Southern Spain

Spain

Atalaya Golf and Country Club is one of the more established golf facilities on the Costa del Sol and it is used as the headquarters for the European PGA.

Situated between Marbella, Estepona and Benahavis its two 18-hole courses are surrounded on all sides by other top-notch golf courses – Monte Mayor to the north, El Paraiso to the west and Guadalmina to the south east.

The respected German architect Bernhard von Limburger designed the Old course at Atalaya in the late 1960s, just at the start of the great golf rush along Spain’s southern coast.

Forty years later, this Costa classic has stood the test of time and its wide, tree-lined fairways, raised green sites and challenging bunker complexes are appreciated even more nowadays when compared to other modern courses in the area.

Atalaya (Old)

Continental Europe

South East Germany

Germany

Golfclub Augsburg was inaugurated in 1959, when the club secured a 20-year lease on sixty-seven acres of the Westliche Wälder Nature Park from Prince Fugger-Babenhausen, allowing architect Bernhard von Limburger to carve the original 9-hole Burgwalden course through the heavily forested property.

Not long after Augsburg was formed, nobody paid much attention when a local 8-year-old lad named Langer from nearby Anhausen started caddying at the club but they certainly sat up and began to take notice when he started winning tournaments not long after turning professional in 1972.

A second nine followed in 1981 after another lease was negotiated to double the acreage assigned to golf, with Donald Harradine called in to map out the additional holes. Kurt Rossknecht then renovated the layout in the mid-1990s, revising the 13th and 14th holes and modifying seven of the original greens.

Today, this very pleasant parkland layout extends to a reasonable 6,018 metres from the back tees, with both returning loops of nine concluding with a par five. Interestingly, once the opening three par fours are finished, golfers never play the same par in succession at any of the remaining fifteen holes.

Augsburg

The fairways at Golfclub Augsburg are routed through avenues of coniferous and deciduous trees. Formed in 1959, the club is actually two years younger than its most famous member, Bernhard Langer.

South West Germany

The 45-hole Waldsee Golf-Resort lies just outside the small town of Bad Waldsee in the Upper Swabia region of Baden-Württemberg. The Old course debuted in 1969 so it's twenty-eight years older (and 400 metres shorter) than the New course.

Bad Waldsee (Old)

All Areas

Switzerland

Basel Golf and Country Club or Golf and Country Club de Bâle to be precise may well be a member of the Swiss Golf Association but the course – known locally as Geissberg – is actually situated a few miles across the border from Basel in the French Alsace Region.

The esteemed golf architect Bernhard von Limburger designed the 6,880-yard course back in 1968 when he seamlessly integrated eighteen holes into the surrounding Alsatian countryside, creating a classic parkland layout.

Only one of the four par three holes on the scorecard is less than 180 yards in length and it just happens to be the signature hole – the 150-yard 7th is played from an elevated tee almost 100 above the level of the putting surface to a green with two bunkers in front and behind the hole.

Basel

Basel Golf and Country Club is actually situated a few miles across the border from Basel in the Alsace Region of France but Basel is a Swiss club and a member of the Swiss Golf Association.

West Germany

The Big Bertha line of golf clubs is popular enough to warrant its own article in Wikipedia. Callaway chose the name to evoke the famous Big Bertha howitzer built by German arms manufacturer Krupp. The artillery piece in turn was named after Bertha Krupp, heiress and owner of the industrial giant. There are other, less interesting theories about the origin of the name, but let's go with Bertha Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, because she was not only the main woman at the firm, but also an influential member at Golf-Club Bergisch Land. John Morrison laid out the first 9 holes in 1928 and two years later Bertha donated the clubhouse: the first prefabricated house ever, just invented by Krupp's engineers and steel-plated from wall to wall. Only one other unit was ever sold, but there were no issues with longevity: Bergisch Land's clubhouse has refused to go down to this day, withstanding a devastating fire in the 1970s and some less than enthusiastic members after that.

Bergisch Land means "mountainous country" and that may be a slight exaggeration, but "hilly" certainly fits the bill. After World War II John Morrison was brought in again, which resulted in today's classic stretch of thirteen holes. Bernhard von Limburger added the last five holes after Morrison's death and on a different property to boot. So this feels a bit like two courses with a decent walk between them.

The Morrison course is a typical Colt & Company product of the Golden Age; quirky, adventurous, but always clearly laid out in front of the golfer, so that even elite players will not complain about unfairness. The only really confusing part is finding the 5th tee, which, oddly enough, is hidden right behind the first green. Speaking of the putting surfaces, they are interesting, but not over the top and the day's stimp reading is posted as well. The signature hole is the 13th that plays from a panoramic tee back down to Bertha's clubhouse. The one issue with the classic holes may be that while they all look very different, they do not always play very different. A number of approaches (including the tee shots on some of the par threes) are of a similar length.

Holes 14 and 15 are rather ordinary, it's almost as if a third architect was at work here. Gladly, the final three holes carry some interest again and will ask for a bit of strategic thinking. So there are sixteen very good holes on offer and despite the hilly site the layout is walkable and always in good nick.

Bergisch Land

Bergisch Land means "mountainous country" and that may be a slight exaggeration, but "hilly" certainly fits the bill.

Established in 1959, the Bernard von Linburger-designed course at Golf & Country Club Blumisberg lies less than half an hour’s drive from Bern, with a mix of open meadow and woodland holes routed around a pleasantly undulating property.

From 2006 to 2012, the layout was comprehensively upgraded and partially redesigned in several stages. A step-by-step approach to the renovations was decided upon to minimise the disruption to play and to spread the cost over several years.

Peter Harradine of Harradine Golf designed and supervised the alterations to a layout that sits close to his place of birth in Bern and, truth be told, Peter and his father Donald have probably built or renovated most of the courses in the Alpine region.

A water storage facility and new green complex was built on the 13th and a complete new 5th hole constructed. Natural water features were added to the 6th and 7th, encouraging the proliferation of local flora and fauna.

A new irrigation system was installed to manage water resources more efficiently, numerous tees were reconstructed and all the bunkers were renovated, with fescue turf laid on bunker faces and quartz sand used instead of the previous lake sand.

Blumisberg

Established in 1959, the Bernard von Limburger-designed course at Golf & Country Club Blumisberg combines open meadow and woodland holes routed around a pleasantly undulating property.

Down

Northern Ireland

Clandeboye has come along way since the year 559 when the monks of St Comgall's Bangor monastery grazed their flocks on what is now the Dufferin course. Clandeboye Golf Club is located a mere twelve miles to the east of Belfast and a local linen merchant called William Renwick Robinson originally formed it in 1933.

The Ava course was Robinson’s original design, but it’s the Dufferin course that everyone now talks about, which was laid out by German architect, Bernhard von Limburger. The partners behind the famous Brabazon course at The Belfry, Peter Alliss and Dave Thomas, helped von Limburger. The result is certainly one of Ireland’s very best inland courses and the views from the high ground across Belfast Lough are pretty impressive too.

Measuring 6,559 yards from the back tees, the Dufferin course is not quite long enough to test the world’s very best golfers, but it will certainly present a stern challenge to most of us. Accuracy, especially on approach shots, is the order of the day. The fairways undulate in a links-like way and trees, bracken and gorse flank many. They say variety is the spice of life and it’s here in spades at Clandeboye with stage-like greens, blind drives and daunting carries from some tees.

Belfast might not be a natural choice for a golfing break but there are some fine courses situated within a short distance of the historic city centre. Play Clandeboye alongside Malone, Royal Belfast and Belvoir Park and you will not be disappointed, but make sure you leave enough time to soak up the atmosphere of the old port and the docks where the Titanic was built. A new and vibrant city is emerging. The future is bright for Belfast.

In recent times, club volunteers have helped to clear old walls out on the property that were long covered up by ivy and scrub, adding more character to the premises and framing holes on both the club’s courses. Clearance work also included woodland management projects which have helped reduce the arboreal inventory.


Clandeboye (Dufferin)

Britain & Ireland

The Dufferin course at Clandeboye Golf Club offers compelling coastal views, a sea of dazzling yellow gorse and a wonderfully strategic challenge.

A few classic English parkland courses are actually set in a real park, and some of the best, such as Stoke Park, are as much a Harry Colt course as they are a Lancelot "Capability" Brown landscape. Interestingly, Colt's very first German acolyte (Bernhard von Limburger) and Capability Brown's foremost German follower (Peter Joseph Lenné) came together in Feldafing – like their forebears in different centuries. The Lenné Park in Feldafing was created in the 1850s as a Royal retreat for Bavarian King Maximilian II, who also got as far as building the foundations of a castle, which today lie buried under the 11th tee. Maximilian's son (the famous "fairytale King" Ludwig II) had other plans though, he ventured further into the mountains to build the unfathomable Castle Neuschwanstein. The only time he came back to the shores of Lake Starnberg was to either drown or be shot while boarding a boat, depending on which theory you believe.

And so the Lenné Park in Feldafing fell into disrepair until 1927, when Bernhard von Limburger stepped in to create nine golf holes, thereby putting about half of the park back in play. The other half followed in 1962, when Limmy returned for the second nine. Subsequent restoration efforts by the State of Bavaria have resulted in today's dual utilisation as a golf course and a public park. This is probably a mixed blessing for both sides – the club cannot manage the trees, which are protected by severe state laws. And the public must be careful where to step, lest some unwitting player swings away when he really shouldn't. On the other hand the golfers have become part of the park's lore and done their part to keep it open.

The seniority of Feldafing's arboreal inventory is thus undeniable, as is its effect on the golf: tightness and wet soil on one side, aesthetics fit for a King on the other. Much of the tightness appears in the first few holes, with the par three second probably taking the cake – the one redeeming factor are the views of Lake Starnberg shimmering through the foliage. So there is no period of adjustment or easing in to the peculiarities of the game played here. Feldafing is not a course to be attacked and the whole challenge is best described as tricky and strategic. As the round progresses the fairways do get a bit wider, but not necessarily any easier to negotiate as they wind up and down and across the slopes leading down to the lakeshore.

Overall, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the golf architecture: the routing is exquisite and every hole has its own character. While there are no obvious standouts, there's also no filler material – a very rare condition on tree-lined courses, where all too often one fairway looks like the next. And while longer hitters may have less of an advantage here, there are plenty of opportunities for driver play, especially on the more open back nine. Add to that a very Colt-like collection of one-shot holes requiring thought and precision and you'll end up with a course to be savoured by discerning players.

Feldafing

Founded in 1926, Feldafing is one of Germany’s oldest golf clubs and it's set most spectacularly in an estate that was formerly owned by King Maximilian II of Bavaria.

Founded with a 9-hole course in 1970, Freiburger Golfclub evolved over time to develop a fine 18-hole layout. Unfortunately, due to its location in a drinking water extraction zone for the nearby city of Freiburg, the club had to relinquish two of its holes (the old #2 and #7) by the end of 2021.

Thomas Himmel was called in to address this issue and a plan was drawn up to a) create two new holes (the new #1 and #2) on adjacent land and b) relocate or modify a further three holes because they were also affected by the water protection zone.

The opportunity was also taken to re-sequence the holes, allowing holes #9 and #18 to return to the clubhouse (even though there’s now a bit of a lengthy walk from the 8th green to the 9th tee). Bunkers were also renovated as part of the upgrade work.

Freiburger 

Founded with a 9-hole course in 1970, Freiburger Golfclub evolved over time to develop a fine 18-hole layout.

North West Germany

Fifty years after opening in 1964, the Bernhard von Limburger parkland layout at Golfclub Hamburg-Ahrensburg underwent a large-scale renovation by Christoph Städler, involving the renewal of tees and putting surfaces, along with a new island green at the par three 12th.

Hamburg-Ahrensburg

A Bernard von Limburger design from the early 1960s, the 18-hole layout at Golfclub Hamburg-Walddörfer was renovated by Christoph Städler in 2015/16, with the architect clearing trees, rebuilding bunkers and altering all the greens during the course upgrade.

Christoph Städler was kind enough to supply this exclusive quote about the recent course renovation:

With the exception of the fairway turf, it was a complete redesign/renovation of the golf course. All green complexes were redesigned, a few of them in locations with better sunlight access, and the same applies to the tee sets.

All bunkers were rebuilt and given more attractive shapes, many of them repositioned, in particular the fairway bunkers, in order to be replaced to locations where they influence the strategy of the better players.

One hole, the par three 10th, is completely new, avoiding the safety issues of the former one and aesthetically much nicer.

Three lakes were newly built or significantly enlarged, not just for improved strategy, but also for better appeal. The lake at the new 10th hole is also serving as an additional water reservoir.

The irrigation system was also renewed completely.

Last, but not least, a lot of inferior trees and bushes were taken away for better sunlight access and ventilation, thus improving the fairness of play and, even more important, the parkland character of a golf course which had been compromised by the underbrush growth.

Hamburg-Walddörfer

An early 1960s Bernard von Limburger design, Christoph Städler renovated the course at Golfclub Hamburg-Walddörfer in 2015/16. The architect cleared trees, rebuilt bunkers and altered all the greens during the upgrade.

Hamburg Golf Club was founded way back in 1906 and in those days the club played over a nine-hole course at Flottbek. It must have been a fine course, because in 1910, Flottbek was the venue for the inaugural German Open Championship. But, as golf grew in popularity, the nine-hole course became crowded and new land was eventually found at Falkenstein. In 1930 a new 18-hole course for the Hamburger Golf Club was ready for play and it’s an absolute masterpiece from the brilliant design firm of Colt, Alison and Morrison.

The majority of the original layout remains intact but the great German designer Bernhard von Limburger made a few alterations in the 1960s, adding a couple of holes (at the 2nd and 3rd) at the expense of losing a couple of others.

It’s a glorious, natural course that is laid out on undulating heathland and, as we all know, this sandy free-draining ground is perfect for golf. Falkenstein was originally developed as a championship course and between 1935 and 1999 it became a regular venue for the German Seniors Championship. Falkenstein also played host to the German Open on no fewer than eight occasions and, in 1981, the club was delighted to see Bernhard Langer triumph here (the first German to win the national open).

Falkenstein is an attractive course, which is routed in all directions of the compass. The wooded location provides a genteel oasis to play golf, away from the hustle and bustle of Hamburg’s city centre. While tree-lined courses often have dull highway-like holes, here only the 2nd and 11th are relatively straight and that is just the right amount of diversion on a course full of doglegs and interest. Every hole presents a unique challenge, the bunkering is vintage Colt (with some modern alterations) and the green complexes provide great entertainment without going overboard.

There certainly are some hills to conquer and valleys to drive over, but it remains walkable and, for the championship minded golfer, completely fair. The maintenance practices are to be commended – so often these historic courses are allowed to overgrow and play soft when trees and rough replace the heather and block the original playing angles. Not here at Falkenstein, this is a firm and fast experience like no other in Germany.

The following article was written by golf course architect Tony Ristola and is an edited extract from Volume Three of 

Golf The Sands Architecture: A Worldwide Perspective 

. Reproduced with kind permission. To obtain a copy of the book, email Paul Daley at fswing@bigpond.net.au

"Harry Colt’s Hamburger Golf Club Falkenstein crushes the myth that large budgets are necessary for ‘first-rate’ golf to emerge. The fact is, in much of Germany you can come close to constructing a Falkenstein for the price of a ‘big-name’ architect’s design fee! If built today, Falkenstein would cost one to one and a half million euros, possibly less! This is due to its sandy soils, superb topography and co-operative climate.

Constructed in 1931-32, ‘the actual construction period was 76 working days from the start of surface construction to the completion of seeding.’ They did not use scrapers, bulldozers excavators and dumpers to move 120,000 cubic yards of soil but horses, tractors and 140 men. Time is money. With good planning, a favourable site and modern earth moving equipment guided by a skilled and committed architect, golf courses of distinction can materialize… affordably.

Falkenstein unfolds like a model from Colt and Alison’s book 

 (1920). The routing, bunkering and greens set the course apart, and reveal the architect’s values, flair and knowledge. It is a wonderful example of what makes the game fun, interesting, the course affordable and its principles worthy of imitation.

Falkenstein’s routing is dynamic, taking full advantage of the natural, rolling terrain, presenting all manner of shots – uphill, downhill, side hill, drop shots and seemingly every mixture of these elements. The outcome is a wide variety of holes with challenging and memorable shot opportunities.

Harry Colt further differentiated the eighteen corridors with expertly devised greens and hazards, but especially noteworthy is Falkenstein’s complete absence of water! The property did not have any naturally occurring water and back in the 1930s it was difficult, slow and costly to construct functional, natural-looking water features in fast-draining soils, hence no water.

The bunker scheme is distinctive when compared with the modern practice because it is designed to influence the line of play to the hole, not simply punish bad shots. Instead of plopping bunkers alongside the fairways in range of better players, Colt’s are set at a wide variety of distances, often eating into the fairways, intruding on the direct line to the hole.

To have a course of class you need quality greens and surrounds and Falkenstein’s do not disappoint. There is no ‘framing’ with mounds, only rolls, knobs, depressions ad bunkers, combined with the contour of the greens and their varied outer slopes. It makes for interesting putting, approach and recovery shots. These greensites are testing, fit seamlessly into the landscape and are cost-effective to construct and maintain.

By flawlessly executing the essentials on a fine piece of land – routing, hazards, strategy, aesthetics and greens – Harry Colt’s north Germany success story remains full of interest, challenge and fun three-quarters of a century after its completion. This jewel has stood the test of time (and) it never has, or will, require costly redesigning, only preservation. Hamburger Golf Club Falkenstein is tremendous value that money alone cannot buy."

Frank Pont began consulting at Falkenstein in 2015, advising on mowing lines and returning greens to their original shape and size, as well as reintroducing close-mown areas around the putting surfaces. A bunker restoration programme began in 2018 (on the par three 8th and 10th) using old aerial photography as a reference. This work carried on the following year on another six holes, with all eleven upgraded sand hazards refurbished using Blinder bunker lining.

The project continues in a phased manner.

Hamburger Falkenstein

Falkenstein is an attractive golf course, which is routed in all directions of the compass. The wooded location provides a genteel oasis to play golf, away from the hustle and bustle of Hamburg’s city centre.

Golf and Country Club Hittnau-Zürich was formed in the early 1960s on the initiative of Heinrich "Heiri" Angst, a successful athlete who had previously competed in two winter Olympics, winning a gold medal in the four-man bobsleigh in 1956. He became an equally successful businessman and, after deciding that golf was now his sport of first choice, set about negotiating land sales with local farmers in order to build his own course.

Bernhard Limburger designed the initial 9-hole layout and this opened for play on 14 August 1965. More holes were gradually added until all eighteen were ready for play six years later. The course was subsequently revised by Peter Harradine but a decision was made at the start of the new millennium to engage Kurt Rossknecht to completely overhaul the layout.

Holes 11-17 on the back nine were renovated first, involving the creation of new irrigation lakes as a primary objective, and the reworked holes were unveiled in 2008. It took a little more time to acquire additional land for the front nine development but the rejuvenated holes at #1 to #10 and #18 finally debuted in June of 2017.

Today, the course extends to 5,979 metres from the back tees, playing to a par of 72. Highlight holes include a couple of left doglegging short par fours at the 1st and 11th, along with the tough par five 3rd, rated stroke index 1 on the scorecard. Water comes into play at two of the par threes, with ponds protecting the front of the green on the 2nd and 13th.

Hittnau-Zürich

Dating back to 1964, the hillside course at Hittnau-Zürich Golf & Country Club is one of only a handful of Swiss designs from the drawing board of Bernhard von Limburger. In more recent years, both Peter Harradine and Kurt Rossknecht revised the layout, most recently in 2016.

Düsseldorf has the highest density of millionaires of any German city; about one in every 1,500 inhabitants files a tax statement with a seven-figure income. So what kind of course would the most prestigious golf club in such a high-rolling municipality have? Perhaps a lush parkland layout, groomed to perfection and lined by 7,500 yards of cart paths? Wrong. In fact, with its mighty rolls and tumbling fairways the Hubbelrath site is much more reminiscent of rough and tough 

 than of a streamlined championship venue with a glitzy clubhouse.

Hubbelrath Golf Club was founded in 1961 and Dr Bernhard von Limburger or “Limmy” to his friends drilled a supremely challenging layout through the forest and in the process exposed some amazing natural landforms. The championship East course (Ostplatz) was supplemented by the shorter West course (Westplatz) in 1972, so that the club can accommodate its almost 2,000 members. Under the guidance of Howard Swan, the East course has been remodelled and lengthened to ensure it remains a significant test when hosting important tournaments. Nowadays it's mostly about the top-level amateur circuit, but in the past the German Open was held here on seven occasions between 1973 and 1994.

Many holes look fearsome to the expert and offer a number of risk-reward strategies, but there is always a way to bail out for even the shortest of hitters, so literally every skill level is provided for. No matter how wild the terrain gets – and it gets positively crazy in parts – much of it is golf course and playable. The clusters of trees lining the fairways still encroach on the playing angles here or there, but the tree management of recent years has ensured that Hubbelrath East is not a ball-eater anymore. And that holds true even when it plays firm and fast, which is possible in the right weather conditions and with appropriate care to alleviate the typical parkland problems with loamy soil and shady fairways. Obviously, in the winter it will still be wet, but for much of the year the playing surfaces can be absolutely fine.

Considering the very difficult site it seems a small miracle that the routing flows as effortlessly as it does. Most holes are isolated from their neighbours and there is just one noticeable green to tee walk. It simply is a first class golfing experience and while many clubs aspire to that, very few of them have a course so full of character as Hubbelrath East.

Hubbelrath (East)

Hubbelrath Golf Club was founded in 1961 and it’s located a mere 10kms east of Düsseldorf City Centre on 90 hectares of heavily forested and rather hilly land.

Krefelder Golf Club was founded in 1930 and is one of Germany’s most traditional clubs, borne out by the club motto “Living the traditions of golf”.

The origins of the city of Krefeld, which is located on the western banks of the River Rhein, date back to Roman times. The golf course is not an antiquity but Karl Hoffmann and Bernhard von Limburg laid out today’s course at Krefelder Golf Club in the late 1930s, so it is a relatively old fashioned layout by modern standards.

The topography of the land is relatively level with pleasant contours making for easy walking. With its tree-lined fairways and relatively modest 6,082-metre length, Krefelder requires accuracy rather than length from the tee, especially as more than half the holes on the course are doglegged in shape. The greens are slightly raised, well protected by bunkers and fairly small in size, so a good short game is required in order to master Krefelder.

We understand that Howard Swan is currently engaged in alteration work at the club, so we’ll try and establish the latest position and report back.

Krefelder

With its tree-lined fairways and relatively modest 6,082-metre length, Krefelder requires accuracy rather than length from the tee...

There are three or four golf clubs that call themselves after the city of Köln (Cologne), but Golf- und Land-Club Köln is the original and has the rest riding on its coattails – despite being the only one on the "Schäl Sick" (local dialect for the wrong side of the Rhine). The majestic river used to be the border between civilisation (the Roman Empire on the left side) and wilderness ("barbaric" tribes on the right side) and that distinction has survived – at least in the minds of those on the correct side!

The club was originally formed on the “correct” side of the river in 1906 and it was where it operated its first 9-hole course. The subsequent move to 18 holes in 1952 necessitated a move across the river to the "Schäl Sick". However, some members were not interested in leaving the correct side and stayed with their 9-holer, which is called Marienburger Golf-Club today. Bernhard von Limburger then routed the new championship layout through the dense forest at Refrath with the intention to test the best golfers and reward accuracy rather than length off the tee.

A 17-year-old Bernhard Langer bagged his first professional win here in 1975. Three years later the German Open came to town and Seve Ballesteros shot 20 under par to beat Neil Coles by two shots. The event returned to Cologne in 1983 when Corey Pavin won by three shots from Seve and Tony Johnstone.

In 2010 a new event appeared on the European Senior Tour. The Berenberg Bank Masters was first hosted in South Africa, played on the 

, but in 2011 and 2013 the event was contested over the classical old course here at the Golf- und Land-Club Köln.

A meandering creek, reinforced with ominous stone walls, comes into play between the 11th and 13th holes, but the main obstacle to a good score at Köln is not water but wood and sand – trees line each and every fairway and deep greenside bunkers protect many of the putting surfaces.

The hardest hole on the card is the 440-yard par four 6th where fairway bunkers either side of the landing area on the slight left doglegged fairway put a high premium on accurate tee shots – avoid these traps at all costs in order to have a chance of a par four here. If you do manage to tame the 6th, the 7th curves the opposite way and is even longer.

Despite the very dense forest, there is no glaring tree encroachment. The fairway bunkers are all visible and there are no overhanging limbs near the tees or greens. The playing angles are mostly intact and even average golfers stand a fighting chance of avoiding the trees during their round. The shadows are very long; consequently the fairways do not get much sun and wind, so the club does its best to rectify that situation by deploying a lot of sand.

The atmosphere of the place is aptly described on the club's website – "folks have been playing golf for a little longer here". Few obvious concessions to the modern world have been made, but behind the scenes Köln is a very professional operation.

Golf- und Land-Club Köln recently commissioned Infinite Variety Golf Design to restore the bunkering. The architects involved kindly commented as follows:

Frank Pont: “Dr. von Limburger was undoubtedly the best German golf architect ever. Refrath may be his best course, given the smart routing and the immense quality of the green complexes. The course needed some refreshing, and our bunker renovation was hopefully just the start of a careful, long-term restoration of a real jewel.”

Hendrik Hilgert: “Our philosophy was to largely restore the old Limburger bunkers which allowed us to bring back many of the original hole strategies which had been lost over time. Furthermore, we convinced the club to go back to the original classic bunker style with flashy sand faces which greatly increased bunker visibility and adds a lot of beauty to the course. Last but not least we used modern bunker construction technology to improve playability and reduce maintenance requirements.”

Köln

Founded in 1906, Golf- und Land-Club Köln is one of Germany’s oldest golf clubs and the course in play today, which dates back to 1952, is routed through the dense forest at Refrath.

Bernhard von Limburger originally designed the golf course at Lindau-Bad Schachen in the 1950s, when it must have been a very scenic spot looking out over Lake Constance to the Alps beyond. Lake and mountains are still present, of course, but modern times have added a busy road and industrial as well as residential developments. This caused several changes and redesigns of the layout, which lies on two distinct levels today. The lower area holds the first six holes, the 7th plays up to the higher plateau and the 17th back down to the level of the clubhouse.

Prolific Lindau-based golf architect Kurt Rossknecht was president of the club for many years and took charge of the necessary changes, while adding quite a few touches of his own. Despite his stewardship, a number of slightly awkward challenges posed by the site's restrictions remain: A short dogleg par five with an unreachable bend, an excessively long par three with no straight line to the green and a par four that is completely surrounded by internal out of bounds. But there are also many fascinating holes, especially in the last two thirds of the round, where the most interesting terrain is found.

The general conditioning is held back a bit by less than great drainage and loamy soil, but the greens are in good nick, so there is some solid golf to be played. To be sure, many par fours are tightened up at the green, often with a frontal water hazard, making the course anything but a pushover.

With the exception of some ultra-bizarre signage at the first tee, which authorises members to take the law into their own hands against misbehaving trespassers, it is a very agreeable experience to play here. The routing – a classic out and back affair – has a good flow to it and the view from #16 and #17 is as great as it ever was. Despite the practical deficiencies, Lindau Bad Schachen manages to be more than the sum of its parts.

Lindau

Despite the practical deficiencies, the course at Lindau Bad Schachen Golf Club manages to be more than the sum of its parts.

Bernhard von Limburger laid out the original 9-hole course at Golf Club Lohersand across a forested heathland property in 1959. It then took another forty years before the layout was expanded to the eighteen holes that are in play today.

The layout extends to a modest overall length of 5,480 metres from the back tees, with par set at 71 (out in 35 then back in 36). Water comes into play at three holes on the outward half: the par five 2nd, the par three 6th, and the short par four 7th which are all routed around a large irrigation lake.

Highlight holes include the right doglegging par five 5th (with four fairway bunkers and three greenside traps to avoid); the short par four 12th (with a huge bunker protecting the front of the green); and the last of the par threes at the 152-metre 17th, located in the southwest corner of the property.

Lohersand

Bernhard von Limburger laid out the original 9-hole course at Golf Club Lohersand across a forested heathland property in 1959. 

In 1979 Bernhard von Limburger designed his last course near Wiesbaden for the Golf Club Main-Taunus. At this point he had worked on more than a third of all German courses in existence. This certainly makes him the most productive German golf architect ever, but he also kept his quality level consistent and never delivered a poor product. At Main-Taunus he was at the height of his powers, crafting a very respectable course out of practically nothing. The site would be dull anywhere in the world, but here it sits in an especially depressing area of industrialised agriculture. Not only did “Limmy” conceal the ugliness, he also did it without simply tree-lining every fairway and still managed to bring about an atmosphere of intimacy and elegance. This is one course that does not mesh well with its surroundings and is the better for it.

Despite the absence of either natural features or a big budget, the German master architect succeeded in creating a challenging and interesting track with hardly any repetitive holes. While it would not be confused with an English parkland sensation a la Colt’s 

, it is very much in that tradition and style. Working under the general constraints that von Limburger faced it is probably the best course that could have been built here.

The planting of trees is not universally popular among golfers, but often the only economical and effective measure to structure a routing. Consequently, trees do play a large role here, but never in a confining way. They are used to create strategic playing angles and to frame transition zones between the holes.

Some nicely grown in water hazards and a few undulations make for a diversified long game, whereas the distinctive green complexes with their classically shaped approaches and bunkers test the short game. Compared to the greenside bunkers, the fairway traps are weak and look like an afterthought. It may be an improvement to either fill them in or turn them into grass bunkers.

After modest beginnings this club has become a quality venue and is a testament to how skills can compensate for limited resources.

Main-Taunus

In 1979 Bernhard von Limburger designed his last course near Wiesbaden for the Golf Club Main-Taunus. At this point he had worked on more than a third of all German courses in existence.

Austria

Murhof is located to a few kilometres to the north of the historic city of Graz, which is listed by Unesco as a World Heritage Centre.

The Golf Club at Murhof is set most enchantingly in English park-like surroundings and the club was founded in 1963 and the course was designed by of Bernhard von Limburger when very few locals were interested in golf. It was a bold move, which has paid off and Murhof is now one of Austria’s best golf course and it attracts many visitors through its own high reputation.

Not resting on their laurels, in 1996 the club commissioned Michael Pinner (formerly with Nicklaus Design) to renovate the course and this project was completed in 2000.

The most demanding stretch of holes on the course is between the 5th and 11th where only one of the three par fives and four par fours is less than 450 yards. The best is the 470-yard par four 6th where water to the right threatens the tee shot then a tree in the middle of the fairway hampers the approach to a well-guarded green.

Recently installed fairway irrigation has removed the issue of dried out fairways and now the club can guarantee the quality during the heat of summer. Naturally you will need to play here at Golf Club Murhof between early spring and late autumn, as most of Austria becomes a big ski resort during the winter months.

Murhof

Golf Club Murhof is set most enchantingly and Bernhard von Limburger designed it in 1963 when few locals were interested in golf.

Münchener Golf Club dates back to 1910 but its current 27-hole golf facility is relatively modern. Eighteen Bernhard von Limburger holes were unveiled in 1964 and Kurt Rossknecht added another nine in 1996 before Perry Dye carried out a complete remodel a decade later.

Münchener (B & C)

Wiesbaden has a long history of golf; the oldest still-existing club (aptly named Wiesbadener Golf-Club) was founded here in 1893 and it moved to the present "Chausseehaus" site in 1911. After World War II that course was occupied by the American military, who brought a large contingent of golfers to Germany. When it became clear that the wee 9 holer could not keep up with demand (and the German club lobbied to get it back), the US Air Force decided to build their own 18-hole course nearby for exclusive military use. Bernhard von Limburger and Herbert E. Gaertner were the only German golf architects at the time and according to the club both were involved in creating the new Rheinblick course in 1955.

In 1977 German players were admitted and a German club called "Rhein-Main" was established. The politically correct "GC Rhein-Main/Rheinblick Course" is certainly a mouthful, but the rather shorter moniker of "Rheinbrick" fell out of use since fairway irrigation was installed in a massive "millennium update". Not quite as comprehensive, but just as well received was David Krause's renovation in 2013.

 the course was built on heavily undulated, but fairly open land and subsequent tree plantings have changed its character substantially. Nevertheless, Rheinblick still offers a glimpse of how Alister MacKenzie's masterpiece might have played in its formative years: very firm from tee to green, solid strategic options and a smattering of ground game throughout.

The routing succeeds on several fronts. First, it provides a great mixture of long and short holes, of narrow and wide fairways and the best green sites were reserved for the par threes. Second, it levels the playing field. Long hitters have a few opportunities to cut doglegs and bomb the occasional driver. The par fives are mostly reachable in two, but other than that, short and accurate players can easily stand their ground. Especially when they're good putters, because even solid ball strikers will struggle to create enough spin on the very firm and undulated greens. Most of the collars are cut relatively short, too, although not to fairway height. Third, the routing cares for walkers and fourth, average hitters off the members' tee can reach most holes in regulation.

As for any tree-lined course, there will be balls in the woods and tree management is a constant challenge. But despite a number of hanging fairways a good shot will not disappear in the forest and a bad shot is often retrievable. Fans of quirky tracks will love the experience, perhaps for different reasons, but just as much as competitive golfers.

It's a truly American venue in the best sense of the word.

Rhein-Main

The oldest still-existing golf club in Germany is the one in Wiesbaden, which was founded in 1893 and moved to the present "Chausseehaus" site in 1911.

Established in 1966, the course at Golfclub Siegen-Olpe comprises a delightful mix: some holes feature typical, open parkland fairways while others are cut through dense woodland areas. Combined, they serve up an entertaining 18-hole round of exceptional variety.

Siegen-Olpe

Stuttgarter Golf Club Solitude was founded way back in 1927 but prolific architect Dr Bernhard von Limburger designed the current layout in the late 1960s. It is set on gently rolling terrain on the edge of the Black Forest. Host venue to the Linde German Masters in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Stuttgarter was known as an accomplished tournament test with clever bunkering and tricky raised greens. But newer developments, especially at St. Leon-Rot, have taken over the professional circuit, so in the mid 2000s Thomas Himmel was brought in to re-establish former glory.

The relatively generous fairway width was preserved, but the greens of the small, upturned saucer type that Bernhard von Limburger saw on so many classic English parkland courses, were changed completely. Thomas Himmel enlarged many and repositioned those that didn't get any sun or wind. The challenge now isn't finding the greens anymore, but putting through the subtle breaks that run in all directions and are very hard to see. It is not uncommon to see the ball rolling towards the hole, but turning away at the last moment. The bunkering was modernised as well, so this already quite affable course has been streamlined further to a championship style and the conditioning keeps pace with those ambitions. Except for the clay-based soil that is; fairways would benefit from generous sand capping. Nevertheless, some top amateur events have returned to Stuttgart with its fine collection of long par fours and lovely single-shot holes.

For mid-to-low handicappers the tidy layout provides all the information they need – except perhaps for one or two spots in the middle of the front nine, where things do get a bit wild. These are also the most interesting holes, although better players will probably just hit a couple of precise irons and be done with it. The routing flows quite organically over much of the site – not counting a few unimaginative side-by-side fairways at the beginning of the back nine and the "Via Mala", a steep walk after hole 3 that the Tour Pros were actually driven up in carts. There's a 100-hole competition at the club, so those contestants will have to walk it six times in one day – ouch!

Stuttgarter Solitude

Stuttgarter Golf Club Solitude was founded way back in 1927 but the prolific architect Dr Bernhard von Limburger designed the current layout in the late 1960s.

Westfälischer Golf Club is located about five kilometres to the south of the town of Gütersloh and they commissioned the renowned architect Dr. Bernhard von Limburger to design the course, which opened for play in 1969.

Westfälischer is laid out is a delightful park-like setting where mature trees flank the majority of fairways. Measuring a little more than 6,000 metres from the men’s tees, Westfälischer is not long by modern standards so accuracy rather than length is needed from the tee, especially on some of the more doglegged holes.

Perhaps this is one of Bernhard von Limburger’s better designs and, some forty years after the course opened for play, it is still providing a classic test in elegant surroundings for golfers of all abilities.

Westfalischer Gutersloh

Westfälischer Golf Club is located about five kilometres to the south of the town of Gütersloh and they commissioned the renowned architect Dr. Bernhard von Limburger to design the course...

At the Club zur Vahr nestles one of the more renowned courses in Germany due to having hosted the German Open in 1985, one of several occasions when Bernhard Langer won the trophy.

Club zur Vahr has a 9-hole course in the city of Bremen, called Vahr, and the full 18-hole championship layout at Garlstedt, a 20-minute drive north of the city centre. Established in 1905, the club once promoted a wide range of sports including athletics, polo, cricket and rugby. These were all suspended at the end of the war in 1945 when the club grounds were taken over by US forces, but the club was brought back under German control in 1952.

Nowadays, Club zur Vahr confines its sporting activities to hockey, tennis, skeet shooting and, of course, golf. The Bernhard von Limburger-designed Garlstedt course dates back to 1963.

, “the course occupies 220 acres in thickly forested, undulating countryside... It is dominated by pine trees, tall and dense, crowding in from tee to green, controlling play on holes which bend narrowly to generally small targets. The strategic effect of the forest was such that it was necessary to construct only twenty-four bunkers... Since its completion, the Garlstedter course has commanded respect from all who have played there and appreciated its disciplines.”


Unfortunately the club has always struggled with moisture in the fairways, which led to frequent delays in tournaments and ultimately cost Garlstedter Heide its status as a fixture on the professional circuit. A 2004 renovation by Christoph Städler improved the situation around the greens and bunkers, but the general nature of the sticky soil is obviously still a factor and tree management remains an on-going challenge.


zur Vahr Bremen (Garlstedt)

At the Club zur Vahr nestles one of Germany’s best courses. Carved through a pine forest, the course is known as Garlstedt and some say it’s even better after its 2004 facelift when all greens, tees and bunkers were renovated by Christoph Staedler.

Bernhard von Limburger learned the game of golf in Scotland as a young boy and joined the local Gaschwitz Golf Club near his hometown of Leipzig. ‘Limmy’, as he was nicknamed, soon became an excellent amateur golfer, winning the German Amateur Closed Championship three times between 1921 and 1925, and he went on to represent Germany thirty-five times in international golf competition.

“He earned a degree in law but never practiced,” wrote Geoff Cornish and Ron Whitten in 

, “choosing instead to publish a German golf magazine that he edited until the mid-1930s. During this period, he laid out a few courses that were, by his own admission, terrible designs.

In the late 1930s Limburger formed a partnership with Berlin golf professional Karl Hoffman, already an accomplished designer. Hoffman and Limburger created several top courses in Germany before World War II and also operated a number of them. But their business was terminated by the war, and Limburger returned to his native Leipzig, which became part of the Communist zone after the war.”

 was the official voice of the German Golf Association until 1943,” said golf historian, Christoph Meister, “when the journal was discontinued due to war-related printing paper shortages. After the war Limmy felt it did not make sense to continue to publish a golf journal, as most people in Germany had other worries.”

“After 1945,” continues Meister, “von Limburger lost most of his property in Leipzig, then part of the Soviet zone. He had to start all over again… By this time Bernhard had already found his true vocation: golf course architecture… Many years later Limmy expressed relief that, due to the influx of communism in Eastern Germany, meadows and potato fields now covered his juvenile sins.”

“Hoffman and Limburger resumed their practice at the war’s close,” wrote Cornish and Whitten, “but Hoffman died in the early 1950s. Limburger was successful in landing several commissions to build courses for American military bases in the newly created West Germany in the later 1940s, and by the 1950s he was designing full-time.”

Christoph Meister picks up the story: “During the late 1960s von Limburger started a partnership with 

 and Peter Alliss. One very interesting project saw Limmy travel to Persia to design a course for the Shah on the coast of the Caspian Sea. The only completed project of this partnership was the redesign of the Dufferin course at Clandeboye in Northern Ireland – but this at least fulfilled von Limburger's lifetime dream to design a course on the British Isles.

In the end it is Garlstedt that was von Limburger's masterpiece of strategic design. On almost every par four and par five hole it is very important to place the ball on the correct side of the fairway to have a significant advantage for the second stroke. Christoph Städler, one of today's leading architects in Germany and a former national amateur champion, goes as far as to say that he knows of no other course in Germany with a strategic design implemented so effectively. No single hole resembles any other, even though most are closely treelined. The green-fee player will remember many holes, even after a single visit…

It was always von Limburger's aim to build courses, which after a couple of years looked as if they had always been there. Many of von Limburger's courses fit well into their natural environment, and courses like Refrath or Garlstedt do indeed look as if they have always been there. Only Limmy himself would remember the volume of earth moved during the time of construction.”

“Always a strong advocate of strategic design and a strong opponent of water hazards and overbunkering (especially with what he termed ‘jigsaw-puzzle’ pieces’),” wrote Cornish & Whitten, “Limburger developed a distinctly European style of golf architecture. All German Open tournaments after World War II through 1978 were played on course he had designed or revised.”

The final word goes to Christoph Meister: “Bernhard von Limburger dedicated almost sixty years of his life to the game of golf and during his lifetime (1901-1981) he was clearly the most important golf course architect in Germany. Modern architects like Städler and Swan have been successful in modernising Limmy's courses, keeping his spirit and style but adapting to today's standards and requirements.”

"A strong advocate of strategic design and a strong opponent of water hazards and overbunkering, Limburger developed a distinctly European style of golf architecture. All German Open tournaments after WWII through 1978 were played on courses he had designed or revised."  The Architects of Golf  by Geoff Cornish and Ron Whitten 