was also a fair bit of litter around the course, either wind blown in or left on site. If you’re going to be a low IQ parkland, you could at least be a pretty one, I muttered to myself.
However, this all turned out to be a calm before the perfect storm. Or one of those <img src="/images/addington-golf-course-review-ADDI056.jpg" alt="The Addington Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="The Addington Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;"> romantic comedies where the nerdy/bullied heroine puts on a dash of makeup and isn’t quite so bad after all, or that moment when Jerry Lewis’s Nutty Professor drinks one of his own concoctions. Anyway, a great big pit next to the 6th green (quite understandable how anyone could take up residence there) with a walkway across to the 7th teeing area, signaled the change. From here on The Addington is thrilling, challenging, and idiosyncratic in equal measure. Mercurial even. The rest of the round blew by in a variety rich maelstrom of pleasure ‘twixt with pain, until, out of breath, you reach the calm waters of the 18th. This closer brings to mind again the mundane opening few holes.
There are several highlights here and it is difficult to single one out. 12 & 13 was a great Par 5-3 combo, but so was 16 & 17. There were many challenging and exciting shots required. Some nice views of London too on the back 9, and in summer the course must see the odd purple patch. The Addington is pretty rough around the edges and has a slow start, but for a large part it is also brilliant golf and must be one of the better options within the M25.<a href="https://www.top100golfcourses.com/news-item/review-of-the-month-march-2019-the-addington">Review of the Month March 2019</a>

The first 5 holes here are nothing special but things pick up on the run from 6-9, which see a coastal hole, a nice drive to an angled rising fairway, a squeezed short 4 from a raised tee, and a drop shot short hole. Quality wise you are now perhaps reminded of its neighbour Sheringham. <img src="/images/royal-cromer-golf-course-review-ROCR026.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Royal Cromer Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Royal Cromer Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> There’s now a little more land movement and the holes get a bit more diverse and rugged.

I overshot the 7th green by half a club and was in the cabbage just a few paces from the hole. My ball was gone. It left me a bit crabby, but bad shots can get punished here, especially when hitting into greens.

The Par 4 14th hole was our favourite as you drive semi-blind up towards the lighthouse, aiming to hit the angled fairway. 15 felt like a missed opportunity and could benefit from some vegetation <img src="/images/royal-cromer-golf-course-review-ROCR027.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Royal Cromer Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Royal Cromer Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> clearance to widen the fairway and increase playability. 17 & 18 were a decent finish.

I felt the bunkering at Royal Cromer was strange. Several sand pits were oddly shaped and often in strange positions. I even wondered if green sites had been moved over the years and the bunkers left in place. And the random abundance of pot bunkers at times, especially near the greens, reminded me of an energetic toddler with a hole punch and blank sheet of A4 paper. Often less is more more or less.

Playing here was a pleasant experience <img src="/images/royal-cromer-golf-course-review-ROCR028.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Royal Cromer Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Royal Cromer Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> and worth the effort to get to, especially if you also intend to make a full day of it and play the superior Sheringham (which I’d save for last). This course could be improved on some holes by a bit of clearance to widen fairways and allow for some more shots around the greens, along with a more general overhaul of the bunkering. However, even as it is, there are worst places to play. This is a good course in a lovely location

You have to admit the sound of a golf ball smashing into a tree trunk always has significant comedy value (as long as it’s your mate’s ball).
Here I was standing in a fairway bunker with a bunch of trees a few yards away right in my line. I could hardly avoid the timber on this occasion and it felt reasonable to assume the original design strategy may <img src="/images/royal-antwerp-golf-course-review-ROAN027.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Royal Antwerp Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Royal Antwerp Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> have been compromised on the hole. Trees should be seen and not heard.
Deforestation of hardwood forests in the tropics is very bad and arguably should be stopped, but deforestation of forested golf courses in temperate regions should be mandatory. Perhaps someone (Elon Musk?) could re-deploy all those Brazilian & Indonesian forestry contractors to Europe and set them to work restoring our old courses. A slight digression, but arguably a valuable one if it leads to better golf (and saves the planet).
The bare bones of design, routing, bunker placement on the gently undulating fairways of Royal Antwerp were all of the right stuff. The forest does admittedly provide a nice setting and it’s actually a charming course. Any risk of further osteoporosis appears to have been tempered as the most recent review suggests a surgical makeover is well underway.
This course lacks the land movement of Royal Des Fagnes, so it’s more engaging than exciting. However, the 2 nines are more coherent as a whole compared to its Spa cousin. I’d rate them at a similar level. We played here in 2016 and it did feel like a slightly faded classic - but a classic nonetheless

Walton Heath doesn’t get off to a great start. To get to the 1st hole, you cross a road from the clubhouse to reach this Par 3 (in itself rarely a good sign), and then cross another road to reach the 2nd hole.
Here you are met with the impressive expanse of heathland containing 35 golf holes. Not sure why they couldn’t just fit all 36 in this setting. Quirky features on a golf course are to be welcomed, but this just felt a bit rubbish.
At risk of straying a little too fair off the fairway, the 1st is not a bad hole, but is clearly isolated and has no connection with the other <img src="/images/walton-heath-old-golf-course-review-WALO039.jpg" alt="Walton Heath (Old) Golf Courses - Photo by reviewer" title="Walton Heath (Old) Golf Courses - Photo by reviewer" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;"> holes over the road. Worth noting that when something significant happens on the Heath, as it did this past weekend, the 1st gets left out. Maybe the road stops rabbits invading from the adjacent Heath. Not sure if they name their holes at Walton Heath, but they could consider calling the opener “Brexit”.
Okay, chipping back onto the fairway, there are no problems at customs when you do enter the heathland and things pick up immediately from the 2nd. It’s a very good hole and we wished it was the opener. You drive away on this dogleg right hoping to hit the slope, before hitting up to a green that you see in the distance. What follows is a lovely diverse collection of challenging & historic golf holes with a uniform look and feel. This is why we came.
The rugged bunkering was great (although felt set up to punish slicers) and the playing conditions were pretty firm. Wind was an influence. The fairly large greens were good to putt on. We caught it on a wet Spring day (would like to return in August when it’s having a purple patch) which made the fairways play a little wider than usual - no complaints from us <img src="/images/walton-heath-old-golf-course-review-WALO040.jpg" alt="Walton Heath (Old) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Walton Heath (Old) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;"> though. It must be tough to keep your ball out of the heather in dry summer conditions and so you can understand why it’s used for US Open qualifying.
I liked the Par 4 5th and the Par 3 11th, and then the finish from 14 or 15 in was very good, playing to all directions of the compass. Loved the last 3 holes in particular. The routing in general is a good wander (excepting the 1st) and as you are also playing in and around the New course, it keeps you on your toes as there are times when you never quite know where you will head to next. I liked this discovery aspect - lots of nice looking holes around us - which one’s next up?
The course has a bit of a juxtaposed ambience: away from the clubhouse it felt like quality golf without embellishment, in a knowingly opulent yet rustic setting. Small grumbles would be a bit of unexpected traffic noise around holes 8-10, and the Par 3’s felt like they all played in a similar direction. Minor complaints though (especially as in a few years everyone will be driving electric cars). This is a better-than-most place to play your Golf. We only played 18, and I would suggest playing 36 if you have time.
There’s lots of club & tournament history on display in the clubhouse - my favourite was the photo of Richard Finch holding aloft the trophy for the 2002 English Amateur. All the staff were very welcoming, the facilities were fine, and when it came to the crunch (we’d heard a lot beforehand about the famous lunches at WH), the crisps in the clubhouse were the most satisfying I’ve yet to experience after a round

Hilversum is a tough championship test and a peaceful tree lined walk in the forest. It’s also a bit narrow for the average golfer and you could argue a few holes are rather monotonous. Your opinion of this course may depend on how you like your golf.

Its at its best when it runs over some interesting surface - like the shots over broken ground at the 11th or 12th. I really liked the short Par 4 2nd with an advantage to be gained by driving up the the top plateau on the fairway, the deceptive hogs back fairway at the 4th, and t<img src="/images/hilversumsche-golf-course-review-HILV024.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Hilversumsche Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Hilversumsche Golf Course - Photo by reviewer">hen the run from the shot into the 11th through to the 16th. These latter holes do feel cramped on one side and mostly play in the same direction.

The greens are often angled to the line of play, which means drive placement is key. This can be tough when you’re simply happy to hit the elusive fairway. Holes tend to play in isolation along their own avenue of trees, which many golfers will like.

The 14th is a lovely short Par 3 and it’s a shame you’d have to be 8 feet tall to get a full view of the green. My favorite hole was the Par 4 16th, which offers a welcome change of direction and also a bit of width. It looks great and it would be nice if more holes here could offer this kind of space. The awkward routing hemmed in by various footpaths, which you must cross several times, probably makes this a challenge though.

The greens had been hollow-tined around a week before our round, which was a shame as we couldn’t experience how they might normally play. Many of the green sites were fairly flat though, so I don’t <img src="/images/hilversumsche-golf-course-review-HILV025.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Hilversumsche Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Hilversumsche Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> think we missed much. I think the challenge of the course is getting the ball to the green, so perhaps the designers decided to give you a little break when you get there. Recovery shots around the greens could also have been more fun. When you notice the mounding around the 18th green you realise you’ve not seen much in the preceding 17 holes.

With a bit of tidying up this would be a solid 5 ball course in my view. I felt some of the bunkers were shabby, the area around the 10th green and 11th tee felt like a field next to a Motorway, and there seemed to be less heather compared to when I last played it. Definitely clear out some trees to widen the fairways (where possible), because this would help with playing conditions, opening up views, playability, and perhaps encourage some heather regeneration.

The Hilversumsche is nevertheless a very pleasant environment to play golf and a good test for better players. The experience will also be improved when the tasteful new clubhouse is finished early next year. It may not have the exciting elevation changes of a Dutch Cousin like The Rosendaelsche, or the charm and playing interest of a near neighbour like De Pan, but it’s still one of the better inland courses in The Netherlands.

Taking a suggestion from my Golf travel agent Aberdeen Angus (a local firm), we tagged this course on to our Cruden Bay pilgrimage. I might be heeding their advice again in the future.

From right outside the clubhouse you start your round by smacking it down the hill towards the sea. After avoiding the flanking fairway, you are now faced with a solid hit over a fairly large depression to an <img src="/images/royal-aberdeen-balgownie-golf-course-review-ROAB078.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Royal Aberdeen (Balgownie) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Royal Aberdeen (Balgownie) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> inviting green, with the glistening blue ocean as a backdrop (we caught it on a good day). Onlookers include an ominous looking armada of ships and oil rigs moored offshore. The first hole is pretty perfect.

You then turn 90 degrees to the left and walk towards the 2nd tee. And that hole turns out to be perfect too. The holes that follow are of a similar quality. Wait a minute, what’s going on here? This is nuts. And so it as until you reach the turn.

Can Royal Aberdeen keep it up? Well, not quite. I didn’t even like the 10th. Possibly judging it harshly given what had gone before, but it at least serves the purpose of bringing your expectations back down to earth so you can at least enjoy the remaining 8 holes.

But wait a minute - these holes are still good. Not as good, but they have variety, elevation changes, the same links turf, good green complexes, and sea views all the way. They also felt more challenged by the wind. There was even a stone wall on one of them. They just miss <img src="/images/royal-aberdeen-balgownie-golf-course-review-ROAB080.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Royal Aberdeen (Balgownie) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Royal Aberdeen (Balgownie) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> the sanctuary of the dunes. But then lots of good links courses miss dunes and are none the worse off for it. You experience quite a high here, so when it drops off it naturally feels like a low - but put this low anywhere else and they’d likely stick up for themselves just fine.

Favourites on the back 9 were the par 5 12th, 14th with a burn and wall to negotiate, the 15th with its blind drive and pitch into an inviting target, and then the strong finish at 17 & 18. For me the 2 closing holes cleverly bring the quality level back to that of the front 9, so that you finish on a high. Preferred holes on the front 9 would likely be all of them.

Short of continuing the back 9 out along the coast using the Murcar land (an interesting routing that would be - you’d have to get a taxi back to the clubhouse), I’m not sure what else you could have done to make a better Golf course. Perhaps they could have routed it in reverse order, but presumably there was good reason for not doing this - prevailing winds making the current back 9 more interesting? If it was <img src="/images/royal-aberdeen-balgownie-golf-course-review-ROAB081.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Royal Aberdeen (Balgownie) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Royal Aberdeen (Balgownie) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> created today you could simply Kingsbarns your landforms on the back 9 to mirror the front. As it is, Royal Aberdeen surely made the best use of the land with the means available to them back in 1066 (which only makes it the 6th Oldest Club in the world, incidentally).

If the back 9 was like the front 9, I’d go get a job in the oil industry and move to the area. It would be the best golf course I’ve played. But if the front 9 was like the back 9, it’d still be a very good & enjoyable course. It’s already great enough though and it really was a joy to play here. As we sat in the (surprisingly) friendly clubhouse stuffing our faces looking back out over the first hole, with the sky still blue, I didn’t feel any small satisfaction of having ticked another course off ‘the list’. I simply wanted to go out and have another go

A few holes in - it was the 4th or 5th - and I thought I was still at the beach. Perhaps after picking me up at the coast the taxi driver just drove around in circles for 15 mins and then dropped me off near my hotel.

I didn’t find the prominent bunkering at Elea to be window dressing though, and the course’s strategy actively makes use of all this sand - particularly cross bunkering and deceptive bunkering short of greens or cutting into fairways. They are more often than not in play. <img src="/images/elea-golf-course-review-ELEA020.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Elea Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Elea Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> There’s usually enough width off the tee, but you need to think about where you’d like to put your ball or your next shot will be a tough one.

And it’s not all sand. There’s only 1 bunker on the engaging opening hole - a downhill dogleg where the green is blocked out if you’re on the wrong side - and there must have been 4-5 holes without a single grain of sand (excepting what I carried on my spikes from previous holes). Here the contours are used as the first line of defence, and as a bonus you do also have the option to use the ground for your approaches on some of these. I would prefer the greens to be firmer to match this though.

There was a good variety to the holes, and I particularly liked several of the short/med length par 4’s. My favourites were the dogleg 6th - a very tempting Par 4 of about 330 yards with cross bunkers (where I showed a lack of respect and came unstuck), the attractive 15th - where the fairway bunkers protect the best line and a narrow green opening is guarded by 4 imposing bunkers, and the heroic 17th which contained a 2nd shot carry over wasteland to a green hidden at the bottom of the hill.

I thought the use of the land in general was very effective - it’s quite a hilly property, but it didn’t feel like going up and down <img src="/images/elea-golf-course-review-ELEA021.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Elea Golf Courses - Photo by reviewer" title="Elea Golf Courses - Photo by reviewer"> like a Yo-Yo, and many of the holes had quite subtle elevation changes or were played along the fairly flat. It was pretty hot going so I broke with my own tradition and took a buggy. As with many courses like this, you will also have the odd 40-50 yard distance to the next tee, so don’t be ashamed of doing the same. It’s an exposed property, but no wind on the day I played.

Elea is still not really my cup of tea, but I enjoyed plotting my way around trying to keep the sand out of my shoes. I felt the holes here had at least as much playing interest as the more recently visited and higher ranked Son Gual in Mallorca. I didn’t use the practice areas, but other facilities were more than sufficient (I’m a sucker for a shower after a round with complimentary towels) and the course conditioning good. A refreshing beer on the terrace afterwards provided nice panoramic views out over the course. It’s probably a 4.5 ball, but gets a benefit-of-the-doubt 5 ball because I think it deserves merit for its use of bunkering and contains sufficient variety in its 18 holes. And just maybe because it surprised me a little and taught me not to judge a book by its cover. This all serves to eleavate it above at least some of the crowd in this Golfing niche, and I’m sure it’s a must play if you are visiting Cyprus.

Not sure how you’d categorize Sheringham. It’s not a links but plays a bit like one - much like a firm heathland that’s been transposed to a pretty attractive clifftop setting. Is that downland? Maybe it has its own unique identity. It definitely has a (very welcome) consistency of style throughout. The routing is a lovely walk not spoiled by the Golf - a delightful <img src="/images/sheringham-golf-course-review-SHER020.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Sheringham Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Sheringham Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> wander with panoramic views of the course and more at every turn.
It has a few average holes, but also several strong ones - particularly Par 4’s like the 5th, maybe the 9th, and the 17th. The Par 3 11th is also very nice - green or bust. The opener - another Par 4 - is a great way to start a round - whack it up hill and then see how sharp your short irons are this early in the day. It even has a steam train that passes alongside the course on the closing holes if that’s your thing.
Superior to Royal Cromer just down the road, Sheringham is more than the sum of its parts. It’s courses like this that contribute to England’s great strength in depth of diverse golfing quality. I liked it a lot.

If you ask any democrat politician to describe Donald Trump, you’re unlikely to get a positive assessment. I’m a bit like that with courses like this. And in Holland where I live, they might even describe a democrat voter as “Links”, which is where I’d rather be.

Son Gual was a vivid green and very soft, which made the playing conditions pretty boring. I seemed to be getting back spin with my driver and options to use the ground were not even a false promise in the manifesto. The tees were extravagantly sized and the water hazards were occasionally adorned with fountains. Not to my taste but I guess they are par for the course and in line with public sentiment. The routing felt a little monotonous (up then down, up then down, whilst going around in 2 circles).

And there were positives. Firstly, the holes themselves were well designed and challenging. They were probably <img src="/images/son-gual-golf-course-review-SONG047.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Son Gual Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Son Gual Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> the best designed and most challenging holes in the world of golf. Fact. It’s true. Okay, not quite, but it’s got substance after all - if Son Gual was a US politician perhaps it would have built a wall by now. And secondly, the conditioning was top class. Not a hair or blade of grass out of place. You could argue that these are significant positives. Thirdly, both the facilities and staff were very good.

Favourite holes included the par 4 uphill doglegs of holes 7 & 14, which had similar tee shots, but different challenges to hit the elevated greens. Then there was the pretty par 3 15th, with a green perched into the hillside with trouble all along the left side, and a bailout short right. I ended up in the bunker and really wanted to hit another ball just to have the pleasure of finding this green. Hole 18 was also a highlight, and it’s one you need to play well if you’re needing a birdie to avoid being a loser, with water in play twice and a shallow target in front of the clubhouse.

This course carries a high ranking in opinion polls which surprises me a little. Not quite fake news or a rigged election but democracy can throw up some surprises. If I compare it to superficially similar courses I’ve played that don’t make the Euro Top 100 (e.g. Faldo’s Elea in Cyprus and Palmer’s Victoria Course in Portugal), it’s perhaps better, but not by a great margin. I enjoyed my round here, in part due to the raw quality of the holes. I also enjoyed being paired up with a compete stranger (from the US, hence the silly metaphor) and sharing 18 holes in kindred spirited conversation - perhaps allowing for nicer memory or a softer or more distracted critique of the course. As it is, Son Gual seems a strong 4 ball course - which would get my vote as a 5 ball if policy would opt for severe sanctions against such soft playing conditions.

A projected 90 minute journey turned into 210 due to the seasonal traffic escaping back up the M5. “Bleddy Grockles”, as Mum might say. The Pro was great about it, and after rushing to the first tee without so much as a stretch (excepting any muscles warmed up during the dash), I hastily placed my opening drive atop a dune on the left. I then proceeded to negotiate the first 5 holes like a ageing Spaniel searching for Golf balls. Like all impartial reviewers, my own score definitely (maybe) doesn’t influence my opinion of the course, so I should mention that the opening 4-5 holes were pretty good. They are what you might <img src="/images/burnham-and-berrow-championship-golf-course-review-BURN036.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Burnham & Berrow (Championship) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Burnham & Berrow (Championship) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> expect of a top links course, and a journey to get here of (almost) any duration is confirmed as worth the effort.

The course did tail off in the mid section and as previous reviews have mentioned, the land simply becomes less compelling. However, these holes still have design merit and I enjoyed playing them. My own scoring had by now picked up though, so perhaps a little bias has crept into my review after all. My favourite holes going out were 2, 3, & 5. All had particularly good green sites. The 1st is also very nice, although quite difficult looking for an opener in breezy conditions. I later watched a few groups go off the 1st and several actually hit it down the 18th fairway. Not sure if these were windy accidents or cunning strategy by knowledgeable members?

The course picked up again for me at the 12th, and from then on in there is a run home of good holes with undulating fairways back amongst the dunes. Several of them feel a bit hemmed in on the left side, but otherwise they are fun to play. The 17th was my pick of what is a good set of short holes - requiring from me a very committed 4 iron into a wind with the flag at the back (while a 2 ball on the 18th tee looked on like Statler & Waldorf). And then the 18th itself doglegging away to the left, where you won’t see your ball come to rest if you’ve hit a good drive. <img src="/images/burnham-and-berrow-championship-golf-course-review-BURN039.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Burnham & Berrow (Championship) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Burnham & Berrow (Championship) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> The final 2 holes are similar in quality to those at St Enodoc. I actually scored okay in the end, so I would pause to ask if perhaps this course is a little deceptive off the tee and not quite as difficult as it looks?

Playing here completed my introduction to the Great Triumvirate of West Country links courses. In terms of comparisons, it felt more like a distant cousin of Saunton West - lots of dunes to start and finish, with a slightly different bit in the middle. I’d rate it just above that course, but slightly below the other two. The stylishly alliterated B&B does further highlight the quality of Golf on offer along the northern coastline of the South West and is a great option for a first or last stop on a trip to this relatively unheralded region. And if a few more of those cars clogging up the M5 were four-balls carpooling en route to the likes of Burnham et al, perhaps I wouldn’t mind so much

Much like with the East course, the first hole on the West is a great getaway. It requires a solid drive left centre fairway, and then a mid or short iron up into a raised green surrounded by dunes on three sides. Nice to meet you Saunton West.

The opening 4 or 5 holes continue playing along the <img src="/images/saunton-west-golf-course-review-SAUW016.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Saunton (West) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Saunton (West) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> dunes, keeping them on your right, before heading out towards the flatter land. These holes continue to be interesting though due to the playing angles, bunkering, and interesting green sites. And you can have too much of a good thing, so it’s also a nice change of pace. I really liked the way the Par 4 5th confidently heads off in a different direction.

The course reaches a bit of a nadir for me at the swampy Par 3 9th - half expected to encounter a little green man and a young Jedi in training - before picking up the pace again as you head back towards the dunes. A favourite hole for me is the Par 4 13th which doglegs left back up to a green at the foot of the dunes. It plays well and looks good. The following couple of holes dogleg effectively along the dunes, kind of the opposite to the opening holes, before you reach the excellent Par 3 16th. The 17th is a bit technical so you need to choose a good line, with a couple of bits of water to negotiate, before finishing at the semi-obscured green of the Par 3 18th. I don’t really like starting or finishing on a <img src="/images/saunton-west-golf-course-review-SAUW017.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Saunton (West) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Saunton (West) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> Par 3, as you miss out on a bit of foreplay (although I am equally likely to shout fore on a Par 3), but at least it’s a good hole.

Playing the courses at Saunton evokes memories of England’s effective striking partnership of Lineker & Beardsley. They complement each other perfectly. One is arguably more famous and successful - the pretty face that launched a thousand crisp flavours and the star of a nation’s favourite TV show. The other is not quite so famous, not quite so successful, and arguably also fails a little on the beauty front.

But those who understand football know just how good the ugly duckling was and how much fun it was to enjoy the variety and creativity he brought to the game. And so it is for me with Saunton West. I wouldn’t be so frivolous as to suggest renaming them Saunton Least and Saunton Best - as I do feel the East is a bit better - but if I only had one round left to play on the Braunton Burrows, I would choose the West

Enjoyed my round here. Not the best course you’ll ever play but it’s “different”, good value, and at the midpoint between Royal North Devon and St Enodoc.

Many holes had something to recommend - a blind drive, <img src="/images/bude-and-north-cornwall-golf-course-review-BUDA011.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Bude & North Cornwall Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Bude & North Cornwall Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> a dell green, elevation change, blind second, plateau green, mountain goat stance, etc. There’s quite some variety as you progress through your round.

Among my favourites was the short par 4 3rd hole, with it’s dogleg left giving you options and an attractive raised green for the second shot. I also enjoyed the Par 3 13th where I came up just short and rolled back down the slope, leaving myself a challenging up and down to a pin at the front of the green. Of course I chipped right to the back. The 10th was also a nice Par 3, although it felt like one of the many tourists who make Bude their summer destination.

Played in April this year on <img src="/images/bude-and-north-cornwall-golf-course-review-BUDA013.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Bude & North Cornwall Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Bude & North Cornwall Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> a foggy day. The sea views were spoiled but the course was in good condition.

I didn’t like the 8th & 9th too much and a few of the holes in the back nine felt a bit uninspired in their routing (like mowing straight lines on a lawn), but you can forgive these indiscretions because Bude it what it is and has no delusions of grandeur.

This course won’t be on most people’s lists when visiting the South West, but it possibly should be. You’ll have a fun experience, get some exercise, and maybe it’ll also give you some context as to how good all the other links courses you’ve just played in the region are.

Nunspeet offers a very pleasant environment to enjoy a round in Holland and is worth a visit if you are in the area.
Tee shots are often well framed and it’s a pretty walk though fairly flat pine forest. Occasionally there’s the odd small dune or patch of <img src="/images/het-tijk-nunspeet-north-and-east-golf-course-review-HETR001.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Het Rijk Nunspeet (North & East) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Het Rijk Nunspeet (North & East) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> heather to keep you company and add interest.
I don’t feel that the quality of the layout quite matches up to the aesthetics though, and some of the potential of the site has been lost. There’s not enough playing interest for me, partly due to the fairways consistently being too narrow. Economics pressures of being a public course presumably meant they crammed 27 holes into this site, but they could have created a more interesting and expansive 18 to really rival some of the top Dutch forest courses.
Having said this, I’ve not played here with anyone who didn’t enjoy it, and for first timers it always creates a good first impression. It can also be good value and is deserving of its current Top 20 ranking in Holland

So we dropped off our friend at the Spa just down the road (when in Rome, he said) and 10 minutes later we were on the first tee. It was an incredibly hot day and we hoped we wouldn’t regret the decision to play Golf.

The course begins with a downhill right to left dogleg short par 5. You don’t see too much, except a lot of trees. Enough space though so you can lash away. It might play better as a long 4 - my playing partner (handicap 15) had a 25 foot eagle putt after hitting 2 irons. The third hole had more interest as a short 5.

On the second you’re faced with a <img src="/images/royal-fagnes-golf-course-review-ROFA005.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Royal Fagnes Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Royal Fagnes Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> well protected short par 3 and despite it being a pretty hole, you soon see a bit of an issue at this course - trees are encroaching - particularly with shots into greens. Later on there were also a couple of holes where fairway bunkers were half obscured by trees. Despite being a part-time environmentalist, I would dust off the chainsaw in this part of Belgium.

That’s really the only negative though. This is an engaging and picturesque course, with plenty of variety and a nice tumbling routing over the land. It seems to pull off a neat trick of having more downhill shots than uphill, despite not having lots of walking up to raised tees.

I preferred the more defined holes of the front 9 rather than the more spacious back 9. They did feel a bit different from each other, so it depends what you like.

I particularly enjoyed holes 5-7 on the front 9 and also enjoyed the 9th - lay up left of the heather or take the racing line towards the green? In his part of the <img src="/images/royal-fagnes-golf-course-review-ROFA006.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Royal Fagnes Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Royal Fagnes Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> world you may be tempted with the latter. Conditions were firm and fast so you could often use the contours of the ground when executing shots. And as we all know, that’s fun. The only hole that fell short for me was the 10th. As you cross the road to start the back 9, this 90 degree short par 4 dogleg right felt like one of those holes you shoe-horn onto a lesser property. Perhaps they could add interest by removing some trees on the inside to allow for a tempting view of the green.

Of the 3 Tom Simpson forest courses I’ve played, Royal Golf Club des Fagnes has perhaps a bit more interest than Royal Antwerp, but didn’t feel quite as regal as Hardelot Les Pins. I’d say it floats between a 4 & 5 ball rating. In the UK it might be a 4, but in Benelux a 5. Perhaps that’s the Sterling - Euro Golfing exchange rate for you.

Thanks to a flat car battery (members were very helpful), when we eventually picked up our pervert friend after the round he was quite wrinkled. With the benefit of his hindsight, if the Spa down the road was not in Spa, we may have chosen an alternative option for our day’s entertainment. But as it was we certainly didn’t regret our decision to play Golf

Making my way over to Waverley Country Club directly after an 11 hour flight from Europe was not ideal preparation. Although I did manage to watch Caddyshack in the plane and I hoped this may have provided some insights.

The first thing you notice as your confused Uber driver brings you through the gates and along the winding drive are the immaculate conditioning, the charming southern-style clubhouse, and the beautiful setting alongside the glistening Willamette river. Quite a first impression.

After being introduced to our caddies, <img src="/images/waverley-country-club-golf-course-review-WAVR002.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Waverley Country Club Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Waverley Country Club Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> we were immediately away at the first, a short right doglegging Par 4. After narrowing missing the green left, I noticed one of the great features of this course - short grass and the wonderfully tilted greens. It’s a classic gentle handshake. At the second you are introduced to another key feature of this course - the regular elevation changes of this undulating property. At the back of this green you have a graveyard that’s very much in play, where OB presumably stands for Obituary for your score should you hit it in there.

After a few holes of confusing my caddy (the habit of carrying my own bag is clearly a hard one to break), my mind was already made up: Waverley Country Club is by far the best parkland course I’ve played. The conditioning and views are great, but the strategy and playability are abundant. Short grass and clever bunkering everywhere. It takes some getting used to the fact it plays firm and fast - it’s deceptive, but you can run balls into these greens if you want. Sometimes it’s the best option. The greens themselves are not tricked up in any way, but they are quick, true, and at times severely sloping. If you’re not close, a 2 putt is often the best you can hope for. This adds up to a fun challenge.

Since Gil Hanse got involved with some restoration <img src="/images/waverley-country-club-golf-course-review-WAVR007.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Waverley Country Club Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Waverley Country Club Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> work, they’ve cleared out many trees and this gives the course a feeling of space and opens up views everywhere. It’s quite a big property in this sense and only the narrow 5th felt a little cramped. This space also makes it quite forgiving off the tee for weaker players. However, the greens and playing angles keep good players honest. Thus a perfect playability balance is achieved.

I had several favourite holes - with a beautifully framed tee shot and then challenging second up into the raised green, the 3rd is a complete joy and pleasure. The set of 5 Par 3’s are excellent, with perhaps 11 & 16 being my favourites. Trying to work out where to layup to on the Par 5 13th is a good puzzle (and one that I failed to solve). The vistas as you tee off at 16 & 17 are suggestive of Loch Lomond.

For me this is a very strong 5 ball, but it gets top marks because between the original designer Chandler Egan and Gil Hanse’s recent work, I think they have made the absolute most of the site. Which reminds you that some links courses can be a bit design lazy because of the great land they occupy, and it’s perhaps harder to paper over the cracks at a parkland venue. Waverley also has all the trappings of an exclusive US Country club, which on this occasion was a pleasing novelty for me that enhanced the experience. And then there’s the Waverley Cooler that must be sampled while out in the course. It’s just very cool to play a parkland course this good. My caddy was actually working here in part to win a college scholarship, but that is where the similarities to the Caddyshack parody ended: This was both serious Golf and serious fun, and it was hard to find fault.

Only 3 reviews? I’d better write something then. Played here in late July 2014, so not seen the recent bunker renovation mentioned below. Funnily enough some of them were a bit tired though.
Houthalen is a lovely course and I enjoyed it greatly. I think this was one of those rushed rounds during a family <img src="/images/royal-limburg-golf-course-review-ROLM021.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Royal Limburg Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Royal Limburg Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> holiday where I popped out for some milk and came back 18 holes later (without milk).
The few open holes following the tree-lined ones work well, good variety throughout, good atmosphere around the place, and it was a bonus to play it during a purple patch. Probably wise to time your visit for August if possible.
I did slightly prefer it to Royal Zoute, but not that much in it. Well worth a visit and not too far from The Eindhovensche just over the border if you want to pair it up with another track.
One highlight to rival the course though was getting paired up with Romelu Lukaku’s father-in-law on the back 9. This was the same weekend that Lukaku has flown over to be introduced to the crowd at Goodison Park as a new signing during a pre-season friendly. And I’m an Everton fan. What are the chances?

If Trump International Golf Links Scotland was an intimate relationship, it probably would be a one night stand. A stormy affair with an adult film star perhaps. You might not be in it for the long term and it might cause some embarrassment after playing around. But what an experience!

The analogy stops here for me because while this place is <img src="/images/trump-international-golf-course-review-TRUT059.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Trump International Golf Links - Photo by reviewer" title="Trump International Golf Links - Photo by reviewer"> visually stunning all the way around, it doesn’t lack substance and so doesn’t get a Dumb Blonde award from me. The land and routing is great, but I also found variety, depth, and even had several interesting strategic conversations with the course. Okay, now the analogy stops, I promise.

The course has very good par 3’s, variety in the Par 4’s (including a couple of good short ones), and despite what seemed like a monotonous routing, played with a variety of wind directions. There’s lots of raised tees here that really make the most of the land, functioning much like a push-up bra to give instant gratification throughout. A cheap ploy perhaps. There’s added potential here as it’s a young course where they can tweak things in the coming years. Couple this with a naturally maturing/drying course, and it should continue to improve.

A course like this is perhaps a swing vote that could go <img src="/images/trump-international-golf-course-review-TRUT060.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Trump International Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Trump International Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> either way. It gets my endorsement - partly because of how it sets expectations beforehand. You see marketing slogans like “Set in The Great Dunes of Scotland”, and would be forgiven for rolling your eyes. But then the course delivers a pleasant surprise. If I compare this to the other modern links I’ve visited so far in 2018 (The European Cub), Trump International blurs the perceived lines between Golfing kitsch and understated quality more than you might think.

Accept this place for what it is - a one off destination course - and simply enjoy. You can then forgive a few design elements - some of the bunkering seemed superfluous, the par 5 10th I think has a weird second second fairway that would never be an option, and we often seemed to be hitting up into raised greens. Despite this, I thought it was Great (with a capital Great Dunes) and to contradict myself, it’s not just a one-time affair and I’d love to go back.

My first trip to Cruden Bay was pretty much like a pilgrimage. A heavily anticipated visit to a course I knew I could fall for. Still, good to calm down and reserve judgement until after your round...

After a quick warm up on the 9 hole St Olaf (worth playing), you get away at a fairly innocuous 1st. Bit like Dornoch in that it’s quite a low key. Things start to get more interesting at the 3rd, where you can probably drive the green on this blind drive.

And then you get to the 4th, which is the start of a very good run. This hole alone almost makes it worth the trip. A wonderfully framed and challenging hole in a postcard setting.

Another highlight on the front 9 was the par 5 6th - surely one of the best I’ve played. The 2nd shot into hole 7 was also fun - if your angle of attack isn’t ideal (mine wasn’t) going for the raised green guarded by two sentinel dunes was intimidating.

Wasn’t sure what to make of the 8th. It felt too easy to <img src="/images/cruden-bay-golf-course-review-CRUD064.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Cruden Bay Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Cruden Bay Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> par as, even as a bogey Golfer, I didn’t play it particularly well. Perhaps it’s a half par hole. It does have a very nice view looking back to the tee from the back of the green.

As we made the difficult walk up to the 9th tee, something interesting happened: a dense and all encompassing sea fog - later learned it’s called a Haar- enveloped the land within just a few minutes. What would likely have been a spectacular view - where the golf course and full glory of Cruden Bay revealed itself before us - became instead like an erie scene from The Hound Of The Baskervilles. We could not see more that 50 yards ahead of us.

We waited for around 10 minutes, didn’t get any siren, so proceeded to play the next 5 holes completely blind, guessing direction from the course planner. Fortunately the holes ahead of us were completely empty, otherwise we would have had to walk in. The fog eventually disappeared just as quickly as it had arrived when we reached the 14th tee. Which was fortunate as I loved this uphill hole that culminates with the famous bathtub/swimming pool green. The anticipation as you hit into it is a simple golfing pleasure (albeit slightly diminished for me as it was a chip with my 3rd shot).

2 fun par 3’s follow - I preferred the semi-hidden 16th compared to the completely obscured 15th. The 17th has interest due to the odd mound in the middle of the fairway, and hole 18 was largely forgettable (i.e. I actually can’t remember it).

The routing at Cruden Bay was an excellent walk and I think some of the courses’s quirky holes are necessitated by making the best routing of this idiosyncratic landscape. It is an inspired compromise and reminded me a little of St Enodoc in this respect. The closing holes here are not up to the level of its Cornish Cousin though.

It was pleasure to play at Cruden Bay and I will be back, especially as there’s plenty of other great golf in the vicinity to fill up a golf weekend. As much as I’d like to, I can’t give it top marks because I didn’t see a fair portion of the course. And for the holes I could fully experience, there were a few weaker ones. I did experience enough though to determine that this is the real deal - a true bucket list course that hit several sweet spots for me and one you will also enjoy playing. Just cross your fingers for some decent weather.

If Portmarnock was an intimate relationship, it probably wouldn’t be a one night stand. It’s not a thrilling one-off encounter with a piece of Eye-Candy. No Dumb Blonde or Derek Zoolander. It’s quite flat with few enticing voluptuous dunes. Yet it won’t impair your judgment or embarrass you afterwards. It reveals its charms slowly but surely. A tough <img src="/images/portmarnock-championship-golf-course-review-PORO113.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Portmarnock (Championship) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Portmarnock (Championship) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> nut to crack, but a partner that you would happily play a round with for the rest of your life. This was the conclusion I came too after being wooed by the subtlety of this place.
The opening holes are nothing too special - they even feel slightly similar - yet as they bend around the bay, they reveal their qualities and you are already starting to fall for the course. Bunkering is always in the right spots to create optimum playing angles. The 4th would be the pick of this initial bunch, although the opener is also good. A change of direction at the 5th brings a blind tee shot and some dunes. The first short hole at the 7th is a quality one and the 9th is a nice finish to the well routed opening holes (despite feeling anti-clockwise, I think they visited most points of the compass).
Another nice par 4 at 10, and then a great green site for the <img src="/images/portmarnock-championship-golf-course-review-PORO114.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Portmarnock (Championship) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Portmarnock (Championship) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> short 12th, my favourite Par 3 on the course. The 14th was another very good par 4 (Portmarnock is full of them), probably the best in fact, and then you get to the short 15th. My playing partner was actually in the same position as Mickelson in the Walker Cup (albeit playing his 3rd after flying out of the right hand bunker with his 2nd). It did admittedly seem less intimidating than on TV. After reminding him of history, he quickly ruled out the bump & run, and followed Phil’s example by getting up and down with a suicidal flop shot.
I felt the course tailed off slightly at 16 & 17 (although it could have been wind fatigue by then and my game was also beginning to stink), but raised itself again with a great shot into a raised natural grandstand <img src="/images/portmarnock-championship-golf-course-review-PORO116.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Portmarnock (Championship) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Portmarnock (Championship) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> in front of the pretty clubhouse at three last.
The conditioning was very good for April, and was playing firm enough that we had to run our shots into many greens. Trying to hold them with our average ball-striking was reminiscent of Dornoch at times. The rough was relatively friendly, though I imagine it might be very different later in the season. The hospitality from the staff was welcoming, relaxed, and down to earth. It was the friendliest place we played on our trip and so a pleasant surprise given some comments I’ve read.
Portmarnock might well be the least extravagant course I ever give a 6 ball to, but it oozes quality and slow burning fun. I’d go so far to say it’s a class act that makes other courses feel a little cheap and dirty. Portmarnock is a keeper and an experience I’d never get tired of

Some of the features on show here - 120 yard green at the 12th, horseshoe green at the 13th, sleepered bunkers, conspicuous burn protecting the 18th green - could split opinion, but don’t. Almost all reviewers on this site (and elsewhere) seem to greatly enjoy them and so I’ll have to swim against the tide on this one (and have a long hard look at myself in the mirror). I simply found it a little contrived in forcing quirkiness or seeking authenticity. Based on my limited experience, I didn’t feel this at other modern links like Castle Stuart or Pacific Dunes (I did admittedly get it at Trump International, but there it kind of fit in with my POTUS expectations and genuinely worked).It was a shame to have to play the course the wrong way around due to frost delays. Like starting a book from half way, getting to the end, and then going back to read the first half. The routing was quite deliberate, so it felt we got our peaks too early in the round. On a more positive note, I did enjoy the movement of the land, the sea views, and the banter with the starter was first class.I had made a special trip to play here, so perhaps it was just the mood on the day or not enough Guinness the night before. It possibly didn’t help playing the same weekend as Portmarnock.I’m still glad I made the visit though and if you haven’t played it yet, by general consensus, you should pay a visit - you will have noticed by now that you’ll rarely see anything other than a glowing review. Whilst The European Club is clearly not a marmite course for anyone else, it simply wasn’t my cup of tea

As a William coming over from Holland to play Golf on the banks of the River Boyne, I was a little curious as to the welcome I would receive at County Louth.
This is a quality links that routes through both the flat and dunes. The green sites in particular were great - framing nice shots in <img src="/images/county-louth-golf-course-review-COLO066.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="County Louth Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="County Louth Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> and giving interest in getting up and down when I inevitably missed in regulation. The first 3 Par 3’s were excellent and the fourth potentially so (as it looked like they were building a new green next to the current one). The variety on offer at Baltray is more than sufficient, with a good short par 4 at the 3rd and various long and short fun challenges to follow. It’s obviously a good test too, as they’ve held the Irish Open at County Louth in relatively recent years (Shane Lowry won here in 2009 - as an amateur!).
The routing was a bit confusing to a first time visitor, but at least ensured the course played in all directions. The holes through the dunes nearer the sea were most exciting (12-14 I think), but the flatter holes are no less interesting due to gentle movement of the land, well positioned bunkers, and the aforementioned quality green sitings. I’d say the <img src="/images/county-louth-golf-course-review-COLO067.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="County Louth Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="County Louth Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> Tom Simpson routing made the best of the property on offer.
The course was fully open and the conditioning surprisingly good considering the snow in the area just 10 days earlier. €160 is too much for a peak season green fee - compare this to perhaps €90 at an admittedly more isolated track like St Enodoc - but €80 for County Louth up until the end of March is good value for a course that was very playable at that time.
As for the welcome we received (and considering I was also playing with a Rangers fan from Belfast) there was no cause for concern. Informal, friendly, and a “proper” club atmosphere. For me this course was a lot of fun, a solid 5 ball, and one which I look forward to coming back to for another craic at it

When you stand on the first tee at Royal North Devon overlooking the flat expanse of the Northam Burrows, you could be forgiven for wondering where the golf course is. It takes a couple of rounds for the holes to come into focus, and then perhaps a few more before the strategy reveals itself. Westward Ho! brings to mind the first time I listened to the incomparable Miles Davis’s “Kind of Blue”: What on earth is this noise?, I thought.RND is occasionally so wide off the tee that an agoraphobe may be tempted to rush off back to the Clubhouse. This of course gives you options and forgiveness in equal measure. Everyone can usually get a ball in play but get out of position and you can’t really get at the greens. Enjoyable for all levels? Check.<img src="/images/Royal-North-Devon-5th.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Royal North Devon 5th hole" title="Royal North Devon 5th hole">The holes route in various directions across the Burrows, exploring the wind from different angles. If you were taking your dog out for a walk, following the golf course might be the path you’d take. As this is common land, you do share your sport with cattle and the occasional horse. Last time I played we had to chase sheep off the 5th green as they curiously inspecting the cup. I even hit one here once, which stopped my shot running into trouble. There’s lot of great golf between holes 4-16 (with perhaps just the short Par 5 at 13 being a little disappointing). There’s variety on almost every hole.RND is fairly unique and that’s always a good thing when there are so many copy & paste courses around. Where else might you have to amputate part of your thumb due to an unfortunate encounter with a Great Sea Rush? That’s risk & reward. By some common definitions it is limited. Conditioning it not great and I’d update many of the bunkers. But I don’t think you’d ever want to change it too much because it would lose something. It’s about the best course it can be and it is what it is: a brilliant relic that remains relevant. Sure, it’s a charming “experience” (antiquity, animals, wind, quirk, clubhouse full of hickory sticks, etc), but it’s also a very good golf course that continues to challenge and entertain 154 years later.You probably need to judge Westward Ho! for what it is and not what it isn’t, and bear it mind that it’s no instant one hit wonder. It may take repeat plays before it fully comes together in harmony, but is all the more rewarding for that. And that’s RND in a rather large coconut shell: More Miles Davis - and less of The Wurzels - than I initially could have hoped for.

Back in May 2017 I'd arranged a romantic short Spa break in Polzeath. In a fortuitous coincidence, it was just a few kilometers from <img src="/images/st-enodoc-church-golf-course-review-STEN078.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="St Enodoc (Church) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="St Enodoc (Church) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> St Enodoc. What are the chances?
After a brief chat with Nick The Pro, I was stood on the first tee staring down the first fairway. Definitely the right stuff. Rumpled land, blind second shot, green falling away to the left, reveal of an ocean view. It also ticked the box as a gentle opener.
What followed in the ensuing lovely walk around the property can probably best be described as good quality, great variety, with a healthy dose of quirk. The setting adds significantly to the experience as the <img src="/images/st-enodoc-church-golf-course-review-STEN082.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="St Enodoc (Church) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="St Enodoc (Church) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> routing revealed the sea views several times in the round from different angles and elevations, before a full disclosure at the 16th & 17th.
I enjoyed so many of these challenging holes. They all seemed different to each other and each had some kind of memorable feature (blind second at first, raised green second, wall on third, OB on four, massive dune on six, church hole, etc) that it held my attention all the way around.
For me only the Par 3 11th and Par 4 12th saw the interest drop off, but then it ramped back up as you approached the excellent final three holes.
I'm apparently infamous for my lack of observational skills <img src="/images/st-enodoc-church-golf-course-review-STEN084.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="St Enodoc (Church) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="St Enodoc (Church) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> in general (so do take my course reviews with a pinch of salt), but in the case of St Enodoc, I can clearly remember every hole after playing it just once. That left quite an impression with me (if you pardon the pun).
At risk of over-rating this course by the standards of some, it was such an interesting and enjoyable round, it gets top marks from me. St Enodoc is like The Clash's London Calling album: a swirling melting pot of variety that may be not be to everyone's taste, but for others it emerges whole from the stewing maelstrom as a genuine classic. BB

It was the day after The Open and we'd decided to have a quick round somewhere locally prior to heading back home. We had our preferences but most of them were understandably full and West Lancashire wasn't our first choice. Their regular green-fee also seemed a little steep at £95. Still, it is priced relative to the other local offerings and we were nevertheless looking forward to playing.We pulled into the car park after the short drive down from Southport and it felt like we'd pulled up at my son's football club. It's always a minor shame when a course is Victorian and the clubhouse feels post-Beatles.The 1st is a reasonable opener to get you away: Easy enough to reach the angle of the dogleg to open up the green. I did this, but only by almost going OB to the left. The second hole was a stiffer test - a longer Par 4 straight into the wind. Interesting bunkers in the middle of the fairway. I was happy to find one of them with a decent hit in that wind. No chance of getting in in two from there (which saved any further embarrassment).Next up was the first Par 3, a good downhill hit with trouble on all sides. I found all of the short holes to offer good variety and well-framed shots. If being ultra-fussy, you might say that 3 of them play in the same direction.One highlight on the front 9 was the 5th - a nice driving hole where you ideally need to hit a draw to avoid the left sided bunkers and stay on the fairway that slopes left to right. The Par 3 6th is a bit like a mini version the 6th at Royal Dornoch.The 12th is a brilliant elevated Par 3 that made me feel like I was in the dunes at Royal Hague. Probably my favourite hole. I also enjoyed the drives at the Par 4 13th and the 14th - one a nice vista and the other blind. The links character changes here slightly (if my memory serves me correct), and this quieter spot on the course feels like it must be West Lancs's Amen Corner (sorry, had to throw in a cliche there). The Par 3 then Par 4 finish were also a nice way to finish the round.I enjoyed the routing of 2 symmetrical loops of 9 - clockwise then anti-clockwise - that both end up at the clubhouse. On the day I felt the rough was too long - lost a couple of balls on the front 9 despite my eagle-eyes seeing the ball come down - and it's a shame you don't really get any sea views on the course. Having said this West Lancashire is proper links stuff though, where most of the challenge is clearly laid out in front of you on clearly defined holes. The key is to avoid the rough in all that wind. The course delivers lots of quality golf with a regular consistency, and although there was no real peaks of thrilling holes, we enjoyed the challenge and authenticity. Happy to go back there at some point to look for those balls I lost. BB

Royal Dornoch is clearly considered a very good golf course, but does it deserve the reverence it receives? Well, I was looking forward to forming an opinion.
Shortly after arrival I noticed a paradox between what is a fairly "normal" club golf set-up and the coaches full of Golfing tourists arriving to play it. Facilities are basic but adequate, whereas the pro/gift shop is fairly comprehensively stocked.
On to the first hole: Nothing special but very useful as a <img src="/images/royal-dornoch-championship-golf-course-review-RODO122.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Royal Dornoch (Championship) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Royal Dornoch (Championship) Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> good getaway hole. The second hole: Again, nothing breathtaking, but an interesting raised green with trouble on (I think it was) three sides. An early taste of things to come I assumed. Then it all becomes a bit clearer from the third tee as the course then opens up before you. That was more like it.
Holes 3-6 were great and our group enjoyed both the views on offer and the shots into and around the greens. Think hole seven was a bit ordinary before reaching the turn with the dogleg left Par 4 eighth. The anticipation as you walk to the precipice to see where your ball has ended up was great. Highlights for me on the back 9 were driving onto the beach at 11 (always satisfying to have a beach in play), and then 14 & 15 (I think), with the former being really difficult to hit the striking raised green in two with our relatively high handicaps and the latter a short par 4 where you have a decision to make with regards to the central dune that guards/obscures the green. The pace of play was pretty good - 3 hrs 45 mins for our 4 ball (with every hole loaded with 4 balls who presumably didn't know the course that well). Castle Stuart was a good 30-40 mins longer the previous day.
As we walked off of the 18th green and started unloading our gear, the group behind us holed out shortly after and then almost immediately jumped into two helicopters that had landed adjacent to the green. Possibly one of the oddest things I've seen on a golf course and not sure how normal this was, but another reminder of the contrast on offer at Dornoch. Real or imagined, it does make me feel there is a tangible "Disneyfication" to go with the Deification of Royal Dornoch. This took a little of the shine off the experience for me, but sure this places me in a minority. For better or worse, it's always difficult to distill the golf course essence and de-couple it from the total experience when offering up an opinion.
On the course itself: I'd say it is worth 5.5 balls. And on the assumption that it has been rounded up on occasion to a 6 ball, I'll round my review down to a 5 ball. Royal Dornoch apparently only has a handful of superior courses in the world, and despite not playing that many top tracks, I do find that at least mildly surprising. Will have to defer to those with more experience. Having said this, I did really enjoy the course - and it did more than enough to ensure I look forward to returning to see if I have undervalued it. BB

I guess the good thing about big budget modern projects on good land with nice views and top architects is that it's difficult to put a foot wrong. And they haven't here.
Course was perhaps a bit soft, but that could also be because it had rained a fair bit leading up to us playing there - rather than <img src="/images/castle-stuart-golf-course-review-CASS132.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Castle Stuart Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Castle Stuart Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> its relative youth. It definitely wasn't target golf though as there was plenty of room for creativity.
Played it twice and the second round was understandably more rewarding than the first as we had a better idea of the required strategy, especially with shots into the greens. And as the fairways are pretty generous, the course tends to give you enticing shots into the greens hole after hole. I could hit up into the 9th all day long.
Felt the course wanes a bit around holes 13 & 14, but otherwise the rest was very good.
Of the new links that I've played, I think it compares well with the likes of Bandon and Pacific Dunes, which is pretty high praise. A place I will return to.
A note on the advertised green frees: They were crazy high for October, I think £195. However, we also got a deal via Highland Golf Links for £329 for 3 rounds and 2 nights B&B. An excellent course at an excellent price is always a bonus. BB

The Dutch use their superlative "Gezellig" for describing many of the finer and intimate experiences in life. It doesn't translate that well (cosy?), but nevertheless applies perfectly to De Pan. It's lovely here.
The course has great variety, albeit a little on the short side for better players. It's quite like the Hilversumsche but has more movement in the land, rumpled fairways, and quirkiness.<img src="/images/utrecht-de-pan-golf-course-review-UTRE037.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Utrecht de Pan Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Utrecht de Pan Golf Course - Photo by reviewer"> Assume the land used to be a coastline back in the past or some kind of river valley, as there is sand and dunes everywhere.
Some drives are wide, some are narrow, some appear narrow but are not and vice-versa. Buy a strokesaver because it's pretty strategic and you also can't use driver in every hole.
Many of the holes are favourites, but I would call out the 6th - nothing like the big grin on face moment for our 3-ball of aiming at a cross on a tree as you hit blind over a dune into the green - and the back to back par fours at 16 & 17. All the Par three's are great. The course flows beautifully around the property and in truth I can't think of any bad holes.
Royal Hague is probably the best course in Holland, but this is my favourite.
If you're ever in the neighbourhood, in a land where a €60 green fee can get you utter rubbish on a regular basis, I'd definitely advise shelling out the €120 to play here - a relative bargain.
It's possibly not a 6-ball course but it's more than a 5-ball so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. Jim McCann also gave it 6 balls, so hopefully I'm on safe ground. BB

Is Brora the best course I've played? No. Is it the best Golf experience I've had? Possibly. Best livestock on a course? Yes.
The above cliches actually do the course a dis-service, <img src="/images/brora-golf-course-review-BROR063.jpg" alt="Brora Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Brora Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">because it's simply very good in its own right and not just a pleasant/surprising contrast to the track down the road that has helicopters landing next to the 18th green.
More than the sum of its already sufficient parts, my main takeaway was that if there are 99 courses in the U.K. & Ireland better than this, then I should probably move back to my Foggy Island. Really enjoyed my day here.
In short, and to return to the cliche: Brora is worth a trip to the back of beyond even if it wasn't for its illustrious neighbour. BB

Good balance to the course with holes of a consistently decent quality. Didn't like the Par 3 9th with a great big tree in front of the green, but liked many others. <img src="/images/rosendaelsche-golf-course-review-ROSE006.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Rosendaelsche Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Rosendaelsche Golf Course - Photo by reviewer">
 Holes that stick in the memory were the 13th with its tee shot down a valley and second shot back up the hill to a raised green that falls away to the left, and the postcard Par 3 16th. Can't decide if I prefer this one to the Hilversumsche, not much in it. This course is on a better piece of land, has a nicer routing, and slightly more fun, but Hilversum seems to have a bit more of something. Just not exactly sure what this is.
Perhaps it's a tie between the two - both are worth playing - and so Rosendaelsche definitely belongs to the elite group of Dutch courses. 4.5 balls rounded up to 5 for me. BB

The Haagsche offers a great combination of rugged beauty and challenge, and is situated in a significantly undulated and at times windy dune landscape that makes shot selection tricky. The conditioning is good and it offers true and deceptively tricky greens sited on perfect plateaus or nestled in hollows. If you miss them and end up in one of the run-offs, you can often have a tough shot trying to get near the hole, and in the back of your mind you won't want to risk chipping or putting off the green it's possible. For me, this is more interesting than heavy bunkering everywhere as you get to play different types of shot. In fact, it wasn't until I stood on the 13th tee that I realized I was looking at a fairway bunker for the first time! This raw piece of land doesn't really need them.The first hole is an easy birdie/par opportunity, but then the elevation changes and sloping fairways make holes 2 and 3 more challenging, The 4th is a lovely looking Par 3 where l I had no idea what to club but somehow managed to birdie. Good holes just continue to follow as you route your way back to the starter's hut. Loved the stroke index 1 Par 4, think it was hole 6. Faced with a drive looking straight at the dune, couldn't tell if the fairway went left or right. It goes right, and all the way up. Had to play it as a short par 5, and if you miss to the right you have some fun if the pin is on the same side. It's moments like that when I might start recording some video - hoping to capture some magic or disaster from my playing partner. The best stretch of holes that stick in the mind were possibly 13-15 that take you out to a corner of the property and then turn back for home. Found myself in a position on top of a dune beside the green on hole 13 and I wonder if any member has ever been there. Would have been better off with mountain climbing boots than golf spikes. On any number of other Dutch courses you'd be in water or out of bounds. Always nice to find your ball and have a chance, however ridiculous. The 18th is a nice closing hole, albeit a bit out of character with what has gone before - it's tree lined on both sides. Would perhaps also be nice if the green was pushed back a bit closer to the clubhouse for the finish, instead of the practice putting green. Minor complaints though.All in all the Haagsche is probably the best course I've played in Holland - it ticks slot of boxes - and although perhaps not my favourite, definitely deserving of its current ranking. The land really was perfect for a golf course and Colt made the most of it - the routing, design, and green sites are all very good. They are also not standing still - apparently making some changes to holes 17 and 18 this winter to add yet more challenge.If you are planning a visit, bear in mind you don't really get winter greenfees in Holland, and as it costs in the region of a cool €150 for 18 holes any day of the year, choose a nice summer's day when the conditioning and weather will be at its best. BB

Played here for the first time in October and my ultimate impression was that Hunstanton strikes a great balance between being a stringent and quirky links - often the challenge is there to see in front of you, but on other holes you are left with blind shots. The first hole is a nice getaway and shouldn't require too much warming up - drive over the large bunker and stay left - several bunkers running down the right hand side - and you're left with a simple enough shot into the green.<img src="/images/hunstanton-golf-course-review-HUNS045.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;" alt="Hunstanton Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Hunstanton Golf Course - Photo by reviewer">Several nice enough holes follow, before an interesting short Par 4 6th where it's all about the second shot as you shoot up to a narrow raised green.The par 3 7th with the huge bunker in front of the green and a strong tail wind was a lot of fun - it was difficult for us to stop the ball on the green.Things then toughened up for us from hole 11 as the course started playing into the (presumably prevailing) wind. At one point I think there were also 3 blind tee shots in a row. You either love them or hate them. The course then has a great finishing 3 holes. 16 is just a pretty well-bunkered Par 3, and 17 is a real challenge to get your Par 4 - a dogleg right to a fairway that cants from left to right. You then have a second shot to a plateau green that is either dead left or a challenging up and down if you miss to the right. The finish on 18 allows to you hit driver as well as you can, and then aim up towards the raised green in front of the clubhouse to finish.Hunstanton ticks off most of the links course checklist for me: It's natural land, windy (annoying but necessary), well-bunkered (enjoyed my playing partner finding them with ease), and has the odd blind shot. More importantly, it involves playing lots of fun shots from silly/challenging situations that stick in the memory. I just don't get this on the average parkland.The only small negative is that it doesn't have the sea views or impressive vistas of some links courses - but it's only a small one - it still has a lot to offer and was a great days golf - I look forward to coming back. For those who say combine it with Brancaster for a great day's golf, I'd say take the day rate and play 36 at Hunstanton one day and then 36 at Brancaster the next day (it's much better value that way, and twice the fun). BB

It's difficult to be completely objective with De Goyer as it's my home course in The Netherlands. I tend to look forward to playing other courses. There's a marriage analogy in here somewhere. Having played around 40 courses in this country, I would have to say it's definitely above average by the local standards, especially amongst the newer Dutch courses. The front 9 routes out clockwise along the outside of the property (don't got left) and the back 9 tends to route back anti-clockwise inside the front 9. The attractive US style clubhouse looks out over the 18th green.It opens with a perfect gentle getaway hole - a beautifully framed short dogleg Par 4. As long as you've loosened up a bit (which I never do) you should more often than not end up with a wedge into the interesting 2 tiered green. It immediately gets difficult at the Par 3 2nd though, where you need to hit a pretty straight long iron 190 yards or so. The 5th is the best Par 3 on the course as you hit over wasteland to a wide shallow green that slopes from back to front. Depending on the pin position and deceptive wind in this corner I find myself hitting anything from a wedge to a 6 iron on this hole.The course then has a tougher stretch from 6-8, before a less testing Par 4 9th with a friendly green that brings you back to the clubhouse. Highlights on the back 9 would be the Par 5 13th - a great hole that gives strategic options for both better and lesser players.Hole 15 is a short Par 4 that also gives options - drive over the central bunkers for an easier second shot, or plot your way around them and have a longer second shot. They've just introduced a new back tee on this hole which crosses the 7th fairway, lengthening the hole by 40 yards or so. Not sure what I think of it. Safety concerns aside (!), I liked the option of better players perhaps having the option to drive the green. The 16th hole is a weaker one for me as it doesn't give options off the tee and however good my drive is, the big tree in front of the green is seemingly always in my way!The 17th is also a bit unfair as you tend to have to play up the left side otherwise you can get blocked out by 2 big trees. However, I've played with people who have eagled it, so it's probably just me.The 18th is a nice hole to finish - hit my driver as hard as I can (only reached the water once), making sure to hit the fairway, and then hit your glory second shot with sand and water guarding the long green.Conditioning is not great all year round, so try to catch it around August and then you'll see it at it's best - quicker greens and long purple tinged grasses meaning you need to find the fairway. The €100 greenfee is possibly not great value (they're not too bothered about greenfee business and golf is already expensive here, so try to play with a member), but it is well worth playing if you're in the area for the likes of the Hilversumsche or Lage Vuursche. To come back to my marriage analogy: The grass is not always greener elsewhere and it is a pleasure to play the majority of my golf at De Goyer. BB

Really enjoyed playing here a couple of years ago. Didn't know anything about the course beforehand, so it was a pleasant surprise. One or two of the tree-lined holes would not be out of place at the Hilversumsche, and the greens were nice to putt on - not crazy undulations but interesting slopes to contend with. I also found it quite a tranquil place for a Sunday round - not sure if this is because it wasn't busy that day, or a sense of seclusion created by the routing. Perhaps a bit of both.The course is a bit let down by the newer holes - the continuity is interrupted - but they are still decent enough. Scrapes 4 balls for me and worth another visit. BB

Said to be the the only links course in Holland, presumably because you can see, hear, and feel the sea from a few of the tees. Domburg starts promising with a run of links-style holes that go out along the coast - a lovely view of a rumpled fairway on the opening tee shot, a blind shot on the second where you have the anticipation of where you might find your ball, and a fourth to a slightly angled fairway that reminded me of Gullane. The sixth starts coming back in and this is where my playing partner sliced <img src="/images/domburgsche-golf-course-review-DOMB001.jpg" alt="Domburgsche Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" title="Domburgsche Golf Course - Photo by reviewer" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px;">it into the road and straight into the bonnet of a car speeding along the adjacent road.
The quality of the holes from here drops off a bit, although the par 3 eighth has a nice green and you have another blind drive on the 8th. Didn't like the drive on the 7th with water on the right, it felt a bit out of place on the course.
Domburg suffers for me because it's just 9 holes - never as interesting as 18 varied holes of the same quality - and because I think it could do with a few more bunkers to provide strategy and define a few of the holes. Having said this, it's pretty, windy, has punishing rough, leaves you with some fun shots, and the opportunity to play a running game.
If you are looking for something linksy in Holland and have already played The Haagsche, Noordwijk, and The Kennemer, then perhaps try Domburg. BB

Lauswolt is a decent enough course and has some lovely holes. What lets it down is the quality contrast between the older Pennink nine and the newer nine. Some of the holes are fantastic and some are average. The routing does work well around the property and it's a nice walk. You begin with some of the older holes, go through the newer holes, and then come back to the older holes. This at least means you start and end with a good impression of the course. Worth playing again, but perhaps somewhere like De Gelpenberg in the area is a better example of mixing an old Pennink nine with a newer nine. BB

Nice course and great value. An inland links that is pleasantly rough around the edges. A good design with strategic options off of the tee and interesting green complexes that are alot of fun.Played in March in good weather- it will be a great challenge in summer with quicker green and some rough lining the fairways.Only negative is the routing - crossing some roads and long walks to some tees.Can't be many courses outside the "Oude Negen" that are better though- Holland needs more new courses like this! BB