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.
I teach beginners near Utrecht every week, and the same happy surprise comes up again and again: golf is friendlier and simpler to enter than people expect. Let me show you how it works.
Do you need a special certificate to play golf in the Netherlands?
No, not to begin. Nobody asks for anything on your very first day. You do not need a medical certificate, and you do not need to be a member anywhere. A driving range, a pitch & putt, a par-3 course — these are open to complete beginners.
The certificate people talk about is for later. To play most full 18-hole courses in the Netherlands, you will want the GVB. Even as a visitor paying a green fee, almost every 18-hole club asks for it. So think of golf in two stages: try it freely now, earn your GVB when you are ready for the big courses.
What is the GVB (handicap 54) and how do you get it?
The GVB is your “you are ready for the course” proof. Its full name is Golfvaardigheidsbewijs, and since the Netherlands moved to the World Handicap System it is also called handicap 54. Same thing, two names. Clubs and instructors still use both, so do not let the double name confuse you.
You get there in three steps:
- Baanpermissie (course permission) — after around six lessons you learn enough to play safely and with good manners. This unlocks the par-3 and short courses.
- The rules and etiquette test — a short written exam about the basic rules and how we behave on the course.
- A qualifying score — you play a rated course and hand in a card that shows you can go round.
Most people reach handicap 54 after about ten lessons and roughly thirty hours of practice. That is not a fixed law, only a friendly average, and I have seen people move faster with a little regular putting practice.
One thing to tell expats: since 2023 there is no plastic card anymore. Your handicap and pass live in the Golf.NL app (or on mijn.golf.nl), and you show a QR code at the club desk. It surprises people who expect a physical card, but honestly it is easier — your golf lives in your phone.
Can you try golf before committing to anything?
Yes, and I really recommend it. Before you spend on gear or courses, go and hit some balls. Pitch & putt courses, standalone par-3 facilities and driving ranges all welcome complete beginners with no certificate at all. A site like GolfVrij.nl lists these open, play-freely spots across the country.
A beginner once told me their first hour at the range felt humbling. The borrowed clubs felt heavy and clumsy, and there seemed to be ten things to think about at once — feet, hands, hips, the ball. A lot of new golfers describe exactly this. And here is the lovely part they also describe: every small good shot feels wonderful out of proportion, and that little spark is what brings you back. That spark is what I want you to feel too.
For your first golf lesson you do not bring anything. I provide the clubs, and we start with the few things that truly matter.
What does it cost to start playing golf in the Netherlands?
Less than most people fear. Trying golf at a driving range costs only the price of a bucket of balls. A standard national beginner course of about six group lessons usually costs somewhere around €99, and after it you receive your baanpermissie. For a full picture with real numbers, see my guide on what it costs to start playing golf .
You do not need to join a club to start, and you do not even need one to hold a handicap. An independent registration body such as Stichting Registratie Golf can register your Dutch handicap for about €37 a year — perfect while you are testing the sport. If you play often but are not ready for full membership, an ANWB Golf membership gives 50% or more off green fees at over a hundred Dutch clubs.
Full club membership, when you get there, typically runs €600 to €1,800 a year for an 18- or 27-hole club, usually with little or no joining fee. But that is a decision for future you, not week-one you.
If you would like real lessons with a PGA pro rather than a big group, you can see my own lesson prices and book directly.
Do you need your own clubs to begin?
No. Please do not buy clubs on day one. Most Dutch clubs rent a set at reception for about €10 a round, and during a lesson I bring clubs for you to use. This is the smart way to start: learn what you enjoy first, spend money second.
When you do want your own set, a new beginner starter set costs €200 to €500, and good second-hand sets are easy to find through places like Golfclubtrader or Golfbidder. You also do not need the full fourteen clubs the rules allow. Seven or eight are plenty to begin — a driver, a few irons, a pitching wedge, a sand wedge, and a putter. Simple is better while you learn. My full guide on whether you need your own clubs goes deeper.
How long before you can play on a real golf course?
Sooner than you think. After about six lessons you earn baanpermissie, and that already opens the door to par-3 and short courses at around 110 NGF-affiliated clubs across the Netherlands. At most clubs baanpermissie is what lets you onto their short course; only about one in five will let you play a short course without it.
For the full 18-hole courses you need handicap 54 — those ten-or-so lessons, the rules test, and one qualifying card. Many beginners get there in a season.
Here is warm advice a lot of experienced players give, and I agree with it completely: start on a par-3 course, not straight onto a big 18-hole layout. A full course too soon can feel frustrating and steal the fun. A shorter course lets you finish holes and feel yourself improving, hole by hole. That feeling of progress is the fuel. If you want a realistic timeline, read how long it takes to learn golf .
What makes golf in the Netherlands unique for beginners?
Our courses have their own character, and it shapes how you learn. Much of the Netherlands sits at or below sea level, so many courses are flat, canalside and open, with water hazards built right in and a fresh North Sea wind. From your first rounds you learn to read the wind and respect the water. It is part of the charm of playing here.
There is a big, welcoming golf community around you as well. The country has roughly 420,000 registered golfers and about 270 NGF courses, which makes the golf federation the fourth-largest sports association in the whole country. You are joining something popular and well organised.
And for expats, the friendliest fact of all: almost every instructor speaks fluent English, and English is spoken all over Dutch clubhouses. One golfer researching a move here wrote that the Netherlands turned out far more welcoming to English-speaking newcomers than expected — quality courses, green fees kinder than back home, and everyone happy to speak English. I hear this warm surprise from my own expat students too. If that is you, my guide to learning golf as an expat in Utrecht is written just for you.
So if you have been curious about golf, this is your invitation. Come to the range near Utrecht, borrow a club from me, and hit your first few balls. I teach in English, Dutch, Ukrainian and Russian, and I promise the start is the fun part. When you are ready, I would love to help you take that first swing.