De geschiedenis van Golfbaan De Texelse

What a miracle that a wonderful golf course has been created precisely here on the most underestimated, sparsest part of our beautiful island of Texel.

De Krim Texel

The former island of Eierland, connected to Texel by a dyke in the seventeenth century, was a barren, bare and windy land for shepherds and egg collectors. It was only after the Belgian ship-owner Nicolaas de Cock and others launched the reclamation work in 1835 that the prospect of a prosperous future emerged. Initially, only the ‘othersiders’ put their hands to the shovels, but later Texel’s inhabitants themselves saw the possibilities of the new land.

A decisive step was taken in 1969, when a group of 28 determined Eierlanders decided not to leave the design of a recreational area to Den Burg but to seize power as a village. The birth of De Krim!

The beginning

No-one knew anything about golf, but in 1990 Krim Director Martin Warnaar chose this ‘addictive sport’ because his business instincts said the game fitted well with nature, comfort, recreation and tourism, but then overlaid with Texel hospitality. While the few dozen members enjoyed themselves hitting balls on a turnip field under the direction of pro Joost Brieko, Warnaar laboured with tireless zeal through a jungle of licences while acquiring land and contracting Alan Rijks.

Rijks: “He took us to a bare piece of farmland next to the park. I saw the beautiful dunes further on and wanted to build the course there. But of course that was strictly forbidden. We had to build a course with a minimum of resources. We had little ground to modulate the course, which is why it’s a relatively flat one. I did say at the time that I wanted to build a real dune course. I think Warnaar already had an 18-hole course in mind.” That’s true, but he and the few hundred Texel club members were overjoyed with the first nine, opened officially on 13 June 1997. It would take a long time before 10 to 18 would complete the course.

Ambition

The new Director Iwan Groothuis shared Warnaar’s dream, but before you could overcome all the obstacles, whether as small as a northern vole or as large as the government, plenty of eels would swim through the Roggesloot and moreover, Groothuis had his own ambitions for the golf course. “We wanted to cultivate as little as possible and maintain the links character. We don’t have a natural dune area, but we could certainly model with the ground.

“We wanted a distinctive course with a fantastic appearance, one which would become one of the Netherlands’ leading commercial courses in a few years. I think our golf course is very different to most, and is much more accessible. That’s also thanks to the flow of tourists. People are happy, there’s a holiday feeling. It’s not a traditional golf course, and the diversity of people and cultures delivers an atmosphere I haven’t yet come across at other golf courses.”

Bunker

80,000 cubic metres of earth fell into Alan Rijks’ hands from construction of the Utopia nature reserve just a few kilometres away. With a few more trucks full of earth from here and there and soil from excavated water features, he was able to provide 32 hectares with sufficient hills and slopes. In the second nine the golfer ends up in a completely different area, with an incredibly beautiful dune landscape as a backdrop. It’s precisely this mix of old and new which Rijks finds appealing. As examples of contrast he lists the six-metre-high exit of hole 16, and the sleepers bunker of 15 x 25 metres at hole 18 – a bunker ensuring you will not forget hole 18 of De Texel.

So our wish that you enjoy an unforgettable round of golf will certainly come true!

Ambitie

De nieuwe directeur Iwan Groothuis deelde Warnaars droom, maar eer je alle obstakels hebt overwonnen, klein als een Noordse woelmuis tot groot als de overheid, zwemmen er heel wat aaltjes door de Roggesloot en bovendien, Groothuis had zijn eigen ambities, qua golfcourse. “Wij wilden zo min mogelijk cultiveren en het linkskarakter in stand houden. We hebben geen natuurlijk duingebied, maar met de grond konden we modelleren.”