On this page I share my most memorable golf trips and courses.
(My current handicap is 13,8 WHS.)
The Netherlands (my home country)
The Royal Hague Golf & Country Club
The Royal Hague Golf & Country Club is located in the beautiful dunes north of The Hague, part of the Hollandse Duinen National Park. This elegant club offers a challenging (Par 72) course paired with stunning scenery. There are no weak holes on the course, many of them are absolutely top shelf, and all of them are equally beautiful. Its many undulating sections, small greens, blind holes, and punishing shrubs and heather, will have you working hard for a good score. The dramatically undulated terrain results in virtually no level lies in the fairway and greens that slope off hard on the edges. As such, only 22 greenside bunkers and a lone fairway bunker are found on the course because nature did enough to provide a challenge to the golfer.
Urgent advice: Buy yourself the Course Guide! It is a real help and it’ll save you multiple shots.
Although the driving range is unfortunately still capped to 8-irons, there are plans to relocate it to allow for practice with longer clubs as well.
My favourite holes:
- Hole 3 begins by bridging a 150-meter-wide valley, followed by a dogleg. A mental game.
- Hole 4 is situated in a absolutely stunning and breathtaking scenery.
- Hole 6 (S.I. 1) requires a lot of technique and skill, with it’s tricky fairway and punishing scrubs.
- The second shot of hole 14, to the small uphill green, is a challenge for me. It seems to run off where ever my balls land.
- I think the tee shot at hole 15 looks absolutely fantastic, with a narrow fairway and an even narrower passage to the green, the first few meters of which slope back downhill.
- Completing the straight forward but narrow 18th, rewards you with a visit to the beautiful and hospitable clubhouse.
This Colt/Alison course might be the perfect hybrid links/park course. It has the wind, heather, scrubs, undulation and natural feel of a links course, but it also has the trees and layout of a park course.
In my honest opinion this is one of the best looking, designed and situated golf courses in Europe.
 Green Hole 4 |  Tee, Hole 1 |
 Deer on hole 12. |  Path up to Starters Cabin. |
Tespelduyn Golf Course
Tespelduyn Golf Course has a unique touristy feature: From mid-March to mid-May, the bulb fields surrounding this course are in full bloom! Tespelduijn is just a stone’s throw from the Keukenhof, a world-famous flower park, also known as the Garden of Europe, located in Lisse. It’s one of the largest flower gardens in the world and is especially known for the millions of spring-flowering bulbs, such as tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths, that can be admired there in the spring.
This 9-hole golf course isn’t the most difficult, but it has some nice features, amongst which is an 18 meter uphill hole and a tee at 23 meters above the fairway offering a fabulous view of the skylines of Amsterdam, Haarlem, Leiden and The Hague.
The restaurant, driving range and training facilities are all up to par!
Golf Course ‘De Hoge Dijk’, Amsterdam
‘De Hoge Dijk‘ is my home course and has 27 holes with some of the best greens around Amsterdam. It is designed by renowned Dutch course designer Joan Dudok van Heel. The Holendrecht and Bullewijk courses combined make up our 18 holes championship course (Par 71) with A-level status. Holendrecht being flat and open, Bullewijk is undulating and wooded. The third course, named Abcoude, offers nine par-3 en par-4 holes. These holes provide nice challenges to the novice golfer. All practice area’s are well maintained and have ample capacity to service all.
 Bullewijk Course |  Holendrecht Course |
 Driving Range |  Pitching Area |
Scotland
I played these courses over the course of a single week in 2025, during a very unusual Scottish heatwave. My visit to these beautiful Scottish courses provided me with a few specific insights. I’m sharing these experiences so you can benefit from them. (Based on my honest observations at the time of my visits.)
General Observations
Handicap: At none of the courses I’ve played, have I been asked for my handicap. I’ve been told it only matters in competitions.
Driving Ranges: These are a rarity, except on the best courses. However, almost all courses have putting greens and (usually worn, if not tattered) driving bays.
 St Andrews Links Golf Academy Driving Range, with the Old Course Hotel as ‘target’. |  A typical Driving Bay. |
Roads and Walking Pathways crossing the course: Many of the golf course had roads and paths beside them or crossing them. A footpath runs between Eden course and Old course at St. Andrews, where families with strollers walk. The marshal’s answer to my question about whether this is dangerous, was: “No, the paths are out of bounds.…..”
Clubs: Bring your own! It’s fair to say that renting out golf clubs isn’t part of most golf courses core business. Unlike St. Andrews, where I received a brand new set of Callaway Elyte rental clubs, most courses direct you to a closet or basement where their golf club boneyard is located.
 Callaway Elyte set |  A typical collection of outdated clubs for rent. |
Balls: Unless you’re using the most expensive balls from major brands, you might want to bring plenty of your own choice. Balls are relatively expensive and at many courses, they’re is only a limited selection available in packs of three.
St Andrews Links (Fife)
(The R&A is the ruling authority that decides rules of the game.)
The Eden course
While many consider the Eden course not the most difficult of the St. Andrews links courses, it does offer some significant challenges. The wind is obviously a factor, but parts of the course also follows the Eden Estuary laterally. It is certainly the most fun and has some amazing greens, especially on the front nine. It is 5715 meters with a par of 70 and is not heavily bunkered yet the challenge remains high. Many of the greens are more heavily contoured and you can have some really interesting putts. There are also some dramatic complex greens, none-more-so than the short eighth with a steep slope at the front. I didn’t care much for the stretch of holes from the 10th to the 15th but the final trio are a strong way to finish. (I played it 13 over par.)
The Jubilee Course
The Jubilee is probably the toughest course in St Andrews, it offers a typical links challenge with tight fairways, dunes, and gorse. It lies on the coast, and there are no shared fairways, no double greens and more changes in direction than you will find elsewhere in the town. It plays as a Par 72, and runs at just over 6000 meters. Being more exposed than its neighbours means that the front nine, which plays mainly with a helping wind, must generate a good score. Anywhere else in the world and the Jubilee would be a star attraction. In St Andrews it is tucked away and upstaged by its glamorous neighbours. It is an absolute must though, being a very enjoyable collection of holes. (I played it 16 over par.)
| (Unusual) Tee colours at St Andrews links: Black (similar to White tees): The longest and most challenging, often used by more advanced players and in tournaments. Blue (similar to Yellow tees): A middle-length option, often used by more experienced players. Green (similar to Blue tees): The shortest option, for beginners and those looking for a less challenging round. |
Boat of Garten Golf Club (Speyside)
Boat of Garten is one of the hidden gems of the Cairngorms! It’s a moorland course. The Spey river offers a spectacular setting and there is a real feeling of tranquillity here. This is a course that asks for finesse and accuracy rather than brute force as bushes, trees and rough are lining the fast rolling fairways. This is a pleasant, friendly and beautiful course, 5400 meters long, not very demanding or challenging. A nice experience. (I played it 13 over par.)
MacDonalds Spey Valley Golf Club (Speyside)
Spey Valley‘s signature hole is the fifth, the longest hole in Scotland at 581 meters. The back 9 has the more challenging and fantastic holes. Holes are generally very open and strategically placed trees are cunningly located on more than one fairway dogleg. Many of the tees are elevated. Stunning views to the mountains and the River Spey make this course a treat. The golf course is covered in good old Scottish heather making it hard to find stray balls and hit your ball from. This has a driving range and is a course I’d recommend playing. (I played it 23 over par……)
Carrbridge Golf Club (Speyside)
Carrbridge Golf Club is a shorter 9 holes course that offers a great golf experience. I paid using the honesty box. The course has been moulded around the natural contours of the land and so offers few man made hazards. There are many burns and there is water somewhere at every hole. What seemed to be a friendly village course proved to be a true treat of a golf course. (I played the 9 holes 3 over par.)
Grantown on Spey Golf Club (Speyside)
Grantown on Spey Golf Club is one of my two favourite Speyside golf courses. It has three different characteristics, all equally well maintained and fun to play:
- The first six holes are laid out on flat, open parkland.
- Holes 7 to 12 are routed through hilly woodland.
- The final six holes are played out over undulating parkland.
 Hole 16, ‘Wee Dunt’ |
Nice people, great course, different levels of difficulty and many types of challenges on the course. This course tests all the different aspects of your technique, whilst being a fun experience. A must! (I played it 15 over par.)
 Hole 9, ‘Murdie’s View’, a steep downhill par 3 hole. |  Hole 10, ‘Sandhills’, a blind hole. |
Kingussie Golf Club (Speyside)
Kingussie Golf Club is one of my two favourite Speyside golf courses. What a great course! Kingussie (“head of the pinewood” in Gaelic) offers upland terrain, with a couple of short climbs at the 4th and 8th holes. The holes do not have many specific hazards and greens are a delight to putt on, but: Every single hole demands a good first hit off the tee. Elevated tees and blind uphill holes are challenging. This, to me, is a course that you play either really well, or really bad, as a visiting player. It will be a memorable experience in any case. (I played it 25 over par. But I’ll do better next time! 🙂
Newtonmore Golf Club (Speyside)
Newtonmore Golf Club wasn’t the most challenging course on my trip, but I think this is an excellent course for higher handicap players, or those aiming to improve their handicap. The two opening and closing holes are laid out on undulating land in front of the clubhouse whereas holes 3 to 16 are routed on lower lying land alongside the banks of the River Spey. All eighteen holes are surrounded by sensational Highland scenery, which makes playing this course a beautiful experience. (I played it 9 over par.)
France & Italy
2024: Golf Club Claviere and the Montgenèvre International Golf Course
This partnership of the French The Montgenèvre International Golf Course and the Italian Golf Course Clavière, offers a unique opportunity to play a cross-border 18-hole international course from late May to late September. The combination of the two courses allows for diverse architectural designs and a variety of shot styles. They are located on the ‘Col de Montgenèvre’ above Briançon. Or if you drive via Oulx on the Italian side of the Frejus tunnel, it is called ‘Colle Bercia’ This is one of the highest courses in the Alps at 1860 meters.
Golf Course Clavière is a beautiful mountain course, situated on the banks of the Dora River, near the French border at an altitude of 1,800 meters. The stunning views and the varied and interesting course, which, despite its high altitude, offers a veritable river. There’s no shortage of risks. The 8, in particular, is called “Himalaja” because of the steep slope between two rock faces. It extends to Golf de Montgenèvre, a 9-hole course (Par 36) running between larch, pine forests and water obstacles. A hilly, airy offering with some interesting differences in height and wild and natural areas.
Due to it’s unique character and scenery, this is a course combination you’ll never forget!
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