Is This The Loveliest Course In Mainland Europe? We Think So…

Andermatt - Hole 3.

Andermatt

Andermatt is blessed with a sublime Alpine valley setting (Image credit: Andermatt Swiss Alps)

• GF: £110-£140
• Stats: Par 72, 6,390 yards
• W: andermatt-golf.ch

Despite its great natural beauty, Switzerland is not yet on the travelling golfer’s radar. Its best-known course is perhaps Crans-Sur-Sierre, host of the Omega European Masters, won last Summer by Thriston Lawrence. But there are many stunning courses, especially for those seeking somewhere new, different, and exceptionally beautiful. Andermatt is a prestigious ski resort set at a little under 5,000 feet above sea level. It is south of Zurich at the end of a scenic road trip via Lake Lucerne, and its exceptional course sits perfectly in the lush, green Ursern Valley in the Alpine foothills.

Looking back down the twelfth hole, and to its left, the par-5 second (Image credit: Andermatt Swiss Alps)

Opening for play in 2016, golf here is a rollercoaster of fun and adventure. With ecology at its heart, the course meanders through scenic farmland, employs climate-neutral energy, is home to more than 100 bird species who breed around its photogenic ponds and streams, and is even in part tended by goats.

The beautiful par-3 thirteenth is played from an elevated tee (Image credit: Rob Smith)

The land rises in the middle of each nine, but the climb is more than offset by the golfing interest that generates and by the panoramic views back over the meadowland below.

Looking back from behind the green on the par-4 fifteenth (Image credit: Rob Smith)

While the course is naturally closed over the Winter months, it's a very tempting call for booking some Summer golf. Packages including golf are available with nearby hotels such as the amazing Chedi and the Radisson Blu, making Andermatt a very appealing destination for golf and a great deal more.