Maarten Lafeber was born on December 11th, 1974 in Eindhoven, Holland. He had a good amateur career winning in Switzerland, Holland and Spain. He turned pro in 1997 and earnt his place on the European Tour through the Qualifying School. He had a poor rookie season and lost his card.

To raise funds for his career Lafeber sold shares to a group of businessmen. In 1999 he played on the Challenge Tour winning the Kenya Open. His major breakthrough came in 2003 when he became the first Dutch player in more than 50 years to win the Dutch Open.