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Utrecht de Pan, Netherlands |
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Utrechtse Golf Club de Pan
Amersfoortseweg 1
3735 LJ Bosch en Duin
Netherlands |  | Harry Colt |  | C.T.M. Renders |
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 | +31 (0)30 695 6427 |  | 10 km E of Utrecht |
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Golf Club Website
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 | Contact in advance - not at weekends |  | Mr R.P.G.L.M. Verbunt |
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Dating back to 1894, Utrechtse Golf Club de Pan is the second oldest golf club in the Netherlands – Haagsche is the oldest by just one year. Harry Colt designed Utrecht de Pan in 1929 and the course is set in delightful wooded seclusion.
A worldwide audience of golfers glimpsed the charms of this layout in 1967 during one of the “Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf” series of televised challenge matches when the course hosted a tie between Peter Thomson and Dave Marr.
Host to the Dutch Open on numerous occasions – the last was in 1982 which Paul Way won – Utrecht de Pan is a strategic and exacting layout which requires thought rather than muscle, especially during the homeward nine.
The course is laid out in classic English heathland style, dog legging through stands of pine, birch, oak and chestnut trees with memorable driving holes at the 6th, 7th and 10th where the tee shot is played over valleys of heather and sand. Many are surprised to find the terrain rises and falls as much as it does – particularly at the 6th where both tee shot and approach are played blind – and with no water in play, the main hazards to be avoided are the trees and the few well-positioned bunkers.
On returning to the clubhouse, with its steep thatched roof, there is a statue of Pan – the mythological Greek god – outside, playing his pipes. Hopefully, you will not have encountered him during your round as he is said to haunt the woods and fields, causing anxiety to those who pass through – hence the term panic attack. Actually, with a course as good as this, any worry you may have at the end is bound to have been caused by a below par performance, not by Pan! | |
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If the above course review article is not accurate, let us know by clicking here |
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 |  | | Average Reviewers Score: |  | | A few weeks ago I had the honor of playing De Pan which is The Netherlands answer to the great Heathland courses such as Sunningdale and Woodhall Spa of England and arguably among Harry Colt’s top masterpieces. I had the added pleasure of catching it on a sunny warm day and playing with two highly knowledgeable gentlemen. All the makings for a perfect day of golf!
De Pan has my vote as being the best members club of The Netherlands. In clarifying what I mean I would point towards the complete package it offers. The course has an excellent layout in a quiet forest setting, it’s compact and very easy to walk yet so many holes allow you a secluded feeling. The course is fair and relatively forgiving in comparison to other top courses in The Netherlands and “YES” this is a good thing for members. It allows for the highest level of pleasure and playability regardless of the hcp’s without losing 10 balls per round in doing so. That is not to say it’s not challenging for all levels just that it’s fair and playable for them. Even this summer which has been one of the wettest on record they have managed to keep the course playable and the rough out of the ball losing standards of the top links courses in NL. It is also notable that most of the holes at De Pan allow many choices of shots and strategies as well as proper usage of the ground game, which I highly enjoy.
Since there is so little to be critical of at De Pan I will start with a couple comments I’m intending to be lightly sarcastic but true to my personal experience… Click here to read the full De Pan review from our Benelux correspondent, David Davis. |
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| 03 September 2012
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| Played De Pan on Tuesday May 8th at noon from the back tees. This was the first course I played on my four course golf trip to the Netherlands. Played Koninklijke Haagsche on Wednesday, Noordwijkse on Thursday, and Kennemer on Friday. All excellent experiences and thoroughly enjoyed each. The members I encountered were very friendly and hospitable. De Pan is an excellent course and would highly recommend playing this heath land type course that is in a wonderful tree lined setting. The atmosphere for playing this course started when driving down the narrow tree lined entrance road. The surroundings made me feel like I was playing in the hills of Pennsylvania with the many undulations. The course is just under 6,100 meters from the back tees and while not long does require accuracy as trees line all the fairways. The wind was calm on the day I played and the many trees seemed to shelter the wind when it did blow. The greens were also just aerated and top dressed with sand but were still very smooth and relatively quick and firm. The fairways were firm and in excellent condition. The fairway and greenside bunkers were well maintained and placed and were not as difficult as hitting out of pot bunkers or railway sleeper bunkers.
 As far as the holes, De Pan is a very well designed course that requires accuracy and positioning shots using the correct lines. The first four holes were solid holes. Hit the ball well and you can score and be offline and you will be penalized. Golf the way it was meant to be played. I enjoyed the dogleg right par five fifth that required a very accurate second shot to a sloping left to right fairway and avoiding the fairway bunkers on the second shot. The next 3 holes were all good tests and I encountered something on my tee shot on the ninth that have not experienced before. The tee shot had to be hit over the 8th green from the back tee. Luckily a group was not behind me at the time.
The 10th hole tee shot was my favorite on the course and the view was fabulous on both the tee shot and second shot. Accuracy is definitely a necessity. I thought the 11th was a relatively straightforward par five with the 12th a challenging par 3 playing in the rain at the time and against the wind. I thought the 13th was the most difficult par 4 on the course and measured 409 meters with well place bunkers. The 14th was my favorite as I made my only birdie of the day there by holing a 2 meter putt. The bunker and grass around the bunker on the left side of the green were manicured to perfection. The 161 meter par 3 15th was an excellent hole with a well placed bunker to the right of the green and a large undulation on the left front of the green that could lead to some interesting shots depending on the pin placement. The day I played the pin was in the back right of the green.
The 16th and 17th holes had a little different feel to them as trees did not line the entire fairways separating the holes. The trees only went part way down the holes, however, accuracy is still a key as the rough was very rough and difficult to get out of. The finishing par five 18th hole was another solid tree lined hole that required accurate shot-making to score well. Overall, an excellent golfing experience and a solid test of golf. Click here to see the You Tube photo slideshow video I’ve created of all 18 holes. Jim Brady |
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| 14 May 2012
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| | I played 36 holes yesterday and those being my 4th and fifth round at de Pan, it was the first time it really made me realize what a special place this is. Every par 3 is a masterpiece and I couldn't imagine the famous Surrey courses being much more beautiful than this course. The back nine however is considerably more spectacular than the front nine, with almost every hole producing a Wow!-moment, starting with the beautiful short par 4 10th. For me it just misses out on a six star rating because it just cannot compare to the feeling you get when playing Ballybunion or Tralee for example. De Pan is meant to play from the back tees since the course isn't the longest but it can be tough to score well. I unfortunately lost twice in matchplay that day but still I was in awe with the quality, tranquility and atmosphere of this place. I have also never seen the greens this good before. you had to keep your approach underneath the hole otherwise the putt back was incredibly hard to get close. Go see for yourself how good De Pan is! O |
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| 07 May 2012
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| | I really liked this course wen I played it twice on a sunny springday. I am a member of the Rosendaelsche but I have to confess De pan is just that tiny bit better in every aspect. It is however a bit short, but that is compensated by the narrow fairways and often difficult approaches the course demands. |
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| 02 April 2011
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| Response: | | | Maarten | 26 November 2011 | | Played here again today and it's just easily the best inland course in the Netherlands. Even on november 26th the greens ran superfast and were true and the overall conditions were great. It's a great layout in an amazing quiet atmosphere. |
| | | This is a great golf course in a wonderful setting. The first challenge is finding the entrance as the access road is tucked away off a side road in a forest. What makes this course unique is that it is inland and yet still built on dunes (very ancient ones, but they still go up and down). This gives the course some great character and you have to deal with the undulations of a links while avoiding the trees of an inland park course. This is a fairly exclusive club which is reflected in the good clubhouse and facilities. |
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| 23 January 2010
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| | Without a doubt in top 3 of Dutch courses.
Narrow fairways, difficult tee-shots, great greens and all this situated in a fairytale forrest. |
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| 25 March 2009
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