My Golf story

Plantation Course Maui Hawaii

Golf — Another Accidental Passion

My wife Hélène and I started playing golf almost by accident. We had travelled to Carriacou in the Caribbean for a diving holiday. Carriacou, part of Grenada and the largest island of the Grenadines belonging to the country, is only about seven miles long and three miles wide at its broadest point. We stayed at the Silver Beach Resort, where there was a German dive centre called Tanki’s, and we had a wonderful time diving there.

Unfortunately, after all those dives and days in the seawater, I developed an infection in my left ear. When we subsequently travelled on to Barbados, where we had planned to do some more diving, the verdict was clear: no diving for me. As luck would have it, however, our resort had a golf course. With time on our hands, Hélène and I decided to take a golf lesson from the local professional. I can still hear him standing behind us, repeating his favourite instruction:

“Hit the grass! Hit the grass!”

Apparently, it worked. By the time we left Barbados, we had discovered another sport — and once again, we were hooked.Back home we joined our local golf club, De Merwelanden in Dordrecht, and began playing regularly at our home course, Crayestein. Golf soon became an important part of our leisure time. I became quite serious about the game and eventually reached a single-digit handicap of 7.8, something I was rather proud of.

Over the following years we played a great deal of golf, not only in the Netherlands but also during our travels. Hélène’s sister Marion lived in San Diego, California, where she taught art at Cuyamaca College in El Cajon, so we spent quite a few holidays with her. Naturally, the golf clubs came along. California offered an almost endless choice of courses, and we played many of them: Steele Canyon, Aviara, Temecula Creek, Redhawk, Castle Creek and San Luis Rey Downs, to name just a few. Later we also played several courses around Palm Springs and Desert Springs. Playing beneath the Californian sun, surrounded by mountains and desert landscapes, was quite a contrast to our familiar Dutch fairways.

But one of my most memorable rounds of golf took place somewhere far more unexpected. During a long journey through Namibia, Hélène and I happened to be in Swakopmund on my birthday. Unknown to me, she had arranged a surprise: 18 holes at Rossmund Golf Course. And what a place to play golf. The course lies in the Namib Desert, a few kilometres inland from Swakopmund, close to the usually dry bed of the Swakop River. Against the surrounding landscape of sand and desert, its green fairways seem almost unreal. With virtually no rainfall, keeping a golf course green there requires continuous irrigation, using treated water from Swakopmund. But what made Rossmund truly extraordinary was the wildlife. Springbok wandered across the course, birds gathered around the patches of green and water, and occasionally even an oryx could appear in the distance. It is difficult to imagine a more unusual setting for a round of golf.

Standing there with a golf club in my hands, surrounded by the Namib Desert, I remember thinking how extraordinary it was that something which had begun simply because I couldn’t go diving one day in Barbados had eventually brought us here.

From the coral reefs of Carriacou to the fairways of the Namib Desert — sometimes the best journeys begin entirely by accident.

Golf, Travel, Wine — and a Few Lost Balls

Over the years, golf became a regular part of our lives, both at home and during our holidays. We played several times in Portugal, particularly around Cascais and Estoril, with their beautiful landscapes and excellent courses. But the country to which we returned most often was France. We loved playing the courses in Normandy, including, appropriately enough, Omaha Beach Golf Club, overlooking a landscape so deeply connected with European history. But perhaps our most enjoyable French adventure was what we called our golf–gourmet–wine trip — three of our favourite pleasures combined into one journey.

We began in the Loire Valley, famous for its white wines, although we soon discovered that the reds of Saumur and Chinon deserved just as much attention. Between tastings and good meals, we played golf at Château des Sept Tours. From there we continued south towards Bordeaux, tasting some of the great wines for which the region is famous — and, often even more interestingly, discovering some of the lesser-known ones. Our journey then took us into the Dordogne, where we spent a week at Château des Vigiers, with its beautiful golf course set among vineyards, orchards and the rolling countryside of south-western France. It was a wonderful combination: golf during the day, good food in the evening and, naturally, a bottle of local wine on the table.

We had a marvellous time and inevitably gained a few pounds along the way — no pain, no gain! By the time we returned home, we had lost a few golf balls but compensated handsomely: the back of the car was loaded with foie gras, wine and champagne. Not a bad result for a golfing holiday. Our golf travels took us elsewhere as well. In 2006 and 2009 we played in Egypt, and we also discovered some beautiful mountain courses in Austria. Playing golf surrounded by Alpine scenery was yet another completely different experience. But one golfing day stands out in particular. On 29 August 2010, I had the opportunity to play the famous West Course at Wentworth, in Surrey, England.

Designed by the great golf-course architect Harry Colt, the West Course is one of those places where the history of the game seems to accompany you around every hole. For decades it has hosted some of the world’s finest golfers, and walking its fairways means following in the footsteps of legends such as Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros, Greg Norman, Nick Faldo, Ernie Els and Tiger Woods. For an amateur golfer, simply standing on those tees and playing those same fairways was something special. My score that day has become rather less important with the passing years — the fact that I played Wentworth has not.

Great Courses, Great MemoriesGreat Courses, Great MemoriesGreat Courses, Great Memories

In 2011, 2012 and 2015, I played several courses in California and on the Big Island of Hawaii. I was particularly fortunate to be invited to play the Arnold Palmer Private Course at PGA West in Palm Desert — a very special experience. In 2015, I also played the spectacular We-Ko-Pa Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, surrounded by the magnificent Sonoran Desert. And in 2016, there was another highlight: the amazing Plantation Course at Kapalua on Maui, Hawaii. For many years regarded as one of Hawaii’s finest golf courses, the Plantation Course is famous for its dramatic landscape, enormous elevation changes and spectacular views across the Pacific. It has also been the long-time home of the PGA TOUR’s season-opening tournament.

Looking back, I have been extraordinarily fortunate to play golf in so many different parts of the world — from the green fairways of Europe to the deserts of Namibia, California and Arizona, and the volcanic landscapes of Hawaii. Every course had its own character, but some of the greatest pleasure came simply from sharing those experiences with Hélène. I am 77 now and still play golf once or twice a week, although these days only on courses in the Netherlands. I still enjoy the game as much as ever: being outdoors, the company, and of course that occasional perfect shot that keeps every golfer coming back.

Sadly, because of health problems, Hélène is no longer able to join me on the golf course. After all those years of playing together — in the Netherlands and in so many wonderful places abroad — I miss having her beside me. But we still have all those memories of courses played, journeys made, good food and wine enjoyed, and more than a few golf balls lost along the way.

Golf gave us far more than a scorecard — it gave us years of travelling, adventure and wonderful memories together.

And I’ll end with a quotation from Paul Runyan that applies not only to golf, but perhaps to life as well:

“Don’t let the bad shots get to you. Don’t let yourself become angry.
The true scramblers are thick-skinned. And they always beat the whiners.”
— Paul Runyan, Golf Digest