2K23 Season 2 Week 11: The Dutch Challenge
Apr 9, 2023 13:34:24 GMT
colly, charles56, and 2 more like this
Post by hammers1man on Apr 9, 2023 13:34:24 GMT
The Dutch Challenge
Holland (The Netherlands) has around 120 golf clubs and most are inland courses. Only a couple of them are seaside or links-type courses along the North Sea. Real 'links' does not exist because Holland does not have that type of landscape as they do in England, Scotland, Ireland etc. Holland has (mostly man made) dunes which protect the inland from floods when the North Sea becomes 'stormy'. After centuries of flooding the Dutch decided that enough was enough and since the late 16th century started building up the dunes into big protective walls of sand. Now, the country is safe (albeit beneath sealevel on the west side).
Designer Daniël Rommens is a Dutch journalist and golf insider who works for the Dutch Golf Association and who has a good understanding of the Dutch landscape and golfcourses situated in the Dutch dunes. These courses have become very special because these days, these types of courses could never be build with the strict environmental demands & restrictions the authorities would put up. Its just not possible anymore. But the ones that are still there remain and are a testament to great golfcourse design.
Again, there are only a few, but Rommens produced a beautiful composite design which does credit to all of them. The routing, the terrain, the colouring and the way he presents the course called 'Waddensea Golf Club' is just superb. The name 'Waddensea' refers to that part of the shoreline (the 'Wadden') which has been preserved as a nature reserve and is protected through the UNESCO World heritage and lies between the northern coast of Holland (and Germany and Denmark) and the Frysian Islands forming a shallow body of water with tidal flats and wetlands. It stretches from the Dutch town of Den Helder to Denmark.
The course winds its way through the Dutch Dunes and the sandy areas mostly take over the job of bunkers. The North Sea is never far away. So, although a fictional, this course does represent an excellent and realistic test which has a flavour of some UK links and Australian Sandbelt courses, but still has that distinct Dutch dunes look which is exclusive to these Dutch courses.
Charles
Holland (The Netherlands) has around 120 golf clubs and most are inland courses. Only a couple of them are seaside or links-type courses along the North Sea. Real 'links' does not exist because Holland does not have that type of landscape as they do in England, Scotland, Ireland etc. Holland has (mostly man made) dunes which protect the inland from floods when the North Sea becomes 'stormy'. After centuries of flooding the Dutch decided that enough was enough and since the late 16th century started building up the dunes into big protective walls of sand. Now, the country is safe (albeit beneath sealevel on the west side).
Designer Daniël Rommens is a Dutch journalist and golf insider who works for the Dutch Golf Association and who has a good understanding of the Dutch landscape and golfcourses situated in the Dutch dunes. These courses have become very special because these days, these types of courses could never be build with the strict environmental demands & restrictions the authorities would put up. Its just not possible anymore. But the ones that are still there remain and are a testament to great golfcourse design.
Again, there are only a few, but Rommens produced a beautiful composite design which does credit to all of them. The routing, the terrain, the colouring and the way he presents the course called 'Waddensea Golf Club' is just superb. The name 'Waddensea' refers to that part of the shoreline (the 'Wadden') which has been preserved as a nature reserve and is protected through the UNESCO World heritage and lies between the northern coast of Holland (and Germany and Denmark) and the Frysian Islands forming a shallow body of water with tidal flats and wetlands. It stretches from the Dutch town of Den Helder to Denmark.
The course winds its way through the Dutch Dunes and the sandy areas mostly take over the job of bunkers. The North Sea is never far away. So, although a fictional, this course does represent an excellent and realistic test which has a flavour of some UK links and Australian Sandbelt courses, but still has that distinct Dutch dunes look which is exclusive to these Dutch courses.
Charles
