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Clingendael - Haagsche Golf Club. (1893 - 1947)
Founded in 1893.
In the Den Haag area of Duinzigt, just north west of the Landgoed Clingendael one can still find the former entrance gate of the Hague Golf Club. The entrance is on the Oude Waalsdorperweg approximately at the heights of No. 27.
The official opening of the Hague Golf Club (today “Haagsche Golf & Country Club”) took place on April 3rd 1893. The British Professional John Duncan Dunn had already laid out a 5-hole course on the “Schaepenweide” in the years before for Baron van Brienen, the landowner of Landgoed Clingendael, The family and friends enjoyed the golf so much that they asked Dunn to layout a proper 9-hole golf course at Duinzigt also on land belonging to Baron van Brienen.
The course in the late 1890s.
In 1905 the club had 200 members; the professional course record was 32 and the amateur record 34. “The course is laid out on a tract of ground between the downs and the Clingendael Woods. The turf affords splendid tees, and the greens are excellent. The principal hazards are bunkers and ditches.”
Plan of the earlier nine-hole course.
In 1923 additional land adjacent to the Landgoed Clingendael was purchased from the Van Bylandt family on the Waalsdorperweg (today Oude Waalsdorperweg) in order to accommodate the additional nine-holes. On May 24th 1924 the first 18-hole course in the Netherlands, designed by British Golf architect J F Abercrombie, was officially opened.
After the extension of the course to 18-holes it measured 5,591 yards. The longer holes being; 509, 450 and 430 yards; the par was 71 and scratch score 76. Eight of the new holes were among true sandy dunes, while others were on light peaty soil on higher undulating ground, and surrounded by three hundred years old beech trees. Five other holes were on heavier peaty soil. They were all designed by Mr. Abercromby. The hazards, mostly natural, were varied and challenging. Together with the many attractions of The Hague and the charming little chateau country nearby, on the road to Leyden, this was a most agreeable section of Holland in which to play golf, as J. Galbraith Horn, then secretary of Monte Carlo and Evian-les-Bains Golf Club stated in Golf Illustrated (US) dating August 1924.
In 1930 the course played over 5,674yds at scratch score 74. The club had 796 members and was certainly one of the largest golf clubs on the continent considering the number of members. The course record at that time was held by Aubrey Boomer with 65 strokes.
Adjacent to the golf course was the railway track from Den Haag to Scheveningen, railways seem to be a natural attraction for golf balls. The track came into play on holes 6, 8, 15 and 16 were called the “Rhinelaender”, as the trains passing the golf course were usually full of German tourists from the Rhineland.
The above images are from Guide de Plumon 1931.
Above are pictures of the clubhouse and course from 1931.
Corinthian photograph The Hague 1939.
By the beginning of 1943 the golf courses at Den Haag, Nordwijk, Kennemer and Domburg, which were all situated on the coastline, were closed down by the Germans. The Haagsche Golf Club suffered particularly badly with the golf course being destroyed by German tanks and the clubhouse blown up.
In 1938 construction of an 18-hole golf course for the Wassenaarsche Golf Club “De Wildhoeve” was started a few kilometres north of Clingendael at Wassenaar. The course designed by British architect Harry Colt was opened on September 30th 1939. In 1947 the Haagsche Golf Club took over the course at Wassenaar leaving the old course at Clingendael which was closed forever.
Today the remains of at least one fairway can still be spotted between the streets Else Maushlaan, approximately house No. 2 and Oude Walsdoorperweg No. 15 to No. 25.
The entrance to the former Hague Golf Course.
The Google Map below pinpoints the entrance to the former Hague course.