Wien

Lively Linz in Upper Austria – an above average golf destination We visit the Home of the PGA of Austria Golf didn’t officially arrive in Austria until Willie Park Jnr laid out a course within the famous Prater public park for Golf Club Wien in 1901. The sport was a little slow to catch on initially as it took another twenty-five years for another golfing layout to appear, when Desider Lauber set out a course at the hoiday resort of Semmering. Nowadays, there are just over a hundred thousand golfers registered with the national governing body through 156 golf facilities which are spread out across nine regions. We like to think that we keep up to date with what’s going on in Austria, maintaining ties with a few journalists who’ve been in touch with us in recent times. We also have our own Alpine correspondent, of course, and it’s only a couple of months in fact since François teed it up at several of the top tracks in the country, including the number 1 course at Fontana. Click this link to read his latest Austrian reviews. This year, the European Golf and Travel Media Association formed an alliance with the PGAs of Europe and, as a result of this new partnership, an invitation was extended by one of the PGA of Austria member clubs for EGTMA members to visit the organisation’s national training centre just outside Linz. As this particular golfing destination at Golfpark Metzenhof was one that we knew nothing about, it seemed only right to have a look at what it had to offer golfers. Metzenhof is one of seven golf courses in close proximity to Linz and it’s where the Home of the PGA of Austria is situated, half an hour’s drive south east of the city centre. Metzenhof is a family run business, established by Robert Leitner in 2004, with his daughter Melanie and son Michael now in charge of general operations and his wife Renate looking after the 31-bedroom hotel and restaurant which are attached to the clubhouse. The 18-hole layout was designed by architect Hans Georg Erhardt and it’s complemented by a 3-hole short course, driving range and practice area. In October, the club opens a new training centre, which will be fully equipped with all the latest technology to support Head Professional Florian Haempel and his assistants when they’re coaching the next generation of up and coming young professional golfers. The golf course was constructed in three phases, with five holes added to the original nine in 2008 before the 18-hole layout was then completed in 2010. All told, around 700,000 cubic metres of earth was moved during construction to add some contouring to the property because the local terrain is rather flat, as can still be seen with the surrounding farmland. It’s actually quite hard to imagine that less than twenty years ago Metzenhof was just another collection of agricultural fields. EGTMA delegates on the Press Trip were also given the opportunity to call in on another typical golf facility in the area and so an excursion was made to the 27-hole complex at Golf Resort Kremstal, which hosted both the Austrian Women’s and Senior Women’s Amateur Championships last year. The Bergergutkurs and Panoramakurs nines comprise the main 18-hole layout here, with the new downhill par three at the 169-metre 2nd by far the best hole on the scorecard at this lovely little stay and play resort. It would have been remiss to not check out the highest ranked course in the neighbourhood, Linz St Florian, which currently occupies the number 9 spot in our Austrian Top 30 listings, so another outing was arranged to run the rule over a mid-1970s Donald Harradine layout that has since been redesigned by Hans Georg Erhardt. The course is the best in the region, set next to the spectacular edifice of Tillysburg Castle which looms large over the district. There was still time for a quick tour of Linz before heading for home, preceded by a look over the city centre from Pöstlingberg, a hill to the north of the city that’s popular with tourists because of its fabulous viewing platforms over the industrial, commercial and residential areas that lie on either side of the mighty Danube, some 500 metres below. On reaching ground level again and parking just off the Landstraße (main street), it was just a short stroll to find the Lentos modern art gallery and Ars Electronica Center museum located on opposite banks of the river – whoever said golf and culture don’t mix? Linz isn’t exactly well known as a golfing hotspot, so it’s a bit of a tough task to try and entice people away from their usual overseas haunts in the Algarve or the Costa del Sol, especially when these destinations don’t shut in the winter like most of the courses in Austria. Nonetheless, Linz is only a short road trip away for golfers in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and southeast Germany and a mere 2-hour flight (twice a week) from London Stansted, so it’s definitely worth considering as an alternative place to play good quality golf at a very affordable price. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses

Europe's golf map stretches well beyond the famous names. Away from the links of Scotland and Ireland and the better-known resort destinations of Spain and Portugal, there are outstanding courses tucked into mountain valleys, Baltic coastlines and forests across the continent. From Switzerland to Estonia, these are courses that can be easy to overlook when planning a golf trip, despite offering the scenery, character and quality to make the journey worthwhile. We've picked 10 of Europe's biggest hidden gems, with every course coming from a different country. Andermatt Golf Course (Uri, Switzerland) Switzerland Ranking: 12th | Green Fees: From 130 CHF (€137) At around 1,400 metres above sea level, Andermatt Swiss Alps is surrounded by mountains, but the course itself is not quite the mountain layout you might expect. Designed by Kurt Rossknecht and opened in 2016, much of the 130-hectare course is relatively flat, with long rough lining the fairways and few trees giving it a links-like character. The third and fourth holes provide a dramatic change of pace, climbing through the rocky terrain at the end of the valley, while natural streams and water hazards feature elsewhere on the layout. The surroundings are impossible to ignore, with mountain ranges encircling the course and the sound of Alpine streams and grazing cows completing the experience. Pärnu Bay Golf Links (Pärnu Maakond, Estonia) Estonia Ranking: 1st | Continental Europe Ranking: 52nd | Green Fees: From €75 Estonia is hardly the first country that springs to mind when planning a European golf trip, which is precisely why Pärnu Bay Golf Links deserves a place on this list. Opened in 2015, the Lassi Pekka Tilander design occupies a narrow strip of sandy land where forest meets the Baltic Sea. Wide fairways, expansive waste areas and bold, multi-tiered greens give the course a links-like character, while the firm fescue surfaces reward a low, running game. Lead shaper Mick McShane, whose CV includes Kingsbarns, helped bring the design to life. Pärnu Bay may be off the beaten track, but it is one of the Baltics' standout layouts. Adamstal Golf Club - Championship Course (Niederösterreich, Austria) Austria Ranking: 1st | Continental Europe Ranking: 89th | Green Fees: €115 Tucked into a wooded valley southwest of Vienna, Adamstal feels a long way from the Austrian capital and even further from the usual European golf itinerary. Yet this spectacular mountain course has been Austria’s No. 1 on Top100’s national rankings and has hosted several editions of the Challenge Tour’s Euram Bank Open. Canadian architect Jeff Howes shaped the Championship course around the natural contours of the valley, with the 10th and 11th climbing into the mountains before dramatic elevated tees reveal the landscape below. The course even has a settle-the-bet 19th hole, a par three tucked into a pretty valley beside a mountain spring that has supplied Adamstal with drinking water for more than a century. Thracian Cliffs Golf & Beach Resort (Dobrich Province, Bulgaria) Bulgaria Ranking: 1st | Continental Europe Ranking: 43rd | Green Fees: €119 Perched on Bulgaria's northern Black Sea coast, Thracian Cliffs is one of Europe's most spectacular coastal golf courses. Gary Player’s signature design opened in 2011, with the holes carved along a narrow strip of land between high cliffs and the sea. The Black Sea is visible from every hole, while dramatic elevation changes add another dimension to the experience. The course hosted the 2013 World Match Play Championship, won by Graeme McDowell, and has featured prominently in Top100’s Continental Europe rankings. Alongside nearby BlackSeaRama and Lighthouse, Thracian Cliffs forms part of an unlikely but compelling golf destination on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast. Zala Springs Golf Resort (Hungary) Hungary Ranking: 1st | Green Fees: 41,900 HUF (€114) Set among the rolling hills of western Hungary, Zala Springs combines a Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed course with the thermal waters of nearby Hévíz. Opened in 2016, the 160-hectare layout winds through a landscape of lakes, natural rock formations and mature vegetation, with plenty of water coming into play. The 12th is among the standout holes, requiring an all-carry shot over an intimidating lake, while the ninth features a distinctive Biarritz green. Zala Springs is ranked Hungary’s No. 1 course by Top100 and offers something increasingly rare in modern golf: a high-quality course paired with a destination where golf is only part of the holiday. Kytäjä Golf – South East Course (Finland) Finland Ranking: 4th | Green Fees: From €90 Just 30 minutes north of Helsinki, Kytäjä's South East course offers a very different side of Finnish golf. Designed by Canadian architect Thomas McBroom and opened in 2003, it was his first Scandinavian project. The front nine winds through undulating woodland, before the back nine opens out across flatter terrain and towards the shores of Lake Kytäjä. Those lakeside holes provide some of the course’s most impressive views, with the surrounding Finnish landscape never far from sight. Kytäjä may be a relatively unfamiliar name to travelling golfers, but visitors are warmly received and there is plenty to discover. Karlštejn Golf Resort – A&B Course (Central Bohemian Region, Czechia) Czechia Ranking: 4th | Green Fees: From 1,900 CZK (€78) Golf in the grounds of a medieval castle is a pretty good way to spend a day in Czechia. Around 30 kilometres southwest of Prague, Karlštejn Golf Resort winds through a hilly, wooded landscape beneath the famous Karlštejn Castle, with limestone outcrops, ravines and a couple of lakes adding plenty of character. The 6,324-metre course was designed by Canadian architect Les Furber, who returned in 2006 to add a further nine holes. The original layout has also hosted a Ladies European Tour event, adding some serious pedigree to an otherwise wonderfully secluded setting. With Prague close by and the castle looming over the landscape, Karlštejn offers a memorable combination of golf and sightseeing. Golf Club Tále - Gray Bear Course (Slovakia) Slovakia Ranking: 3rd | Green Fees: From €75 Set in a mountain valley beneath the Low Tatras, Gray Bear was the first 18-hole championship course to open in Slovakia when it welcomed its first golfers in 2002. Designed by Americans Bob Walton and Skip Malek, the course occupies 160 acres of spruce forest within Tále National Park, weaving between open meadows and dense woodland. Streams, boulders, stone walls and specimen pines are incorporated throughout the layout, giving it a distinctly natural character. The 6th is the signature hole, with a stream crossing the fairway before the hole sweeps downhill towards a green surrounded on three sides by water. With the Low Tatras providing a dramatic backdrop throughout, Gray Bear is a memorable introduction to golf in Slovakia and an easy addition to a wider trip through the country. Golf Grad Otočec (Novo Mesto, Slovenia) Slovenia Ranking: 2nd | Green Fees: €80 Set among the heavily forested hills of Dolenjska, Grad Otočec winds through an undulating 185-acre property beside the River Krka. The course is a collaboration between Howard Swan and local architect Peter Škofic, with tight playing corridors creating an unusual sense of seclusion as the fairways twist through the woodland. The 3rd is a standout, with the par five turning towards a sunken, blind green, while the 12th stretches to 568 metres and demands three long, straight shots. Adding to the appeal, Otočec Castle sits nearby on an island in the river, giving visiting golfers the chance to stay in a genuine Slovenian castle after their round. Miklagard Golf (Viken, Norway) Norway Ranking: 2nd | Green Fees: From 850 NOK (€78) Just 10 minutes from Oslo Airport, Miklagard is remarkably convenient for a course of its stature. Robert Trent Jones Jr. designed it as Norway’s first championship course, with the layout purpose-built to host national and international tournaments. It is a big, bold test, with significant elevation changes, large bunkers and fast, contoured greens. A 2019 remodelling project added five new holes and reshaped the opening, while a hotel now occupies the former practice area. Its combination of accessibility, pedigree and championship credentials makes it an easy addition to a golf trip through Norway.

Thanks to the contributions of an enlarged group of panellists, our Austrian listings have been expanded from a Top 40 to a Top 50, with five courses dropping out from the old chart and 15 coming in to help define the new line-up. Only four courses remain in the same position during this revision and one of them is Adamstal, our national #1 which took over the top slot from Fontana in 2018. Adamstal The 18-hole Championship layout at Golf Club Adamstal – Franz Wittmann near Ramsauis is a Jeff Howes redesign from the late 1990s and it has graced our Continental Europe Top 100 over the last ten years, with the course currently residing at #85 in those standings. The Challenge Tour’s Euram Bank Open has been held here since 2018 so it’s a championship-calibre layout capable of testing the top professionals. Earlier this year, a reviewer posted: “Wow. What a course. We played on a hot summer’s day and even for a fairly fit 60-year-old a buggy was essential. Every hole on this course could be described as a signature hole and the views are simply breathtakingly awesome. The condition of the course bearing in mind it’s covered in snow part of the year was superb. A must play if anywhere near.” Linz St Florian The course at Golf Club Linz St. Florian dropped out of the elite Austrian Top 10 echelon in 2018 but it now advances seven places to #9, the joint-highest ranking position it has held in our chart. This manicured parkland layout was originally designed by Donald Harradine in the mid-1970s then Hans-Georg Erhardt conducted a renovation on the Tillysburg Estate during the 1990s.  Seefeld-Wildmoos Soaring nine places up the chart to #10, the course at Golfclub Seefeld-Wildmoos near Innsbruck is another Donald Harradine production dating back half a century to the early 1970s. We understand the architect’s son Peter is due to carry out renovation work later this year (involving the creation of a couple of new irrigation lakes) and this should ensure the Harradine design legacy lives on for at least another fifty years. Just last month our Alpine Correspondent Francois Gacougnolle wrote: “If you want to discover what excellent alpine golf can be, Seefeld-Wildmoos is a great place to start (where) everything must be earned it seems. Just getting there is an adventure as the entrance lies at the end of a 3-km ever-winding, narrow-access road the club shares with hikers most of the way. The clubhouse sits atop a hill some 200 metres from the parking lot. A friendly welcome, and then… the fun and surprises begin.” Klagenfurt - Seltenheim The Perry Dye-designed course at Golfclub Klagenfurt-Seltenheim occupied a Top 10 position for the first four biennial editions of our Austrian chart but it then fell from grace to #18 in 2016, dropping further down the rankings since then. It now enjoys a turnaround in fortunes, climbing eight spots to #15. Older browsers of this site might remember seeing this course appear in the 'Peugeot Golf Guide of Europe’s Top 1000 Golf Courses' where it was awarded a mark of 17 out of 20 in the 2008/9 edition of the book, putting it among the top 25% of featured courses on the continent at that time. Haugschlag Rising eleven to #22, the Haugschlag course at the 36-hole Golfresort Haugschlag lies next to the border with the Czech Republic and it also lies in the shadow of its slightly shorter sibling, the Waldviertel course, which staged the Austrian Open three times in the mid-1990s. The Haugschlag saves the best until last at the short par three 18th, where the round concludes with a tee shot to an island green next to the clubhouse.  Saalbach-Hinterglemm Progressing a remarkable thirteen places to #25, the Kitzeinhorn course at Golfclub Zell am See-Kaprun Saalbach-Hinterglemm sits on the north bank of the Salzach River, named after one of the local mountain peaks. Donald Harradine laid out the original 27 holes at this 36-hole facility, nine of which are used for the Kitzeinhorn, along with another nine that were subsequently added by Hermann Schauer. Ottenstein The highest newcomer arrives at #24 and it’s the course at Diamond Club Ottenstein which is set between the villages of Niedergrünbach and Marbach im Felde in Lower Austria. The first nine holes of the Bird Course were designed by Keith Preston in 1991, with Hans-Georg Erhardt adding another 9-hole loop four years later. Six of the eighteen holes feature water hazards, adding another dimension to the golfing splendour at this fine golfing establishment. To view the entire detailed list of our latest Top 50 Golf Courses of Austria click the link. View list here. If you have any comment to make on the above chart then please use the “Respond to this article” link at the top or bottom of this page. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses