ALPINE GOLF IS ON PAR WITH THE BEST...
PAUL SUART takes a golfing break where you might least expect it... in the Austrian Alps
YOU played golf WHERE? is the reply from friends, family and colleagues when informed I had taken a golfing vacation in Austria. Yes, Austria!
I understand the two aren’t usually associated, but maybe they should be. It’s not all slopes and cow bells, you know.
Although plenty of slopes and cow bells are visible from the breathtakingly spectacular Championship golf course at Eichenheim.
It’s a course good enough for England football legend Alan Shearer. And one that could make you feel like a million dollars. More of that later. Set close to the lively Alpine town of Kitzbuhel, Eichenheim is unapologetically stunning, with epic views of the Wilder Kaiser and Hohe Tauern mountain ranges.
Designed by American architect Kyle Phillips, the par 71 track presents jaw-dropping vistas as it meanders through dramatic Alpinescape.
Attached is the five-star Grand Tirolia Hotel, our base for a couple of nights.
A seamless 90-minute transfer from Salzburg Airport, Grand Tirolia excels in comfort and luxury in equal measure.
Its extensive 1,500sqm spa – complete with not one, but six different types of sauna – is the perfect place to soak and unwind after a round of golf or skiing.
Before we could fully immerse ourselves in the hotel’s serene surroundings we hit the course, but only after a cheeky Glühwein.
Here, two words of warning. Don’t even contemplate walking Eichenhiem, because there’s killer hills on most holes, and from green to tee. And prepare yourself for a long haul. Because you will naturally fumble around for a phone to photograph gorgeous views from many of the tee boxes.
Not least the beautiful backdrop to the elevated third tee.
Framed by forests either side and guarded by bunkers down the right and a log cabin (it’s Austria, after all) on the left, the fairway climbs before weaving left to a raised putting surface.
Beyond the course boundary, hills rise sharply into mountains that remain snow-covered for much of the year.
It took me three holes to establish that the blissful cacophony emanating from the forests was down to freshwater streams gushing down from the mountains.
The par three sixth was another personal favourite of mine – a hole that oozes Alpine charm.
A stream segues the fairway, flanked by another log cabin (for the most lavish toilet stop), while a raised green nestles beneath a gallery of tightly packed trees.
By the 18th, it’s easy to become almost blasé about the scenery, given the sheer number of signature holes.
Measuring 5,663 metres (6,193 yards) off the yellows, Eichenheim is far from a slog, but still enough of a challenge for single-figure handicappers. And, honestly, what an enjoyable challenge!
It’s far easier to say that when you’ve played well, as I had the good fortune to. But it would take one truly miserable round to leave the 18th without a broad smile.
Even a drop of rain, from foreboding clouds that hovered hauntingly amid the mountains, could not dampen the mood.
We indulged in après-golf within the inviting confines of Golf Bistro, a ‘19th hole’ integrated into the Grand Tirolia complex.
Its outdoor terrace peers out above the 18th green, affording panoramic perspectives of the Kitzbuhler Alps.
Glühwein took the edge off my wet-head chill, but not in the same way as a heavenly hot shower.
My double deluxe, one of 82 rooms at Grand Tirolia, was eminently comfortable and more than adequate in size.
Although not quite as spacious as the Presidential Suite former heavyweight boxing champ Vladimir Klitchko has called home.
I could have soaked under the powerful and palatial rainwater shower for days.
Sadly, time was of the essence to convene for an authentically Austrian three-course dinner, completed (obviously) by apple strudel.
On a Monday night, there can’t be too much happening in the centre of Kitzhbuhel, can there? Yes, there can.
The town might only serve a nominal population of around 8,000, but it doesn’t have an international reputation as a vibrant ski resort for nothing.
There’s nightlife here for groups of golfers and/or skiers to sample after a day in the great outdoors.
Not wanting to wake with too thick a head, we called it a night after a few jars in buzzy Irish bar O’Flannigans.
A wise decision with a tour of the hotel and its incredible Grand Alps spa scheduled the next morning. Oh, and more golf.
The spa really takes some beating though. From the Finnish sauna and Tyrolean herbal bath to Dr Knippe’s basin designed to enhance blood circulation, there’s something for all your wellbeing needs.
Chocoholics will drool over the chocolate room, one of 13 treatment rooms available. Yes, really.
And if you’ve got enough disposable cash you can always hire the private spa for pampering in a more clandestine setting.
As rain poured outside, the spa looked an increasingly appealing alternative to golf. But, complete with waterproofs, we hit the course.
The deluge made the ground softer and heavily plugged balls – in the fairway and rough – a more frequent occurrence.
Drenched as soon as we had lef the clubhouse, we battled through the rain clouds to the ninth where the decision whether to continue was taken out of our hands.
Our hosts coaxed us into a spot of lunch and a quick three-hole putting competition on the practice green.
Joining us was none other than Mr Shearer, the former England footballer turned TV pundit!
A broken wrist, courtesy of a cycling accident in Portugal, had prevented the six-handicapper from embarrassing us with his skills out on the course.
But the Premier League’s record goal scorer was fit enough to participate in the mini-putting contest. I took great delight in equalling Shearer’s score, even if he was playing virtually onehanded.
So why was Shearer suddenly among our party?
The former Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United striker is ambassador of Million Dollar Hole in One, an enterprise which sees golfers around the world pay a small entry fee for the chance to win, you’ve guessed it, one million dollars.
Entrants lucky enough to produce an ace win a free holiday and qualify for the grand final, held this year at Grand Tirolia.
Marissa L’Estrange, 55, from Brisbane, Australia, Portuguese Jose Pinto Da Silva, 59, from Lisbon, and 55-year-old Merja Salminen from Sipoo, Finland, were such a trio.
Another hole in one – over a 150-yard target laid out on Eichenheim’s par three second – would bank them one million dollars.
Sadly, none of the finalists was able to reproduce their hole in one magic and the host’s money was safe.
They had each won an all-expenses paid week-long stay at Grand Tirolia, with golf included, so it was hard to feel too much sympathy!
After freshening up, the entire party, Shearer and all, gathered for a farewell banquet within the rather regal Herbarium Bar.
The bar usually trades in sophisticated cocktails, blended with local herbs and spices, but can double up as a refined dining area.
A divine four-course meal, started by a sumptuous Asian beef salad, was the flavoursome footnote to a thoroughly enjoyable stay.
Catch it right, around April and May, the Austrian climate accommodates golf in the morning, skiing in the afternoon – or vice versa.
Grand Tirolia has long been established on the international ski circuit. It’s high time the hotel and its enchanting course were recognised on the golfing map too.