Anne van Dam still gets nervous on the first tee-box and she flies planes for fun!
For most people, golf is a means of relaxation, a way to destress away from work. So, what do you do if golf is your job?
Well, the 2026 Solheim Cup vice captain Anne van Dam flies planes.
It’s fair to say the new mother is putting work in early to one day earn the title of ‘cool mum’ in the school playground.
Professional golfer and now licensed pilot Van Dam, sat down prior to competing at the PIF London Championship, to speak about her return to golf from maternity leave, the upcoming Solheim Cup and how life has changed after starting a family.
As a youngster Van Dam was an impressive swimmer and initially focused on that passion before success with golf altered her path at age 13.
She turned pro in 2015 and has been a trailblazer for Dutch golf, becoming the first Dutch woman to win five LET titles, as well as representing her nation at both the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and at the 2019 Solheim Cup, where the Europeans lifted the trophy in nail-biting fashion at Gleneagles.
Anne van Dam is Excited For Solheim Cup on Home Soil
(Anne (right) playing in the 2019 Solheim Cup)
Now, for the first time since the event launched in 1990, the Solheim Cup will be held in the Netherlands, and the 30-year-old will take up the position of vice-captain in her home country.
When asked about her new role, Van Dam candidly replied:
"It’s just to be out there and support my friends right, I’m still the same age as the girls who are playing and I know them well, so it’s just me giving them confidence, supporting them and being their friend for the week.
"You know we are going to have some rookies, so it’s just making sure they are comfortable, that they’re relaxed and know it’s okay to be nervous, and just to be a good support to them."
The 2026 Junior Solheim Cup Captain
This won’t be the only leadership role Van Dam is stepping into, as she will also take on the mantle as captain of the PING Junior Solheim Cup team.
She competed in this event back in 2013 alongside Bronte Law, who will be her vice for the 2026 edition. The pair were just 17 and 18 years old at the time and Van Dam looks back on the time fondly.
"So many memories, that’s why I also asked Bronte if she’d be my vice-captain, we shared a room that week in 2013 and we became great friends from that week on and then we shared our experience in 2019 at Gleneagles.
"We’ve been friends for such a long time, we’re still on tour together and we both have kids now who are almost the same age so she’s one of my best friends and I can’t wait to do that together."
In a year of firsts for the competition, the juniors will play the same course immediately before the pros, which will be a great chance for them to watch their seniors up close.
"They’re the next generation, right, some of them are going to make it on tour, hopefully all of them, so it’s just a great motivation for them to see them play on the same course, compare their games a little bit and hopefully for them have a lot of fans who come to watch early in the week, and for them to play on a course which is set up as a championship course it’s going to be a great experience."
How Life Has Changed Since Becoming a Mother
(Anne speaking to Solheim Cup YouTube)
Van Dam, like many other players on tour, has recently become a mother, in February this year.
The LPGA and LET have developed a solid system to support golfers on maternity leave, freezing their status on tour until they return, and as of 2020 the USGA implemented a landmark change allowing women to freeze their world ranking when in the past they would have plummeted down the standings. The LPGA also has a long running Child Development Centre, providing support free of charge for touring players.
Nevertheless, for some players maintaining the same dedication to the sport is no longer desirable after starting a family, and that was the case for Van Dam.
"The moment I decided I wanted to have a family I was ready to not play full time on tour anymore.
"I’ve done it for 12 years, it’s a very intense job and you can only do it 100% or not, so having the little one and it being a maternity year this year for me, I’m not playing as much and making sure she’s okay so just kind of picking out a few events that I love coming back to and playing.
"But life is different and that’s also all okay, I have a lot of respect for the girls that come back on tour and play full time because I don’t think I have that in me."
Competitive Instincts Don't Go Away
Van Dam is a seasoned pro and although she has chosen to take on a lighter schedule, this has not stopped her from competing at the top level, ultimately finishing in a tie for 35th at the PIF London Championship after contenting earlier in the tournament.
For the Dutchwoman, having something more important than golf in her life has taken some of the pressure off and changed her mindset when competing.
"You can’t expect too much from yourself, which is hard because once you’re out on the course you have the expectations you had in previous years, so that’s hard to cope with.
"But it’s definitely, I feel like, a little bit more enjoyable to be out because you are not playing as much and the times you do get out you can enjoy it more."
She Has Impressive Hobbies Outside Golf
The Solheim vice-captain and junior team captain, will undoubtedly be a safe pair of hands come September after pursuing an unlikely hobby during her pregnancy, flying planes!
Van Dam juggles a ton of hobbies outside of golf, including cycling, surfing and skiing, but flying is the latest activity on the rotation.
On Instagram she posts videos of her skipping traffic enroute to golf courses, playing a round and hopping back on the plane home.
Perhaps growing up in the nation with the lowest altitude in Europe fuels the ambition to take to the skies, as while it may seem unconventional to the rest of us, it’s more of a rite of passage in the Van Dam family.
"In my family everyone flies, my parents were both in the air force, my sister is a commercial pilot and I grew up in and around airplanes and helicopters, so I always wanted to do it myself, I just never had the time.
"Last year I already wasn’t playing that much, also because I was pregnant, so I was like, I want to get my pilot licence, I enjoyed it a lot, it was fantastic."
When asked if her new hobby means she never gets nervous on the tee-box anymore, she smiled and responded:
"It’s different. It's different, but both nerve racking. Yeah, a plane is definitely life or death, golf sometimes feels like life or death, but in a plane, you can’t make a mistake."
Get ready for the 2026 Solheim Cup by reading our preview and seeing what Charley Hull is thinking ahead of her eighth appearance in the showpiece event.
