Hiking instead of playing golf - in Chiemgau
The golf ban on the beautiful Easter days has hit us all hard. Easter without golf is like Christmas without a Christmas tree or a birthday without presents - it just makes you cry. Nevertheless, this abstinence also makes us inventive: if we can't play, then we can walk the golf course. It's amazing what you can discover...
One of the most beautiful (and also most expensive) golf courses here on Lake Chiemsee is the Golf Resort Achental . It is actually located 6 km from the lake near the village of Grassau and boasts a 4-star hotel and 18-hole golf course. This was designed by star architect Thomas Himmel in a flat moorland landscape with a keen sense for the local flora and fauna. All around, the Chiemgau Alps accompany the player and the Wilder Kaiser also shines with its white snowy peak. Farmhouses nestle together in a rural village setting, a pointed church tower marks the center of the village and from a distance you can hear the gentle sound of cows, topping off the peaceful country idyll. This is where people normally play. If - yes, if - the golf course is open, which would have happened long ago.
As we all know, a little virus prevented this and forced us to abstain from golf, but also gave us a great hiking experience. Because on this golf course, there are paths between the fairways where you can stroll along at a leisurely pace without paying attention to the sometimes hidden ball. Along the way, you discuss certain strategies that could be important in your next game to avoid ending up in the water, as there are plenty of them on this course. They are called water hazards because, along with the bunkers, they make the game more difficult. In the middle between the 9th hole and the 10th tee is a small lake with a cute little house where you can relax a little during the game or treat yourself to a veal sausage. During the hike, you can unpack the snacks you have brought with you and enjoy the view. We then have the full view of the Wilder Kaiser on hole 15, a tricky par 3 surrounded by three bunkers, and the 18th also normally requires full concentration, as you have to hit the ball over a reed belt onto the well-hidden green. But as I said - hiking is the best way to see how this can work.
Of course, it would be nice to end the day on the hotel terrace, but for the reasons mentioned above, it is also closed. What we know about this popular vacation hotel: Alpine flair with lots of wood on the outside meets high-quality leather, felt and loden on the inside and in the 200-plus rooms. The designer furniture, personally selected by the landlady Ursula Schelle-Müller, which can also be found in her second hotel, the "Kitzhof" in Kitzbühel, provides a nice contrast. Both are among my absolute favorites, especially as the "Kitzhof", without its own golf course, also has an affinity for golf. But what makes the "Achental" so interesting for Chiemgau locals is, on the one hand, the wide range on offer in the 5 restaurants, the wine cellar and the additional "Hubertushütte" alpine hut in the garden. On the other hand, the oversized wellness area of over 2000 square meters with the "Just Pure" spa, the indoor and outdoor pool and the professional fitness area. So it's no wonder that the German Bundesliga teams Schalke 04 and Mainz 05 have been coming and going here since it opened 6 years ago. Unfortunately, we still have to wait, but we are looking forward to Kässpatz'n, Kaiserschmarr'n and other Bavarian delicacies. And - of course - golf!
www.golf-resort-achental.com
