Think about Munich and a lot of instantly appealing aspects will spring to mind… the legendary beerhalls (and specifically world-famous Oktoberfest), Bayern Munich, a vibrant yet historic city centre.
Golf probably isn’t one of them and indeed golf breaks in Germany as a whole aren’t really on the radar of most British golfers.
So I think the vast majority of you would be surprised, as I was, at the breadth and quality of the courses in the Bavarian capital.
I was helped in getting to the best courses by Lindsay Gomer, a British ex-pat living in the city. After relocating to Munich in 2009 and with a passion for golf, he started playing the courses in Bavaria. Impressed with what he saw, in 2013 set up ‘bavaria4golf’, as an exclusively inbound golf tour operator.
“Having experienced golf tours throughout Europe, the US and Asia, I saw no reason why Bavaria could not compete in offering the discerning golf tourist a world-class golf break option,” he says.
“With its inspiring courses, fantastic after-golf options and a first-world city as its hub, I think it is ready to lose its undiscovered destination tag.”
Golf in Munich: Eichenried
The home of the BMW International Open, this is probably Germany’s best-known course.
The first BMW was held here shortly after it opened in 1989 and it has hosted the European Tour over 20 times since, attracting the likes of Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, John Daly and Padraig Harrington.
“Everyone wants to play where the pros play, especially if it’s a key European Tour stop in the BMW International Open,” says bavaria4golf’s Gomer. “The friendly, open-policy from the club, as well as its proximity to the airport, makes Eichenried a feature on most tour itineraries.”
Architect Kurt Rossknecht created three nine-hole loops, all finishing at the clubhouse and all of a similar calibre.
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Laid out on flat, easy-walking land, it is a long modern course as befits a Tour venue.
Now-mature trees, nearly 90 bunkers, water hazards in the form of streams and ponds, and drystone walls provide definition to a course that is in impeccable condition thanks to the work of long-standing course manager Andrew Kelly, who hails from Lancashire.
Two half-island greens are two of the highlights but in fact this is a course whose strength is its consistency.
Golf in Munich: Olching
Probably our favourite of a high-calibre bunch, Olching has a very British feel in every respect.
The clubhouse is without pretension and is clearly a golfers’ golf club. And the course is effortlessly charming and so obviously oozes pedigree… oh not wait, it was created in 1981.
Well, it might be under four decades old but it certainly doesn’t feel like that, and that is to the credit of original designer Dudok van Hee. It was updated in 2012/13 by Thomas Himmel but retains an old world appeal.
That is evident right from the start, the 1st playing along an undulating fairway to a cool green with almost four sections to it like a proper links green shape to it.
Ridges, pimples and folds in the greens are a common theme here, as are beautifully, classy par 3s with the targets sitting perfectly in the land like a cradle. You have lots of fun putting here as well as in the long game.
“A complete modernisation of the course six years ago has fully bedded-in and made Olching’s tight layout even more challenging! A fabulous track, not to be missed but not one for the faint-hearted,” says Gomer, who likes it so much he is a member here.
Routed between indigenous greens and water hazards, the variety of holes and the kind of interesting terrain modern courses would all kill for make this a consistently interesting examination.
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Golf in Munich: Golf Valley
It is very easy to explain what to expect at Golf Valley; a modern course of a high quality that was built with a view to hosting the Ryder Cup.
So, think about the likes of Golf National. Or Celtic Manor. David Krause’s design also has echoes of The Centurion Club, The Shire and St Mellion.
You probably don’t therefore need to be told these 27 holes comprise lots of water, lots of sand, lots of mounding down the side of fairways and lots of good solid hitting – witness the 693-yard 6th in the B loop.
The island green on C7 is another stand-out while the par-4 A9 is just 320 yards but is a terrific risk-reward hole with water before the green.
It opened in 2009 and is a popular members’ club with an excellent clubhouse and terrace serving the three loops.
“Valley abounds with quality,” says Gomer. “Built to a Ryder Cup-hosting spec, its 27 holes test you every step of the way.
“It’s always available to guests with its flexible configuration, Valley is an ideal weekend golf break host. It’s Mediterranean-style restaurant terrace is also a great spot for those post-round refreshments.”
Golf in Munich: Gut Hausern
Bernhard Langer, Sergio Garcia and Seve Ballesteros are among those who have played among the trees, sand and water of expansive championship course Gut Hausern.
It stretches over 7,300 yards off the tips but there are five other tees to choose from so even beginners will find pleasure here.
It was designed by Peter Harradine, a Middle East expert but who also has European courses in his portfolio.
“With Gut Häusern, I was able to plan a golf landscape that will be a ‘pinnacle’ in my long career as a golf architect. A task one can only dream of.”
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Gut Hausern, which hosted the Ladies German Open from 2008 to 2013, features two striking closing holes to the main nines.
“Deep in the Bavarian countryside, this modern design is well worth the trip,” says Gomer.
Not had enough to convince you? Our golf in Munich guide continues on the next page…
Golf in Munich: Worthsee
Woerthsee is west of Munich and this club’s history stretches back to 1961, when the Filser family bought the Schluifeld estate on which the course sits.
A rudimentary nine-hole course was initially laid out by the family in 1984 and it was the tree planting back then that has most impact on the course that you enjoy today. Within two years an 18-hole course was open.
This pleasant, natural-feeling parkland is stiff enough to have hosted Lufthansa Ladies German Open and was renovated in 2003, including new greens and a redesigned 12th.
The best stretch is probably the holes to the 12th at the start of the back nine: the 10th plays over water for the second shot then 11 is a really nice par 3 from an elevated tee to a wide green that has water all across its front edge. The 12th has water snaking up the right and OB on left making it a tight test up towards a wide but shallow green.
“This fun and varied challenge is a big hit with travelling golfers,” says Gomer. “The high quality and attention to detail goes through all aspects of the club. This is a great place to play if you love risk/reward holes and a beautiful clubhouse setting to recount your round.”
Golf in Munich: Egmating
“Ask a golf tourist what they want from a course and many will the say the best greens and a setting to typify where you are – Egmating delivers on both and is often voted the pick of the courses played by visiting groups,” says Gomer.
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This doesn’t surprise me because this Rossknecht design from the 1990s fits beautifully into the natural environment. It was in the top two of the courses we visited.
It’s championship length but doesn’t feel like a slog, with Rossknecht moulding the courses into the significantly undulating but wide fairways skilfully while also creating some large, fabulous green complexes.
There is more movement in these greens than elsewhere in Munich and these funky complexes are defended by bunkers and water hazards. It includes a virtual island green on the short 4th.
Golf in Munich: Aschheim
“At just 15 minutes from Munich city centre and with unique features as a result of being carved through a former quarry, Aschheim is handy and a lot of fun,” says Gomer.
That’s exactly how we found this friendly club and course, laid out among mature trees and over fairways that follow a pleasingly undulating landscape with greens that vary between tricky tiered ones and flatter ones.
There is plenty of water to challenge as well as an island green – the 13th, a short hole played downhill.
With woodland surrounding the course on most of its perimeter, you will likely spot some combination of pheasant, rabbit and deer alongside the fairways or even the very active beaver in the streams. Also expect fantastic views of the Munich city skyscape and on a clear day the the Olympic Tower and even the Alps on the horizon.
Golf in Munich: The package
Allow bavaria4golf to build your perfect golf break to Munich.
You can enjoy two nights B&B and three rounds, from €395 per person sharing. April-October 2019. Other conditions apply.
You can find all their details on the bavaria4golf website.
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Golf in Munich: Off the course
You’ll find a competitive edge exists between Munich and Berlin. The latter is revered as the hipster city and Munich the less cool but wealthy southern cousin.
That’s changing a bit now because while giants such as BMW and Siemens still furnace the city’s economy, there is more nuance to the off-course offering than there used to be.
That represents itself in aspects such as the food, which is taken extremely seriously here, with Bavarian classics such as pork knuckle being joined by an experimental attitude to cuisine albeit one often with a heathy Italian influence.
Italy also influences the architecture of the city, carefully rebuilt after world war bombings, and now with echoes of Florence and Milan.
You will want to time a walk through Marienplatz, Munich’s central square, to coincide with the cuckoo clock coming to life in the tower balcony of the Neues Rathaus. It is over 100 years old and a Glockenspiel depicts the city’s history in 43 bells and 32 life-sized figures, twice at day at 11am and 5pm.
You might like to browse in Midnightbazar market, or stroll through the pretty Glockenbachviertel district and its chic boutiques, cafes and bars.
For an alternative experience, you can surf the waves of Munich’s Eisbach (Ice Stream) River! Or swim in the beautifully restored baths of Müllersches Volksbad.
Munich is home of BMW at Maisach Academy, 40 minutes from the centre, where you can take the latest models at high speed on a track.
And then there is Bayern Munich’s museum, a must for all football fans….
Golf in Munich: The Bayern experience
Watching a game at their new Allianz stadium is a memorable experience, from seeing some of the world’s best players in the flesh to the noise and atmosphere created by the home fans.
But there is another aspect that you really must also do, and that is go to Bayern’s incredible museum in the stadium itself.
It is so comprehensive and fascinating you need to allow yourself 90 minutes to do it justice.
Here you’ll see the boots worn by the club’s great players, a recreation of the boardroom complete with stories by the likes of Bayern grandee Franz Beckenbauer and sections charting their great teams and triumphs.
Golf in Munich: Where to stay
The stylish Hilton Munich City is ideal for golfers, with the city centre right on its doorstep and all of the courses we mention no more than a 30-minute drive away.
Its main advantage is its location right next to the Rosenheimer Platz tube stop that links you to the airport as well as the rest of the underground system, but it is so central you don’t even need to use it to get to the main attractions at Marienplatz.
This four-star hotel has rooms with flat-screen TVs and free WiFi. There is a gym and parking, albeit the latter has a charge.
One of its key attractions is the new Juliet Rose bar, an uber-stylish place to eat and drink within the hotel which is now popular with non-residents too.
The bar’s name is carried across the food and drinks menus, which have been split into four categories relating to botanical properties from root to fruit; woody, herbal, floral and fruity with varied options in each category.
The hotel’s main restaurant is currently being refurbished to bring it up to the eye-catching standard of Juliet Rose but even as it is now you will enjoy the vast buffet breakfasts.
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