Royal Hague, Hague Golf & Country Club golf course
Ranked · 8 courses · updated 2026

The Best Golf Courses in the Netherlands

The Dutch keep one of golf's best secrets: a string of Harry Colt era dunes links along the North Sea that rank among the finest in continental Europe, plus quiet inland heathland and a modern championship test. Here are the eight we rate most highly, ranked.

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By the GolfForKings editorial desk · How we rank · Last reviewed June 2026

Photograph: Hague Golf & Country Club, Chris van Eijk, via Google

How we chose them

The Netherlands is one of the great underrated golf countries in Europe, and the reason sits in the dunes. Along the North Sea coast, on sandy, free draining linksland, the architect Harry Colt and his partner Charles Alison laid out a clutch of courses in the early twentieth century that play firm, fast and true, and which restorers such as Frank Pont have since returned to their strategic best. These dunes links, led by Royal Hague, Kennemer and Noordwijkse, are the heart of any Dutch top list and rank with the best on the continent. Inland, the heathland courses near Utrecht and the Veluwe add a quieter, pine framed counterpoint.

We weighed design quality, conditioning, championship pedigree and how rewarding the round is for a travelling golfer, and we gave the historic dunes links their due while making room for the modern Bernardus, the Kyle Phillips course that has hosted the national open. Every fact here, from designers to host events, was checked at the time of writing, and where access is restricted we say so. The verdicts and the order are ours. If you want any of these built into a costed trip, that is what our concierge does.

The ranking

01

Royal Hague, Koninklijke Haagsche

Colt and Alison · founded 1893 · Frank Pont restoration

The number one course in the Netherlands and one of the very best in continental Europe, a dramatic dunes links weaving through towering sandhills near the North Sea coast at Wassenaar. The Colt and Alison design has been sympathetically restored by Frank Pont, leaving a course of remarkable restraint, barely two dozen bunkers and several holes with none at all, that defends itself with the dunes, the angles and the wind. Big elevation change and blind shots make it a thrilling, strategic test and a genuine bucket list round. An exclusive members club with limited visitor access.

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02

Kennemer Golf and Country Club

Harry Colt, 1928 · Zandvoort · Par 72

Harry Colt's 1928 dunes links near Zandvoort and Haarlem, a classic of the genre with sandy fairways, firm turf and a thatched clubhouse, expanded by Frank Pennink with a third nine in the 1980s. It has hosted the Dutch Open many times and offers some of the most authentic seaside golf on the continent, just minutes from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport. The 27 holes give a full day of links, and the welcome and conditioning are first class. Visitors are accepted by arrangement.

Plan a Dutch links trip

03

Noordwijkse Golf Club

Frank Pennink · dunes links

A club founded in 1915 whose present links, laid out by Frank Pennink, runs through the dunes and pine woods near Noordwijk on the North Sea. Compact greens, false fronts, pot bunkers and clever angles reward the thinking player, and the par 4 15th, doglegging around a towering sentinel dune, is one of the most memorable holes in Dutch golf. A regular Dutch Open venue and a fixture in any list of the country's best, with seaside firmness and the wind ever present.

Plan a Dutch links trip

04

Utrechtse Golf Club De Pan

Harry Colt, 1928 · Bosch en Duin · heathland

The finest inland course in the country and Harry Colt's Dutch heathland masterpiece, set among the sandy soil, heather and pines near Utrecht. Often called the Sunningdale of the Netherlands, De Pan plays firm and fast with the same heathland virtues, subtle, strategic and beautifully framed, that make the Surrey courses so admired. A quiet, traditional members club that offers a complete change of character from the coastal links and a worthy partner to them on a trip.

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05

Bernardus Golf

Kyle Phillips, 2018 · Cromvoirt

The country's modern championship course, a Kyle Phillips design that opened in 2018 near Den Bosch and quickly hosted the national open on the European Tour. Phillips, the architect of Kingsbarns, shaped a bold, sweeping inland layout with strong bunkering and a five star clubhouse and resort attached, giving the Netherlands a contemporary stay and play destination to set beside its historic links. The most openly accessible of the top courses through its resort, and a polished, big scale test.

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06

Hilversumsche Golf Club

Heathland · host of past Dutch Opens

A handsome heathland and woodland course on the sandy Gooi near Hilversum, founded in 1910 and a frequent host of the Dutch Open down the years. Pines, heather and firm fairways give it a classic inland feel, and its long tournament history and central location make it one of the most respected members clubs in the country. A fine inland round to pair with the coastal links or De Pan on a wider Dutch trip, welcoming visitors by arrangement.

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07

Eindhovensche Golf

Harry Colt, 1930 · heathland

Another Harry Colt design, this one a heathland and forest course laid out around 1930 near Eindhoven in the south of the country. Quiet, mature and beautifully wooded, it is a connoisseur's club with the strategic Colt qualities that run through the best Dutch courses, away from the coastal crowds. A worthwhile inclusion for anyone touring the southern Netherlands or pairing golf with Bernardus, and one of the most traditional members clubs in the country.

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08

Royal Golf Club Hattem

Veluwe woodland and heath

A charming, royal designated club on the wooded, sandy ground of the Veluwe in the east of the country, offering a peaceful heath and forest round well away from the coast. It rounds out a Dutch top list by showing the variety inland golf offers here, firm turf, heather and pine, and makes a pleasant stop for golfers exploring beyond the famous dunes links. A friendly members club that welcomes visitors by arrangement.

Plan a Dutch golf trip

Designers, founding years and host events verified June 2026. Several of these are private members clubs with limited visitor access. Course profiles are added across the site as the directory grows. Always confirm visitor access and fees directly before booking. Check tee time availability.

Play the best of the Netherlands

Tell us which of these are on your list, the dunes links, the heathland or both, and roughly when. One concierge arranges the access, tee times and base and costs the trip to the head, with no obligation.

Netherlands golf questions

What is the best golf course in the Netherlands?

Royal Hague, the Koninklijke Haagsche Golf and Country Club, is consistently rated the number one course in the Netherlands and one of the best in continental Europe, a Colt and Alison dunes links restored by Frank Pont. Kennemer and Noordwijkse complete the trio of great Dutch dunes links.

Does the Netherlands have links golf?

Yes, and it is the country's great strength. The North Sea coast holds a string of genuine dunes links on sandy, free draining ground, led by Royal Hague, Kennemer and Noordwijkse, that play firm and fast and rank among the finest links in continental Europe, all within easy reach of Amsterdam.

Can you play the top Dutch clubs as a visitor?

Most of the leading members clubs, including Kennemer, Noordwijkse, De Pan and Hilversumsche, take visitors on set days by prior arrangement, usually with a handicap certificate. Royal Hague is more restricted. Bernardus, run as a resort, is the most openly accessible. Always confirm access directly before booking.

When is the best time to play golf in the Netherlands?

May to September gives the warmest, driest weather and the longest days, with the dunes links at their firm, fast best in summer. The sandy soil drains well, so the courses stay playable across much of the year, but pack for North Sea wind and the odd shower at any time.

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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course designers, founding years and host events verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.