Hilversumsche

This delightful course, which winds its way though the woods and the forest, has played host to numerous Dutch Opens – twenty-eight between 1923 and 2012 – and it has just got even better. Kyle Phillips has recently remodeled Hilversum and stiffened it up for future generations, doing a fabulous job. This is a tight course by anyone’s standard and you will now need to hit it long as well as straight.

The course begins and ends with testing par fives and in between there are many fine holes, especially pairs of long par fours at the 3rd and 4th on the front nine and the 15th and 16th on the back nine. The par threes are all outstanding and – surprisingly for a championship course – three of these four short holes are less than 170 metres off the back tees.

The Dutch Open returned to Hilversumsche in 2010 following a four-year stretch at Kennemer Golf & Country Club. Martin Kaymer claimed the 2010 title during a stellar year that culminated in the German being crowned Europe’s Number One after winning four European Tour titles and his first Major at the US PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.

Sadly, the start of the 2011 Dutch Open at Hilversumsche Golf Club was delayed due to vandalism, when four greens were dug up the night before the start of the event. However, this didn't deter England’s Simon Dyson who won the title by one shot from compatriot David Lynn. This was Dyson’s third Dutch Open win and the result moved him into the World Top 30 for the first time in his career.

The following year, Peter Hanson won for the fifth time on the European Tour, taking the Dutch Open from nearest challengers Richie Ramsey and Pablo Larrazábal with an aggregate score of 266, 14 under par. He started the last round a shot off the lead but managed to sink a long-range eagle putt on the par five 18th to win the event by two strokes.