Trevor Gale's Golf Web Page.

I started out playing Golf some many years ago, but never really put in sufficient effort to achieve what I would call an acceptable handicap: one reason being the fact that I have had so many other interests and activities demanding of my time. On top of that, although at the young age of 51, I had to have a hip replacement followed by the other side nearly two years later: as a result it was a long time during which I could not swing a club at all. However now that the recovery is complete I am starting to take up the clubs a little at a time and I hope to have a little more to report in the near future on this interest.

Here in the Netherlands, to play golf at a proper level you have to achieve a pass in a "golf exam" (although there are a few public courses which allow otherwise). It is not simply a measure of you prowess - it is more a check on your recognition of ettiquete as a player and a basic knowledge of the rules of Golf so that you (a) have respect for your fellow players and (b) also have respect for the course which you play. Information (especially for ex-pats here in Holland) can be found in this NGF site in Dutch, but in English there is a lot of information uner this link which might be helpful.
For ex-pats working at Estec, the European Space Agency's research centre, here is a link to the Estec Golf Club, as part of the excellent recreational facitities available to many nationals who find themselves working in this international environment.

You can E-mail the author of these pages (Trevor Gale) by using this link. on the Dutch Internet service provider XS4ALL.