New to golf? These short guides explain the essentials in plain language — no jargon, no pressure. They’re written by Marina Romanik, a PGA-certified golf instructor who teaches near Utrecht, to help you feel confident long before you worry about your score.
Your golf journey, step by step
Not sure where to begin? Follow this path from your very first swing to a real handicap. Each step is one short guide.
- 1
Start playing
Try golf, meet the game, and see how easy it is to begin.
- 2
Your first lesson
Learn the grip, the swing, and the feel — with a friendly hand beside you.
- 3
Get your GVB
Earn your Handicap 54 — the Dutch licence that lets you play almost anywhere.
- 4
Play a real course
Book a tee time and enjoy your first round near Utrecht.
- 5
Lower your handicap
Keep improving, one number at a time — this is where golf gets addictive.
Getting started with golf
See all →How to start playing golf in the Netherlands: a warm beginner guide
You can start golf in the Netherlands this week. No certificate, no medical form, no club membership. You walk onto a driving range or a small par-3 course, borrow some clubs, and hit your first balls. That is the whole beginning. Everything else comes later, step by small step, and I will walk you through all of it here.
Read guide →Learn golf as an expat near Utrecht (English-speaking lessons)
No, you do not need to speak Dutch to learn golf here. I teach in English every week, and my new students come from all over the world. This is one of the easiest sports to start when you move to the Netherlands, and Utrecht is a lovely place to do it. Let me walk you through it, step by step.
Read guide →How much does it cost to start golfing in the Netherlands?
You can start golfing in the Netherlands for roughly €500 to €700 in your first year. That covers a baanpermissie course, a secondhand set of clubs, a budget handicap registration, and a handful of rounds on a real course. Golf has a reputation for being expensive. When you look at the actual numbers, most beginners are pleasantly surprised.
Read guide →What to Expect in Your First Golf Lesson
Your first golf lesson is 45 to 60 minutes, and most of it is calmer than you think. You talk a little, you learn how to hold the club, you find your stance, and then you start to hit some balls with a short iron. No driver, no pressure, no need to already be good. That is the whole secret of lesson one: it is a beginning, and beginnings are the fun part.
Read guide →Do I need my own clubs for my first lesson?
No. You do not need your own clubs for your first golf lesson. Come as you are, in comfortable clothes and flat shoes, and I will have clubs ready for you. This is true for almost every good instructor, and it is certainly true with me. Buying clubs before your first lesson is one of the most common mistakes new golfers make — I have not yet seen your swing, so I cannot know yet what fits you best.
Read guide →How long does it take to learn golf?
Most people can play their first real round of golf within a few months. If you take regular lessons and practise two or three times a week, a relaxed 9-hole round is realistic in about 2 to 6 months, and a full 18 holes in 6 to 12 months. Getting genuinely good, playing with confidence on any course, takes longer, usually 2 to 3 years. So the honest answer is: soon for the fun, patient for the mastery. Both parts are lovely.
Read guide →Golf rules & etiquette, made friendly
See all →Golf etiquette, made simple
A few friendly habits are all you need to feel completely at home on any golf course.
Read guide →Golf dress code in the Netherlands — what to wear
Wondering what to wear to a Dutch golf course? Here is the short answer: a collared polo shirt, proper trousers or bermuda shorts, and golf shoes with soft spikes. That combination is welcome almost everywhere in the Netherlands. But there is a nice surprise too — the rules are more relaxed than many beginners fear, and at some places, like where I teach, there is barely a dress code at all.
Read guide →The basic rules of golf, explained simply
Golf has 25 official rules, written together by the R&A and the USGA. That number scares new players. It should not. To enjoy your first rounds you need maybe eight of them, and the rest you learn slowly, one situation at a time. Let me walk you through the ones that matter.
Read guide →Pace of play: how not to hold up the group
Play "ready golf": when you are ready and it is safe, you hit — you do not wait for the person who is officially "away". Keep up with the group in front, not just ahead of the group behind. That is the whole secret. Everything else on this page is just small habits that make it easy.
Read guide →The Rules of Golf, explained rule by rule
The official Rules, one by one, in plain English. Search a number or a keyword, read my short explanation, then check the official R&A text if you want the fine print.
Read guide →Golf in the Netherlands — GVB, handicap & green fees
See all →How to get your golf handicap (GVB) in the Netherlands
Getting your golf handicap in the Netherlands means passing three small steps: course permission, a rules exam, and one qualifying round on the course. When you finish, you hold Handicap 54 — what most people still call the GVB — and you are free to play golf here on your own. It is easier than it sounds, and I will walk you through every step.
Read guide →Baanpermissie explained — the first official step to a handicap
Baanpermissie is your permission to play on a real golf course in the Netherlands. It is an official statement from a PGA golf professional, registered with the NGF, that says you know the rules, the etiquette, the safety, and the pace of play well enough to go out on the course. In simple words: it is the green light. Once you have it, the golf course is open to you.
Read guide →Handicap 54 explained (and how to lower it)
Handicap 54 is the friendly front door to golf. It is the highest official handicap you can hold, and in the Netherlands it is the first real number that says: you belong on the course now. Let me explain what it means, how you earn it, and how you start bringing it down.
Read guide →Getting your GVB in a weekend — is a 2-day course worth it?
Yes, for most beginners a weekend GVB course is worth it. In two days you get small-group lessons from a PGA pro, you learn to play safely, and you can start booking real tee times almost straight away. Prices run from about €99 to €184, all-in. That is a friendly way to begin golf in the Netherlands.
Read guide →NGF pass and the WHS handicap: how golf scoring really works in the Netherlands
Your handicap is just a number that says how good you are at golf right now. In the Netherlands this number lives in the World Handicap System, the WHS, and it comes with a digital NGF pass. Let me explain the whole thing in plain words, the way I explain it to my students on the tee. It is simpler than the app makes it look.
Read guide →Green fees explained — what you pay to play a Dutch course
A green fee is the price you pay to play one round of golf at a course where you are not a member. Nine holes or eighteen, you pay once, you play, you go home. No yearly membership needed. This is how most golfers in the Netherlands play when they are starting out, and it is a lovely, free way to try many different courses. Let me explain what you get, what you pay, and how to pay less.
Read guide →Golf without membership near Utrecht: pay-and-play options
Yes, you can play golf near Utrecht without joining a club. Most Dutch courses let you play for the day on a green fee, and several places near Utrecht are built exactly for drop-in visitors and beginners. You pay, you play, you go home. No annual fee, no waiting list.
Read guide →15 questions everyone asks when starting golf in the Netherlands
New to golf in the Netherlands? You will have a lot of questions, and that is completely normal. The Dutch system has a clear path, and once you understand it, everything feels much easier. Here are the fifteen questions I hear most often from beginners near Utrecht, answered simply.
Read guide →Golf technique & drills
See all →Chipping basics: stop scooping
Scooping is when you try to lift the ball into the air with your hands instead of letting the club do it. Almost every beginner does this. It feels natural — and it is exactly the thing that gives you those ugly thin and fat chips around the green. Once you stop scooping, chipping becomes one of the easiest, most satisfying shots in golf. Let me show you how.
Read guide →3 putting drills to sink more short putts
Short putts are the fastest way to lower your score. Not the driver, not a new expensive club. The three-foot putt you leave short, or push past the hole. Fix that, and the whole round feels easier.
Read guide →5 golf drills you can do indoors (great for Dutch winters)
Winter is not the season your golf gets worse. It is the season you get ahead of everyone who stops. In the Netherlands the courses go quiet from about 1 November to 30 April, when winter rules ("plaatsen") come in and a hard frost or a thaw can close the greens, or the whole course, at short notice. That downtime is real. So instead of waiting for spring, you bring a little golf into your living room.
Read guide → Start hereGolf grip, stance and posture — the fundamentals
Good golf starts before the club ever moves. Grip, stance, posture: these three set up everything that comes after. Get them right and half of the "swing problems" you worry about simply never appear. In Dutch lessons we even give them a name, GOH — grip, opstelling (stance), houding (posture). It is Lesson 1 for a reason.
Read guide →How to Fix a Slice
A slice happens when your clubface points to the right of your swing path at impact. That open face puts sidespin on the ball, and it curves away to the right for a right-handed golfer. Fix the face and the path, and the slice goes away. Everything else is detail.
Read guide →How to fix a hook
A hook happens when your clubface is closed compared to your swing path at the moment you hit the ball. That closed face is the real culprit. The face controls roughly 75–85% of where your ball starts and a big part of how it spins, so when it points left of your path, the ball curves hard to the left (for a right-handed golfer). Fix the face and the hook softens fast. Let me show you how.
Read guide →Stop hitting it fat or thin — solid-contact drills
Fat and thin shots feel like two different problems. They are not. They come from one thing: the bottom of your swing arc lands in the wrong place. Fix that, and both mishits disappear together. Let me show you how.
Read guide →Golf equipment for beginners
See all →What clubs does a beginner actually need?
Fewer than you think. The rules let you carry 14 clubs, but a beginner does not need 14. Most starter sets come with 7 to 10, and honestly, even that is plenty for your first season. Some new players I coach do beautifully with just five clubs in the bag. So before you spend a euro, let me take the pressure off: golf is simpler than the shops make it look.
Read guide →Where to buy golf gear in the Netherlands (and get fitted)
You can buy golf clubs in the Netherlands three easy ways: online, in a big sports store, or second-hand from another golfer. All three are good. The right one for you depends on how sure you are that golf is your new love — and I already hope it is.
Read guide →Should beginners buy new or used clubs?
Buy used. For almost every beginner, a good used set is the smart start. You keep your money, you get clubs that are already proven, and you can upgrade later — once your swing settles and you know golf is truly for you.
Read guide →Golf club distance chart — how far should you hit each club?
Here is the honest answer most golf magazines will not tell you: the average golfer hits the ball much shorter than television makes you believe. The average male amateur carries his driver about 205 meters (224 yards), and his 7-iron around 122 meters (133 yards). A tour professional carries the driver near 275 meters (300+ yards). That gap is huge, and it is completely normal. You are not doing anything wrong.
Read guide →Best golf balls for beginners (don't overpay)
The best golf ball for a beginner is a cheap, soft, low-compression 2-piece ball. That's it. You do not need a €50 tour ball, and honestly, it will not help your game yet. Save that money for lessons and buy the balls you are happy to lose. Because you will lose some. Everybody does at the start, and that is completely fine.
Read guide →Practise smarter, not harder
See all →How to practise at the driving range (so it actually helps)
The driving range is where most golfers waste the most time. Not because they are lazy — the opposite. They hit ball after ball, a full bucket, feeling good, and then on the course nothing holds up. Here is the honest fix: practise less like a machine and more like real golf. Change your club, pick a target, use a routine, and hit fewer balls with more attention. That is the whole secret, and I will show you exactly how.
Read guide →The mental game: pre-shot routine and staying present
Golf is often said to be 90% mental, and once you play your first full round, you feel why. On the range everything is easy. On the course your hands shake a little on the first tee, one bad shot follows you to the next hole, and your good swing seems to hide somewhere. Good news: the mental game is a skill, just like grip or posture. You can learn it. Let me show you the few things that really matter.
Read guide →A simple weekly practice routine to break 100
Breaking 100 is closer than you think. Fewer than half of recreational golfers do it regularly, so this is a real milestone, not a beginner box to tick. The good news is that you do not need a perfect swing to get there. You need a little structure, a lot of short game, and smarter decisions on the course. Let me show you a weekly plan that works.
Read guide →Playing the course with confidence
See all →Course management for beginners: play the smart way
Course management is the art of choosing where to hit the ball, not just how to hit it. It is planning, patience, and picking the smart shot instead of the brave one. And here is the beautiful part: it lowers your score without changing your swing at all.
Read guide →How Stableford scoring works (and why it's kind to beginners)
Stableford is a way of scoring where you collect points instead of counting every stroke. On each hole you win points for how well you play against par, and the goal is simple: get the most points you can. This is the opposite of normal stroke play, where you add up all your shots and the lowest number wins. For a new golfer, this small change makes a big difference. One bad hole no longer ruins your whole day.
Read guide →Your first 9-hole round: a step-by-step walkthrough
Your first 9-hole round is one of the best days in golf. Not because you will play well — you probably won't, and that is completely fine — but because you finally leave the range and walk a real course, tee to green. Let me take you through it, step by step, so you arrive calm and know exactly what to do.
Read guide →Golf tools & calculators
See all →Course Handicap calculator
Enter your Handicap Index and the course's slope, rating and par to see the strokes you receive.
Read guide →Are you ready for your GVB?
Ten quick rules-and-etiquette questions, just like the real Dutch exam. See how you do — with a friendly explanation for each.
Read guide →Build your golf distance card
Enter your carry for each club and see your gaps — the quickest way to know which club to hit, and where one might be missing.
Read guide →Golf words, explained simply
New to golf? Search any term and get a short, clear answer — no jargon. Fifty of the words you'll hear most on a Dutch course.
Read guide →Golf cost calculator
Pick what fits you and get a friendly estimate of your start-up cost — then see where your very first euro is best spent.
Read guide →