How this Dutch gem cracked our World Top 100 rankings

GOLF has released its latest rankings of the 100 Best Golf Courses in the World (2025-2026), and while Pine Valley once again took the top spot, there were three newcomers and two returnees to the rankings. Here we introduce you to them.

The Netherlands rarely comes first when golfers daydream about must-visit destinations. But the country is quietly full of great designs, including some from Golden Age masters. One of them – Utrecht de Pan – has returned to GOLF Magazine’s World Top 100 list, a valuable reminder of how rich Dutch golf really is.

De Pan is located on sandy soil and hidden deep in a forest. It is a heather track with a look, feel and playability reminiscent of the better known work of Harry Colt in London. The experience begins with a long, winding drive through the trees to a typical thatched clubhouse. Behind it, the trail unfolds like a walk in a forest park, with gaps meandering from grove to grove under tall pine trees.

Colt took full advantage of the land and created a route full of blind shots – sometimes more than one on the same hole. It is known that Tom Doak took inspiration from De Pan’s 6th when designing what has become the distinctive 8th on the new Pinehurst No. 10: A blind tee shot followed by a blind approach, adding to the sense of excitement and surprise.

In an era defined by wide fairways and aggressive tree removal campaigns, De Pan is a throwback: shorter, tighter off the tee, but no less demanding than the more powerful modern layouts that dominate the rankings.

The return to the World Top 100 underlines a truth long appreciated by experts: some of the best golf courses in Europe are in the Netherlands. A round of De Pan, Royal Hague, Kennemer and Eindhoven won’t come with American tour buses – just the quiet satisfaction of discovering underrated, world-class golf.

Piet Phipps iis a course evaluator for GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com.