De Cock | Texelse

First hole, first introduction to the golf course.

The name De Cock is appropriate here. Nicolaas de Cock was an Antwerp ship-owner who spotted opportunities in the bare salt marshes of the northern head of Texel, known as Eierland (after the eggs that poor Texel people collected there). He began the reclamation of Eierland polder in 1835, and was later rewarded for his achievements when the village of Nieuwdorp got its name: De Cocksdorp. These days the Texel Golf Course may be considered as the high point of his creation.

The hole makes a deceptively simple impression, but especially in driving winds it turns out to be hazardous on both port and starboard. At the green are a few nasty pot bunkers.

Drive

The men’s tee-box is exactly on the right side of the fairway and the green is played from that side as well. The ladies tee-box is located centrally on the fairway. The prevailing wind direction is from left to right over the fairway. Since the slice is the most common mistake on the ball, the men in particular need to be careful when taking the initial position and lining up. It’s best to play the drive on the left side of the fairway, so you don’t have to bypass the bunkers on the right side of the green. If your approach is too short, your ball will be on the front green and not in one of the bunkers. The rather shallow bunker to the left of the green is reasonably offside. For men hcp 54-36 the ideal club to use is a metalwood 5 or an iron 5, and for men hcp 36 or lower this varies from an iron 3 to a driver. For the ladies, regardless of the handicap, it’s a metalwood to be able to get the green for the approach. But do dare to hit your drive; the fairway is wide enough for it!

Approach

From the right fairway the approach to the green is difficult because of the greenside bunkers on the right. Especially since there’s a turf bunker that is deeper and steeper than the other bunkers. The most ideal shot from this position would be a ball from left to right, but that’s too difficult for many. The least risky shot from the right side is to the front green. Do not play the ball to the flag, because there’s not enough landing area between flag and bunkers, and from the flag the ball will always roll over to the pines behind the green. With the approach from the left or the centre of the fairway you should choose a good club, because the front green is often quite hard, so take rolling on into account. Of course you should check whether the flag is on the front or back of the green.

Green

Tip:

Straight through the middle is the sensible stroke here. Three bunkers near the green only come into view at a late stage.

De Cock

De Belg Nic. de Cock zag verbolgen
hoe golven het land hier verzwolgen
en maakte het droog.
Zag zijn geestesoog
al de course die wij nu gaan volgen?

Jan Heemskerk

Par

4

Stroke index

12

Wit

309

Geel

303

Blauw

258

Rood

254

Oranje

231

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