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- Golf
in the Netherlands is frustrating, satisfying, and annoying
, but above all it is fun !
If you come from a traditional golfing country such as the UK or USA
then quite a few things may surprise you.
The handicap system
can be frustrating. When you play against somebody with a 36+ handicap
you really know who the bandits are when they submit stableford scores
of 50 and above.
There
are proportionally
more lady players
than I have ever come across in the UK. Après golf tends to be much
of a cafe culture in the Netherlands.
- Golf
in the Netherlands has taken off in such a big way that is is almost impossible
to turn up unannounced at a course and expect to play. When you do get
the chance to play don't be surprised if when you expected to play
alone or with a mate you end up playing in a 4 ball. That
in itself is no bad thing because you will
meet lots of people all
sharing the same hobby. A
low handicapper may find themselves playing in the same flight as 3
high handicappers.
This
can lead to painfully slow rounds with the average time for a round
well in
excess of 5 hours.
Patience is the rule of the day here.
- Dress
etiquette on the golf course can vary a great deal. In the Netherlands
jeans do not carry the same stigma as they do in the UK, so
expect to see a more
relaxed dress code,
especially on the public (openbare) courses.
- So
what do we know about the dutch terrain ? well it is as flat as a
pancake. Great,
no problem then, all courses should be easy to play. Wrong answer. The
Netherlands is a country where a lot of the land lies at or just below
sea level.
Result;
courses throughout where nearly every hole will have a water
hazard attached. Because it is flat and with a large North Sea
coastline the wind
factor
comes in to play a great deal. Not taking the wind into consideration
can have disastrous consequences for your score card.
- How
much does it cost to play a round of golf ?. How long is a piece of
string? If i were to play at a local private club in
 Alkmaar
I could expect to play about 50 euros. At my local public course at Spaarnwoude
I could expect to play 24 euros. The average price for a round of golf
in 2005 is 32 euros.Most prices are roughly the same throughout the
country. Click
the Stats
button
to see some further stats.
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- The
Golfvaardigheidsbewijs - The golf proficiency pass
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The
golfvaardigsheidbewijs is known by all Dutch golfers as “The GVB”.
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Simply
translated it means “The Golf Proficiency Pass”. It was initiated
by
The Netherlands Golf federation (NGF)
in consultation with the Dutch government. Those persons in possession
of a GVB have acquired the basic principles and skills to practice the
game of golf. You can hit a ball straight over a reasonable distance;
you can chip a ball from approx 20 metres onto the green fairly close
to the pin. You can putt that ball and finally last but not least you
can follow and practice the playing and etiquette rules. You do not
need to be a member of a golf club to acquire your GVB pass. Your GVB
pass is valid for 1 January till 31 January of the following year, (13
months). You have the chance to renew you pass every year.
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The
GVB pass is generally required by anybody who comes to play golf in
the Netherlands over a period of time. You should not need to do this
is if you are on a visit to The Netherlands and intend to snatch a
round of golf or two. But, you must then have a Valid
Handicap Certificate
issued
by your own club or golfing federation. You would need to speak to the
club where you intend to play to know for sure what their booking
rules are.
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That’s
simple to answer. It is almost impossible to play golf in The
Netherlands without it. Nearly all clubs will ask to see your GVB when
you report for play. The only exceptions that I can think of may be
the odd municipal course or a “9
holer”.
I personally have always had to show my GVB.
If you have an official handicap then that is also recorded on
you GVB and is generally accepted as true by other golfers. It must
noted however that this may not be your present handicap but the
handicap registered when your pass was issued.
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Perhaps
one of the greatest benefits of having a GVB is that during the round
of golf you are automatically covered by third party
insurance. This
carries an overhead of 125 euros paid by you if you need to make a
claim. Having a GVB pass will also mean that the NGF’s very own
magazine “GolfNieuws”
will drop through your mailbox
four
times per year.
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- There
are basically two paths you can follow; one relatively simple and one
a little bit more complicated.
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·
Path
one
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If
you have acquired an official handicap certificate from you own golf
federation in another country then you can submit this certificate.
The NGF will, very much at their own discretion issue you a GVB.
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·
Path
Two
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If
you do not have an official handicap then you will have to follow the
route taken by most other golfers in the Netherlands.
It’s
Exam time!
Don’t
panic,
the process is very straightforward and along the way you will meet
other golfers, future golfing partners and become fully integrated
into the Dutch golfing world.
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- The
exam is split into three parts;
Theory, Golf technique and Proof of
Ability. They are relatively simple and should present no problem to
anybody with at least a basic golfing history. Not having that history
is also no problem because as a learner you will be shown and taught
the right way to interpret the rules and play the game. Your very
first step should be to contact a local golf club and ask them about a
GVB course. Language would definitely
not be a problem
as I have yet
to meet a pro or receptionist who does not speak English.
A quick cultural tip; you are in the Netherlands for an
extended period, otherwise you wouldn’t be interested in a GVB, so
hit them hard with your superior knowledge of the dutch language.
A
simple “Goeden Dag”
goes a long way in getting a very helpful
response.
- I
believe the cost for the exam is about 60 euros including playing
fees. You supply the balls! If for any unlikely reason you fail any
part of the exam then the retake costs are 10 euros for part 1, the
Theory and 35 euros for part 3, Proof of ability.
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- The
theory exam last 60 minutes, is written (multiple choice), and is over
the most common rules applicable in a round of golf.
It also includes question over etiquette and conduct in the
widest sense. You are not allowed to use a rulebook or any other
reference material during the exam.
- The
exam generally consists
5 questions
over conduct and etiquette and
15
questions
over the actual rules of play. You must answer 15 of the 20
questions correctly. If you do not pass this part 1 theory exam then
you will not be allowed to do the part 3 practical exam “Ability to
play golf”.
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-
a.
Tee
shots
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·
5
tee shots, generally straight and in the right direction
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·
Ladies
ought to be able to hit 4 shots at least 100 metres
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·
Men
ought to be able to hit 4 shots at least 120 metres
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b.
Approaches
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·
5
approaches from 20 metres and well outside the green
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·
At
least 4 shots should end up within 4 metres of the hole
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c.
Bunker
shots
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·
5
bunker shots from a greenside bunker. At least 3 balls must leave the
bunker and end up in the general direction of the green
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d.
Putting
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·
Putting
out in a maximum of 15 shots over 5 holes from a minimum starting
point of approx 8 metres from the hole. The same hole can be used bit
from 5 different directions.
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- Part3
Proof of Ability
- The
form of play is strokeplay. The test will be carried out over 4 holes
selected by the examiner. The minimum length of each hole must be 240
metres for ladies and 280 metres for men. The total score from 3 of
the 4 holes must not exceed 10 over par.
During the play
of the 4
holes the candidate will be monitored to see if they are playing
according to both the etiquette rules and the rules of play.
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- If
a candidate fails in one of sections above they will be entitled to
take a retry of that section. This must not occur within 4 weeks of
the original exam.
Success in the successful sections will remain valid for a
maximum of 1 year.
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To contact the owner of this domain, please email
.
I
would finally like to say that what you read here should
not
be taken
as gospel.
In translating and writing this I have attempted to get this information
over to you in as clear and concise a manner as possible.
My
command of the dutch language is not perfect.
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