Dutch Diary 2023 - #1 - The Links Valley - 3852 PT, Ermelo, Gelderland
The first day of my golf holidays habitually involve a red eye start, anxiety regarding the location of my passport :), check-in at stupid o'clock, followed by people watching at the boarding gate....
The most recent iteration commenced with familiar rhythm, like a pair of comfy old slippers…. despite Aer Lingus requiring me to pay for an additional bag, which I had already paid for, I was on my way… like a child on Christmas morning, into the great unknown of right hand driving (eek), where the cyclist is king and motorists need to have their head on a swivel.
The land of Van Gough, horticulture and people who look 20 years younger than their actual age, I was on an expositional trip - a holiday, with a smattering of unconscious, expositional content development and note taking. Fleeting thoughts and scribbles have been revisited over subsequent hours and days in order to fully soak in the glory and majesty of a truly exceptional golfing experience.
Schiphol - Ermelo
Beyond the barrier dune systems (both natural and man made), the tulip fields, drainage canals and green houses lies a surprising amount of nature reserve and forestry - it is here amongst the stately pines, cycle lanes and trampers that I eventually found The Links Valley, a delightfully reversible 9 hole course which is located 70 minutes east of Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport.
#Theory 101
Before we take a look at some specifics on The Links Valley, it might be useful to spare a thought for the reader and not assume that you know anything about reversible golf courses.
In essence a reversible golf course is a series of holes (the layout does not necessarily need to be 9/18….) that are designed/can be played in both a clockwise or anti-clockwise orientation - note that for obvious safety reasons all players must play in the same direction on any given day. The ideal site for a reversible course is a relatively flat one, where sight lines are relatively similar. Where trees exist, they should generally be located towards the boundaries of the property.
An interesting philosophical discussion for consideration, assuming your club has a relatively flat site and trees are mostly off the stage for play, is as follows, could we initiate one or two days where, for a bit of fun/variety, we might play our course in a different fashion i.e. the other way around?
Common responses to this question too often begin with a look of astonishment - followed up with queries related to handicap allowance calculation, slope rating and safety…… I would posit that golf and golfers often stay in our lanes too much, we could be accused of being too card and pencil focussed, too risk averse or reluctant to change…. my belief is that variety in golf is something that drives fun, enjoyment and exploration…. we might be missing a trick by not embracing it….. lets see how much additional ‘juice’ we might be able to extract from our particular ‘mud heaps’ (sic) with just a little more considered creativity.
Appendix
Exhibit #1
The Old Course at St. Andrews - historically a 22 hole layout - was originally played in the opposite direction to what is now considered the ‘correct routing’.
Old Tom Morris is attributed with the switch of playing direction in the 1870’s - annually the Links Trust reprises the reverse routing, unsurprisingly there is tremendous clammer, from near and far, to gain a coveted tee-time to play a relic from the past.
More information on this can be found in our great chat with historian, Roger McStravick in Episode #7 (http://firmandfastgolfpodcast.fireside.fm/7)
Exhibit #2
Rennaissance Golf Design’s The Loop at Forest Dunes Golf Club in Roscommon, Michigan. Friend of the pod Ally McIntosh played the course during a whistle stop tour of the USA in 2022 and has opined ‘it’s the most impressive golf course I’ve ever seen’. High praise from a Scotsman!
Forest Dunes is essentially home to 3 golf courses - The Forest Dunes Course, a 2002 Tom Weiskopf creation, The Loop Red and the Loop Black.
More information on The Loop can be gleaned from listening to course architect, Tom Doak, on The Fried Egg Podcast - link to the episode below
https://thefriedegg.com/fried-egg-podcast/the-yolk-with-doak-episode-10-the-loop/
Exhibit #3 - The Links Valley
Knowing the theory behind something and actually seeing the application of same can often be quite instructive. The Links Valley in Ermelo was my very first glimpse of an actual reversible golf course.
Frank Pont of Infinite Variety Golf Design, ably supported by CJW Golf Construction, have fashioned two modern inland links style courses (North & South) from a site that was initially a sand mine and then a landfill site. The course has been open since 2018 and is considered by most to be The Netherlands’ premier 9 hole course(s).
The Links Valley is routed initially through a depression that was once mined for sand, this depression is bordered by a hill. The hill and the intermittent methane flare points are the only evidence of the sites’ former use as a rubbish tip. Unseasonably good weather meant that the ground was firey with ground based options aplenty. Bouncey, bouncey, browned out goodness prevailed.
In culinary terms any good dégustation menu focusses on the careful, appreciative tasting of various foods, focusing on the gustatory system, the senses, high culinary art and good company. At The Links Valley, we have the golfing equivalent to the aforementioned - an unexpected inland links style course (that works), anticipation to see not only the hole that you are playing but sneak peaks of the ‘other routing’, a cerebral choice of format that entices you back to see the ‘other course’. Finally I was ably directed around the course by owner Mike Woltering… who was a tremendously gracious and welcoming host.
The course is not long, and as I found out on the rest of this trip, this does not detract from the playing experience. When paired with either the sumptuous surroundings of the clubhouse terrace and/or the Brasserie Restaurant - you cannot fail to enjoy what is a unique experience offered up in a pristine nature reserve.
The Links Valley is a semi-private operation, with member access predominating the tee-sheet, however, public play is possible, in a better than limited capacity. I cannot begin to express how much fun it is to play there…. and indeed how, now, some weeks later, I am yearning to return to experience the other course with great anticipation.
In conclusion
As we’ve seen with the recent staging of the US Open at LACC (a George Thomas original which utilises the related principal of A Course within a Course - more of that anon perhaps!). Variety is the spice of life - there simply needs to be more reversible courses and indeed courses within courses - this will drive more variety, more fun and more play - il faut!
It is a remarkable thing about golf courses that nearly every golfer has an affection for the particular mud heap on which he plays. It is probably largely due to associations: his friends play there, he knows the course and can probably do a lower score than elsewhere. He may perhaps also have pleasant recollections of the dollars he has won from his opponents.
It may not be a real course at all. There may be no interest or strategy about it; it simply gives him an opportunity for exercise and 'socking' a golf ball.
He is opposed to any alterations being made to it, but the time inevitably comes when he gets tired of golf, without knowing the reason why. Perhaps after spending a holiday on some good golf course he clamours for the reconstruction of his home course, or migrates elsewhere.
Dr. Alister MacKenzie - extract from The Spirit of St. Andrews