Haarlemmermeersche Golf Club (Cruquius)

Small steps, better golf

I am Marina Romanik, a PGA-certified golf instructor. I teach in Utrecht and Driebergen, in Dutch, English, Ukrainian and Russian, and I love the moment when a player stops fighting the ball and just swings. That moment is what I chase in every lesson. When someone tells me they want to play a bigger course, a proper one with room to breathe, this club near Cruquius is a name I am happy to say out loud.

Three loops, one big sky

Haarlemmermeersche Golf Club sits at Spieringweg 745 in Cruquius, west of Amsterdam, in the wide open Haarlemmermeer. This is polder land — flat, reclaimed, generous with sky. You see weather coming from far away here, and honestly, that is part of the pleasure.

The club has 27 holes, laid out as three nine-hole loops, par 72. That number matters more than people think. Three loops means you can mix and match, play nine after work, or make a full day of it and still not repeat yourself. The style is parkland: trees, shaped fairways, greens that ask you to think about your approach rather than just hit and hope.

Difficulty here is moderate. I like that word for this place. It means the course gives you a real test without punishing you for being a normal golfer. You will use most of the clubs in your bag. You will have holes where a smart layup is better than a hero shot, and you will have holes where a good drive leaves you smiling all the way to the green.

Practice is properly looked after. There is a driving range with lights, a putting green, and practice bunkers — a real one, not a decoration. Bunker practice is rare and so valuable. Most amateurs I meet have never hit fifty bunker shots in their life, and then they wonder why sand scares them. Here you can fix that. There is also an academy on site, so a lesson on the day of your round is possible.

After golf, there is a restaurant with a bar and terrace. Buggies and trolleys can be rented, and there are lockers and showers. Parking is there, the course is open year-round.

Best for: improving players who want more space and more variety than a small course gives. Also good for someone building confidence — the short course and the beginner-friendly setup mean you are not thrown straight into the deep end. A valid handicap is required to play, so this is a course to grow into, and that is a good goal to have.

Green fees are €38.50 for nine holes and €71 for eighteen. For 27 holes of parkland golf this close to Amsterdam, that is fair value.

Play it well, enjoy it more

Here is the truth about a course like this: it rewards the golfer who has a plan. Three loops, par 72, trees and shaped holes — you do not need a huge drive, you need a swing you can trust twice in a row and a short game that saves you when the approach misses.

That is exactly what we build together. A lot of my students arrive saying the same thing: “I hit fine on the range, then everything falls apart on the course.” I hear this almost every week. It is not a talent problem. It is usually grip, balance, and choosing the wrong club because of ego. Small steps. Small steps win in golf.

If you still need your handicap, we start there — the theory, a few holes, the confidence to sign your first card. If you already have it, we sharpen the parts that cost you shots. Bunkers, chipping, that nervous first tee.

I teach at Chi Chi Golf in Utrecht and at Golfschool Hoenderdaal in Driebergen — from Utrecht, Cruquius is about a 39-minute drive, so a lesson with me and a round here fit nicely in the same week. All ages, all levels, and no judgement about where you are starting from.

Book a lesson online, send me a WhatsApp, or just call me. Then go and enjoy that big polder sky.