Kennemer: 2026 Access and Booking Update
Kennemer is the grand old name of Dutch golf, a Harry Colt dune links in the coastal dunes at Zandvoort that has hosted the national open more than any other course. With the KLM Open confirmed to return to the club in 2027, here is the 2026 picture on access, the layout and why this is the year to play it.
The news: the KLM Open returns to Kennemer in 2027
The headline for the club is tournament news. The KLM Open, the Dutch national open on the DP World Tour, will return to Kennemer in 2027, with Ruud Gullit again serving as tournament director. The 2026 edition is being staged away from the dunes, at The International near Amsterdam in early June, before the championship comes back to Zandvoort the following year.
For a visiting golfer that timing is useful to know. Playing Kennemer in 2026 means seeing the course in its everyday guise, before the grandstands and tournament setup arrive in 2027, and it sidesteps the access disruption that a host year inevitably brings. If you want to play the dunes course in a relatively normal season, 2026 is the window.
The course: Harry Colt in the dunes
Kennemer was founded in 1910 and its links was laid out by Harry Colt among the rolling coastal dunes, with a famous thatched clubhouse as its centerpiece. Today the club plays as 27 holes in three loops, the Van Hengel, Pennink and Colt nines, combined into par 72 eighteens of roughly 6,000 to 6,300 yards depending on the pairing. The Colt holes form the historic heart of the championship course.
This is genuine dune links golf of the old school, firm and rumpled, exposed to the North Sea wind and routed through tumbling sandhills rather than across flat reclaimed land. It has hosted the Dutch Open many times over the past century, and its blend of heritage, setting and Colt pedigree puts it among the best courses in continental Europe.
Access and green fees for 2026
Kennemer is a members club that welcomes visitors by prior arrangement, typically with a recognized handicap and outside the busiest member times. Tee times should be booked ahead, especially for the summer months and weekends, and a round here is usually combined with the other great Dutch coastal courses nearby.
Green fees move with season and demand, and the club publishes its 2026 rates directly. A recent reference put a round near 170 euros, but that figure shifts, so treat any number as indicative for 2026 and always confirm directly before booking. Book early for the May to September stretch, the prime window for dune links golf on the Dutch coast.
Our take
Our take is that Kennemer is the definitive Dutch golf experience and a links worthy of any continental European itinerary, a Colt design with a century of championship history and a setting that rewards the journey. The thatched clubhouse and the dune routing give it a character that few mainland courses match.
For 2026 the smart move is to play it before the KLM Open spotlight returns in 2027, booking ahead for the summer and pairing it with Noordwijkse and the other coastal clubs for a compact dune links week. Go for the heritage, the wind and the sandhills, and you come away understanding why this corner of the Netherlands punches so far above its weight in golf.
Plan your Netherlands golf trip
From a round at Kennemer to a full Dutch dune links week, tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge builds and costs the trip, with no obligation.
Questions
Is the KLM Open at Kennemer in 2026?
No. The 2026 KLM Open is being played at The International near Amsterdam in early June. The tournament returns to Kennemer in Zandvoort in 2027, with Ruud Gullit as tournament director, which makes 2026 a good year to play the course in its everyday setup.
Can visitors play Kennemer in 2026?
Yes. Kennemer is a members club that welcomes visitors by prior arrangement, usually with a recognized handicap and outside the busiest member times. Tee times should be booked well ahead for summer and weekends. It pairs naturally with the other great Dutch coastal courses.
Who designed Kennemer and what is the layout?
The links was laid out by Harry Colt after the club was founded in 1910. It now plays as 27 holes in three loops, the Van Hengel, Pennink and Colt nines, combined into par 72 eighteens of roughly 6,000 to 6,300 yards, with the Colt holes forming the historic championship heart.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts, tournament news and access verified June 2026 from club, tour and golf travel sources; conditions, access and green fees change, so always confirm directly before booking. Last reviewed June 2026.