Five reasons you need to play ‘The Dutch’ at least once in your life!
Ready for your next golfing challenge? We dare you to play The Dutch. Game on.
KLM Open 2018 at The Dutch
Although the game of golf is known as a Scottish creation, it also had a strong early influence from The Netherlands. If you want to understand how that storyline has come full circle, you need to experience one of Europe’s top modern course,The Dutch, for yourself. This year’s KLM Open was held at The Dutch, an outstanding course that was built according to the highest European standards. As a corporate sponsor of the KLM Open we hold dear memories of the event and The Dutch and therefore we are sharing some of that enthusiasm with you.
Five reasons that make The Dutch a must-play European course:
1. The historic connection
When you think of the origins of golf, the natural links courses formed by the meeting of the ocean and the land in Scotland come to mind. The UK and The Netherlands are less than 200 miles apart on either side of the North Sea, so it makes sense that similar conditions could also be found in The Netherlands. Today, that means that the kind of links-style golf that is naturally associated with golf in Great Britain also has the potential to be created in The Netherlands. The Dutch came into being as the brainchild of four Dutch golf pros who aspired to create the same sort of links experience as found across the sea.
2. World class putting challenge
If you wanted to create a links course, who better to help you bring it to life than one of the most accomplished links players in the world? That was the reasoning behind bringing on Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie as course architect, in coordination with European Golf Design. The ambitions for The Dutch were lofty – ownership wanted a course that could contend to host the 2018 Ryder Cup, which was just played at Le Golf National outside of Paris. So while they didn’t land the Ryder Cup this time, golfers and visitors to The Netherlands did end up with a new world-class golf challenge in their own backyard. Montgomerie’s stated goal was to create the best greens in all of continental Europe, and ever since its opening in 2011, The Dutch aspires to live up to that standard every day. If you pride yourself on being a great putter, The Dutch is a test you don’t want to miss. A famous member of the club is Joost Luiten, who has improved his putting skills by practicing on The Dutch. Greens are kept around 11 on the stimpmeter in terms of speed and they are full of undulations and challenging potential pin positions Montgomerie created with tournament golf in mind.
3. The level of service
You are capable of playing a bad round of golf (and there’s really not much more disappointing of an experience as a player than getting psyched up to play a top course and then struggling.) But even if you are unfortunate enough not to bring your “A” game to The Dutch, the staff is going to make sure you have a great day at the golf course. Along with conditioning, service was another huge priority that was emphasized from the day the course was first conceived. The clubhouse has the look and feel of Scotland, and every amenity that you expect from a top-level club can be found at The Dutch. The idea was to create a course that not just specialized in golf, but also in developing an environment where those who mix business with golf are comfortable in both pursuits. From dining to locker rooms to relaxing, The Dutch delivers.
4. It’s a test made for the best
Colin Montgomerie does not apologize for making The Dutch demanding. Of course it has multiple sets of tees so you can choose a length appropriate for your game, but navigating the course was meant to challenge the best players in the world. It has done that each of the last three years as the site of the KLM Open on the European Tour. The gorse where many an Open Championship title hopes have been lost through the years is also plentiful on The Dutch, but so are the many waterways that most people would associate with The Netherlands. For instance, hole No. 11, with water in play off the tee left and then splitting the fairway and then a second water threat from a lake behind the green, was ranked the ninth-toughest scoring hole on the European Tour in 2017. Because the terrain of the country naturally tends to be flat, the design team moved a lot of dirt to create the humps and mounds so often associated with links golf. In short, The Dutch is not a golf course to be attacked but to be managed if you want to have a successful round.
5. The Dutch is a showcase of Dutch construction skills
Even though its location is inland, about 44 km from Rotterdam, The Dutch has true Dutch character – that is, it is located on former farmland that is a few feet below sea level. So while you may not appreciate it while you are actually playing The Dutch, it took a lot of work to create the contemporary-looking golf challenge that is all around you. The soil itself was not right for a links layout, so a substantial amount of dirt had to be brought in to create a top layer that was appropriate. The lowland qualities of the original property also required innovation, as new technology for golf was deployed. Air-filled concrete was put in place beneath the green complexes to ensure that over time there would be no sinking.
The Dutch is truly a one-of-a-kind course in The Netherlands, and as a corporate sponsor of the KLM Open, Duca del Cosma is proud to say we love the course!
Picture taken during the Dutch during the KLM Open of 2018 at The Dutch
About Duca del Cosma
Duca del Cosma is dedicated to developing golf shoe and apparel collections that are unique, comfortable and functional, featuring both Italian design flair and sports functionality. Originally founded in Italy by Baldovino Mattiazzo, Duca del Cosma is now headquartered in Vreeland in The Netherlands and is one of Europe’s most popular golf brands, with distributors located in over 20 countries. For more information or to access our online store, visit us at ducadelcosma.com.
