​Top 100 Golf Courses revises its Alpine rankings 2020

Top 100 Golf Courses updates its Alpine rankings 2018 We’ve been ranking courses in Austria and Switzerland since 2008 so this is the 5th biennial revision of the national listings for the two Alpine countries that we’ve conducted. Austria is home to around 160 courses at the last count, with Switzerland having just under 100, which lists them at 11th and 16th respectively in a table of golf course provision in Europe (including GB&I). There are 100,000 registered Austrian golfers and 90,000 fully paid up Swiss golfers and both nations have a surprisingly large percentage of female participants; 35% for Austria – the joint second highest in Europe – and 34% for Switzerland against a European average of 25%, as detailed in a KPMG document entitled Golf Participation Report for Europe 2017. Austria Golf in Austria was officially established in 1901 when Ambassador Plunkett from the British Embassy and a British diplomat named Andrew Percy approached Count Althann to negotiate a lease of the hunting grounds of Prater Park in Vienna with Emperor Franz Joseph. Willie Park Jnr, who’d already designed several courses in France and Belgium, was commissioned to peg out his first Austrian golf project in the heart of Vienna and this course remained in play for almost fifty years before the club moved to nearby premises. It took twenty-five years for another course to appear then three arrived in quick succession: at Semmering, Dellach and the International Country Club in Vienna. Soon after, new layouts appeared at Igls near Innsbruck, Achensee and Bad Ischl, close to Salzburg. By the end of the 1930s, there were around 800 golfers playing around the country but that number fell away to zero during World War II. Remarkably, there were still only around 700 golfers playing at the start of the 1960s so it’s really astonishing to see the extent that the game has grown in the last half a century! Let’s come bang up to date now and the big news for Austria is that long-time #1 layout and 12-time venue for the Austrian Open, Fontana, has been ousted from its perch at the top of the national chart by the Championship course at Adamstal, with the former falling one spot and the latter rising one place. Such is the quality of both tracks, they occupy positions in our Continental Europe Top 100 and another common link is that they were both designed by Canadian-born architects, with Doug Carrick setting out Fontana and Irish-based Jeff Howes fashioning Adamstal. Our Alpine correspondent François Gacougnolle visited both clubs last year and had this to say about Adamstal: “If you are planning to play golf in Austria, and especially if you are anywhere around Vienna, Adamstal is a must and will most probably be the highlight of your experience.” He was also impressed by what had been done to blend the course into the surrounding landscape: “the course looks and feels unbelievably natural , yet Jeff Howes caused 500,000 cubic meters of soil and rock to be moved or blasted when he added to the original design.” Regarding Fontana, François thought: “the design is very American in style, with rather large fairways, loads of bunkers, vast waste areas and water in play on nine holes… the condition of the whole venue is impeccable… great golf in a great setting”. Unfortunately, four new holes are being constructed at the moment to allow for residential development and compromising the integrity of the golf course for a real estate project is the main reason why the layout is no longer heading up the national listings. Only four courses make upward moves in our new Austrian Top 30 and the first of these is the 18-hole parkland layout at Golfclub Murhof, north of Graz (up two to 8), which was designed by Bernhard von Limburger in 1963 and subsequently renovated by former Nicklaus Design associate Michael Pinner in the late 1990s. More recently, it’s had a new irrigation system installed so golfers can always expect to find the fairways in top class condition during the warm summer months. Also climbing up the new chart, we have the former Ladies European Tour venue at Golfclub Föhrenwald (up six to 13) – which is another Jeff Howes layout located south of Vienna – and a couple of courses near Innsbruck, namely the three-year-old Diethard Fahrenleitner and Barbara Eisserer 18-hole layout at Golfclub Zillertal-Uderns (up three to 14) and Golfclub Seefeld-Wildmoos (up seven to 15), where Donald Harradine set out one of his earliest (and favourite) Austrian designs back in the early 1970s. The highest of our five chart newcomers is the Gunter and Gerald Hauser co-design of the Championship course at Golfclub Gut Murstätten, at number 9. Celebrating thirty years of operation this year, the course is situated to the south of Graz and it’s part of a 27-hole complex that also includes a 9-hole pitch and putt course, a 16-bay driving range and an extensive practice facility which also incorporates biomechanical analysis, flightscope ballistics analysis and a high-speed camera video system. Rank/ To view further details of our newly updated Austrian Top 30 rankings click the link. Switzerland The Swiss were a little quicker than their Austrian neighbours with golf development in their country, catering mainly for the influx of golfers on holiday in the summer. A short course commissioned by local hoteliers was in play at St Moritz Bad in 1890 and it was quickly followed by the 18-hole Samedan course for Engadine Golf Club just three years later. Early into the 20th century and new courses were opened at Montreux (1900), Lucerne (1903), Bad Razag (1905) and Crans-sur-Sierre (1907). More than a hundred years later, and with almost 100 courses now on offer, Switzerland continues to charm and entertain golfers with its dazzling selection of mountain courses set in wonderfully scenic locations. The Pete Dye-designed 18-hole layout at Golf Club du Domaine Impérial has been the number 1 course in Switzerland since we started ranking the country in 2008 and it remains top of our new chart, which we've now doubled in size to a Top 20. Domaine Impérial is also the only Swiss course to occupy a position in our Continental Europe Top 100, though it recently dropped out of the top half, falling to #67. Laid out on the northern shore of Lake Geneva, the course (along with its wonderful 158-year-old clubhouse) has to be one of the classiest spots to play golf in central Europe. Three courses advance upwards in our new listings: the Robert Trent Jones Snr-designed course at Golf Club de Gèneve (up one to number 2) which resides on the heights of Cologny overlooking Lake Geneva, the Colt/Alison and CK Cotton nines that Peter Harradine upgraded in the late 1990s at Golf Club Patriziale Ascona on Lake Maggiore (up one to number 4) and another Harradine new millennium design at nearby Golf Gerre Losone (up two to number 6), which has hosted the last seven editions of the Ladies Swiss Open on the Ladies European Tour. The highest new entry arrives at number 7 and it’s Jeremy Pern’s 18-hole layout at Golf Club de Vuissens, situated half an hour’s drive north of Lausanne. In truth, this course is a chart re-entry as it dropped out of our Top 10 last time around and it’s been as high as number 5 in the 2010 Swiss rankings. Our Alpine correspondent François Gacougnolle summed up a recent visit to Vuissens by saying: “this is one of the top courses in Switzerland in my opinion. Not easy, physically and mentaly tiring, but a lot of fun! Its only weakness being that it is far from just about everywhere, and not easy to find.” To view further details of our newly updated Switzerland Top 20 rankings click the link. We’re always keen to find out what you think of our re-ranked national listings in Europe so please make use of the “Respond to this article” link at the top or the bottom of this page if you’d like to get in touch regarding either our newly enlarged Top 20 for Switzerland or our Top 30 for Austria. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses

Top 100 Golf Courses updates its Alpine rankings 2016 Austrian and Swiss rankings undergo their biennial review Top 100 Golf Courses continues its biennial ranking exercise for courses in European countries by taking a look at the Alpine nations of Austria and Switzerland. Both of these mountainous regions attract serious numbers of sporting visitors during the winter when the ski season is in full swing but the terrain also offers golfers a pleasantly different type of playing environment during the summer months. Austria The Austrian National Tourist Office markets themed packages which combine golf with lakes, hill country, mountain views and so on, integrating dozens of courses with the culture and natural surroundings of the various local regions. We’d like to think we’re complementing this initiative to promote Austria as a golfing destination by doubling the number of courses that we feature and so we now maintain a Top 30 for the country. In our new standings, Fontana is still at number 1, a position it has held since we created the first classifications for this country eight years ago. It was the venue for the European Tour’s Austrian Open from 2006 to 2009 and the course also occupies a healthy position within our Continental Europe Top 100 so there’s absolutely no doubt about the quality of this twenty-year-old co-design from Doug Carrick and Hans Erhardt. Another Erhardt co-design – this time the result of a collaboration with Kurt Rossnecht – rises one place to number 5 and it’s the West course at Colony Club Gutenhof, which was the first in the country to establish a 36-hole facility. One recent reviewer praised the club for its “wonderful 36-hole layout just 20 minutes from Vienna. Both courses are challenging, the greens are up to the highest standard and the condition of both extremely good.” Climbing two spots to number 6, the Diamond course at Diamond Country Club is where the Austrian Open is currently staged, the event having moved there in 2010. Designed by Jeremy Pern and opened for play in 2002, this 18-hole layout has more than a modicum of water hazards to keep the top European Tour professionals on their game when they compete here annually for the national golf championship. Another two courses move up one position in our revised chart: Linz St Florian, which was laid out by Donald Harradine in the mid-1970s, is our new number 9. A recent 5-ball review advised: “if you are in Vienna, take an hour ride by train to Linz and play this wonderful course. It is worth it”. One place behind, at number 10, is the lovely old Bernhard von Limburger track at Murhof, where Michael Pinner carried out some renovation work at the end of the 1990s. Extending our coverage of courses in Austria means we have fifteen new entries in our new Top 30 chart, the highest of which, Mondsee, enters the listings at number 8. This mid-1980s design from Max Lamberg sits on the shores of Lake Mondsee in a truly gorgeous Upper Austria setting and it’s here where the medieval Mondsee Abbey was used for the wedding scene in the 1965 hit musical film The Sound of Music. To view further details of the Austrian Top 30 click the link. Switzerland Our Swiss ranking chart remains as a Top 10, with Domaine Imperial heading the list for the 5th successive edition of our national classifications. Designed by Pete Dye, but actually constructed on his behalf by Tim Liddy in the late 1980s, the course occupies a fabulous property on Lake Geneva, with sweeping views across its sparkling waters to Mont Blanc in the distance. The layout also rides high in our Top 100 Continental Europe listings, another indicator of just how highly regarded it is by many golfing experts. Rising one place to number 2, the old Herbert Narbert design at Lausanne was renovated by Jeremy Pern in the mid-1990s when he rebuilt all eighteen greens. Recent reviewers have commented on the encroachment of trees along the fairways, with one person saying: “bring your chainsaw!” Nevertheless, such criticism hasn’t prevented the course from becoming the runner up in our latest Swiss standings. The only other upward moving course in our revised Swiss chart is Ascona, which climbs a commendable two places to number 5. Originally laid out as a 9-hole track by Harry Colt and Hugh Alison back in the 1920s, the course was doubled in size by Ken Cotton thirty years later when he formed the layout that’s in play today close to Lake Maggiore. Our lone new entry is Bad Ragaz at number 7, where the Swiss Senior Open has been held for the last twenty years. Donald Harradine, who was involved in literally dozens of golf projects in Switzerland over many decades, extended the course to an 18-hole layout in the mid-1950s (along with Fred Hawtree) so it’s a track that has stood the test of time for more than half a century now. To view further details of the Swiss Top 10 click the link. Top 100 Golf Courses always welcomes comments when we publish updated national rankings so feel free to let us know what you think of these two revised charts. Have we left out a layout that really should be listed or do we feature a course that doesn’t deserve to be included? Please click the “Respond to this article” link at the top or at the bottom of the page if you’d like to give us your opinion. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses

Top 100 Golf Courses revises its 2014 Alpine rankings Austria and Switzerland are the latest European countries to receive a Top 100 ranking review 19 January 2014 Top 100 Golf Courses has been ranking courses in the Alpine countries of Austria and Switzerland since 2008. Although best known in a sporting context for their world-class ski resorts, these two small, mountainous nations are home to a surprising number of engaging golf layouts. In Austria, Fontana has been ranked as the national No.1 since our classifications for that country began. A former Austrian Open venue, this wonderful course also occupies a place in our Continental European listings, where you’ll currently find it at number 49. Two years after Fontana opened, in 1998 to be precise, architect Jeff Howes expanded the original 9-hole layout at Adamstal to a full 18-hole course and this modern track has now matured into what we think is the second best golf facility in Austria, claiming a place in our European Top 100 at number 70. Three upward movers in the Austrian chart also deserve a mention: The Kyle Phillips-designed Eichenheim course in the state of Tirol is certainly a special place to play and, after registering a fall in our chart of two years ago, it now advances three places to number 5. Dachstein-Taurenin the Styrian region is a fine 1987 Bernhard Langer creation that climbs four spots to enter the national Top 10 for the first time at number 9. Donald Harradine’s Linz, located within the Tillysburg Estate in the Danube Valley, also rises a creditable four positions to number 10. Across the border in Switzerland, the top two courses – both of which emanated from the drawing board of American-based architects – have been locked in the same positions for the four editions of the course rankings that we’ve published. Domaine Imperial, which is one of a very small number of European creations attributed to Pete Dye (all of which have actually been constructed by Tim Liddy), remains at the top of the national chart and it’s also listed at a lofty number 30 in our Continental European rankings. Tucked in just behind Mr Dye’s course, Robert Trent Jones Snr’s 18 holes at Geneva were first revealed to the golfing public in 1972 and the layout was chosen a couple of decades later to host the women’s world amateur team championships. This course also makes our European chart, squeezing in at number 100. Several other courses make modest one position moves up the Swiss table: Crans-sur-Sierre, following a Ballesteros upgrade, is now a firm favourite with European Tour pros. Schonenberg, a 1960s Donald Harradine design, lies to the south east of Zurich. Ascona, where Messrs Colt, Alison, Cotton and Harradine have all had a hand in shaping it down the years. Zumikon, an old Zurich layout, which Thomas Himmel has upgraded in recent times. Top 100 Golf Courses has never claimed to present “definitive” golf course rankings. Instead, we think we produce the “most informed” listings, taking into account data and opinion from as wide a range of sources as possible. If you think we’ve missed an Alpine Gem then do let us know. And please send us a course review should you have been lucky enough to play any of our featured courses in Austria or Switzerland. Jim McCann Editor www.top100golfcourses.com Click the link to see our new Austrian Top 15 in detail Click the link to our new Swiss Top 10 in detail