53 - Houtrak

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Rating: 7.6

One of the nicer courses I’ve played in close proximity to Amsterdam. Predominantly parkland course with a good amount of water scattered around the place. Plays pretty long (over 6,000 metres off the ‘men’s’ tees) and pretty challenging I’d say, there’s not a huge amount of room to miss fairways as you’re then in the trees with long approaches to greens.

My favourite hole would have to be the par 5 13th which is pretty straight but as you approach the green there’s a stream of water you have to clear to reach the green which is surrounded by trees. Really is a lovely picture and a thinking hole.

The club has a really good clubhouse and managed to catch up with one of their members afterwards for a drink and chat about golf. It has a bit more of a family feel than many of the other courses around Amsterdam. There are also really good facilities with a long driving range and several putting/chipping greens. I also played solo which can cause me problems with pace of play but had a couple of groups in front usher me through without second thought so kudos to the club for the courteousness of players without necessarily needing a marshal floating around.