Rosendaelsche

“Qui va droit ne manque” (“He who goes straight does not fail”), proclaims the motto on the crest of Rosendaelsche Golf Club. 

It’s a fitting challenge, as staying straight is imperative on this superbly manicured woodland course.

Located on the outskirts of Arnhem, Rosendaelsche is near the A12 motorway, yet the moment you arrive, you’re transported to a tranquil scene where a tumultuous history blends with modern ambition.

While the course itself is a comfortable walk, it is no pushover. 

Established in 1895, the club is believed to be the second-oldest golf club in the Netherlands. 

It was significantly updated in 2014, when two new holes were introduced, and the practice area was extended, ensuring it remains a contemporary test while honouring its roots.

On the final day of our week-long sojourn in the Netherlands, Mrs W and I were hosted by two members. 

We had been aching after the dramatic hills and hollows of Royal Hague the previous day, and the dunes of Texel and Kennemer before that. Rosendaelsche proved to be the perfect finale.

I have loved the Dutch since I was hosted on an exchange trip as a teenager. Everywhere we have been, we have been warmly welcomed. 

This visit was no exception. The jovial lady in the impressively stocked club shop was as on point as the team serving pre-game coffee and post-match lunch.

On the course, there was barely a blade of grass out of place.

Indeed, I quickly understood why picking and placing our balls was unnecessary—the fairway turf at Rosendaelsche was as good as anywhere. At the same time, the tees and greens were pristine, even in October.

Trees and heather are its primary defence, making it imperative to bear the club’s motto in mind. 

With an eye to course management, our host kept his long but often wayward driver in the bag. 

He duffed his tee shot, only to strike a hybrid 250 yards to about 15 feet—an incredible recovery. 

Behind the hole, sheep, borrowed from a nearby farm, were grazing and admirably keeping the grass down. 

Their corral is again close to play on the third, a testing par-four with a blind approach over a bank to a green that falls from left to right. Unfortunately, I overdid it and found the sand pin-high.

The tees at Rosendaelsche are graded in meters, and our hosts suggested we play off the 55s for a fun round rather than persecuting ourselves. 

This was beneficial on the longer holes, such as the par-four, stroke index one, fifth, where the drive is over a mound of heather. 

Mine was tight to the pine trees on the right, allowing me to knock onto the green and complete a par.

The newer sixth hole is a sublime par-three over a combination of sandy waste and heather that looks more threatening than it is because it hides the greener land around the target.

Our champagne moment came on the longest hole, the par-five eighth, which demands a carry over heather from the tee and clever play on its multi-level green. One of our hosts nailed an admirable birdie four.

Rosendaelsche’s par-threes are memorable, including the ninth with its green protected by a large tree about 20 yards short of the target. Even if the tee shot is long enough, bunkers and run-offs may prevent par.

My desire for quirky, short par-fours was sated on the 13th—a sharp dogleg with a fall-off toward trees for those who stray down the left. 

“If you go left, right or too long, you are dead,” warned one of our hosts as we approached the green perched on a hill. 

He was right. My pitch was only slightly awry, meaning I had to settle for bogey.

The run-in at Rosendaelsche is a test for anyone, and it proved my undoing after a promising round. 

The 15th is a par-five down an avenue of trees. I can attest that even decent hitting could result in the approach being blocked out by trees on the right. 

Hilariously, one host said he would show us what the professional had taught him—inevitably, his commentary led him to top the ball about 10 yards.

Match-plays will be won and lost on the 16th—a superb, short par-three from an elevated tee. 

The target is smaller than it initially seems, with those falling left potentially slipping into a large trap and those striking right finding heavy rough.

A ridge on the 17th looked far off, but our host made his second commentary error when he bet beer that he could not reach it. 

Inevitably, his driver, which had been on song all day, found the thick woods to the left of the par-five. 

I struck mine safely, but whacked my second into the forest down the left, and it took me two to get back on track. 

The green is tucked between two large bunkers, so my goose was cooked when I found the sand.

The final hole is an attractive, sharp dogleg, and I cut off too much of the corner, losing my ball after striking a tree. 

It was especially disappointing to finish so meekly on holes that deserved better.

However, my ire was softened by a lovely smoked salmon and mustard sandwich in Rosendaelsche’s splendid, modern clubhouse.