Koninklijke Haagsche Golf and Country Club: Royal Hague

Though located inland from the sea, there’s no question Royal Hague is links golf. The course, north of the city, sits on the edge of a vast region of sand dunes that would be the home to several more world-class courses if it had been developed in the 19th century (as the links of Scotland had) and not environmentally protected. The Charles Alison and H.S. Colt design is a lesson in restraint—following Frank Pont’s restorative efforts over the last decade and a half, there are only 23 bunkers and almost none guarding fairways—five holes have zero bunkers. Royal Hague doesn’t need them with fairways that caterpillar over electric landforms leaving numerous shots uphill to semi-blind greens that seem like the only calm parts of the property