Golfing & Gambeling (1/2)
...they go together like the small ball to roulette or the golf ball to the hole.
Both are now available in Berchtesgadenerland: Golfing on the championship course GC Berchtesgadenerland and then golfing in the 4-star superior Hotel Gut Edermann.
I tried it out and gained some important insights. But read for yourself...
Excursion to Berchtesgadenerland
The proud inhabitants of Rupertiwinkel say it is the "Bavarian Tuscany" and it really is - just before the border with Austria, you drive through gently undulating terrain with picturesque church spires on top, lushly overgrown and lined with magnificent farmhouses made of natural stone with local woods and decorated with colorful geraniums. The village of Weng with the 18-hole GC Berchtesgadenerland course lies right in the middle.
Championship course in the middle of farming country
Admittedly, the name is a little confusing for some, as the 9-hole GC Berchtesgaden course on the Obersalzberg is more or less a namesake, but bears no resemblance to the golf course in Weng. Instead of a "mountain course", you play here in slightly hilly terrain, divided into two completely different areas: While the first 9 holes are lined up around the clubhouse with its own hotel, the "back nine" run through an idyllic valley with a stream, cow pastures and little brooks, before returning slightly uphill to the clubhouse with its spacious restaurant terrace.
As harmonious as it feels - the par 72 course also has its pitfalls: 40 bunkers come into play, some of which are hidden from view, the island green on the 11th threatens to lose the ball, biotopes endanger many a tee shot or hinder the approach to the green and small ponds only become noticeable through the croaking of their inhabitants.
But the 3rd tee in particular, a par 5 with a dogleg to the right, offers a wonderful view of the fortress in Salzburg, the Untersberg and Gaisberg as well as the pilgrimage church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary near Ainring. Sometimes a short prayer before teeing off on the following par 3 with 185 meters or before the most difficult hole - a par 4 (376 meters uphill) with the green on top - helps. Visitors appreciate the delicious food in the clubhouse restaurant and stay in the Hotel Wengerhof right on the green. The evening atmosphere is particularly beautiful here when the setting sun bathes the fairways in enchanting colors.
