56 - Noordwijkse Golfclub

Location: Noordwijk, Netherlands

Rating: 8.5

I was lucky enough to be invited by Joey, a member, and Leonard from Leading Courses to play here and was a delight to say the least. The drive up to the course builds the excitement, going through the forest and the dunes, it’s quite the spectacle.

There’s a lovely old clubhouse on the hill and you can get a glimpse of the see behind the dunes. You can also see much of the course from the bar which gives you an insight of the prospect that awaits.

The conditions on the day were horrendous to say the least, howling winds and rain on and off into your face but that didn’t dampen the spirits on what is a fantastic course. There’s a great mix of holes starting out more linksy then going up into a forest area and weaving in and out as you go along.

I think my favourite holes were the 2 par 5’s you play into the wind, 9th and 14th I believe. Both are brutal when the winds are strong and a real test of your character, it can be quite demoralising flushing an iron and seeing the ball hold up in the wind and almost start coming back on itself. Needless to say, I couldn’t recommend this course any higher and thanks to Leonard for arranging!