Golf and Spa in Northern Germany – Great Fall and Spring Golf
Translated by AI
The Mediterranean climate will soon reach Scandinavia. These days you read in the papers and see on the TV news every day how the greenhouse effect will bring a warm, pleasant climate to the North, with sunshine and swimming all year round. But every year toward the end of September, any golfer up here realizes that the Mediterranean climate didn’t arrive this year either. Time to extend the season with a golf trip to the “real” Mediterranean. Or is it?
There are certainly plenty of wonderful golf courses around the Mediterranean. But to stretch the season by a month in the fall or spring, you don’t have to travel that far. Good fall and spring golf is already waiting in northern Germany, just a short flight from Scandinavia.
Germany as a golf country
Golf is not a sport for everyone in Germany, at least not in the way it has become in Sweden. You definitely get a 1970s feeling: golf in Germany has come about as far as it had in Sweden in the 70s. But that is no drawback for the traveling golfer. Quite the opposite.
German courses often feel a bit more exclusive. Yet prices are no higher than in Sweden: weekday green fees are mostly around 30 to 40 euros (about $35 to $47), a little more on weekends. And many courses are attached to hotels and offer excellent hotel and golf packages at very attractive prices.
German golfers are not morning people. When we Swedes teed off, the golf restaurant was still closed (but the hotel breakfast was excellent). When we came past after the front nine, the Germans were still sitting over breakfast. In the four days we played, we only had to wait to tee off on a handful of holes. The courses were surprisingly empty, despite glorious fall weather with sunshine and 22°C (72°F). Even on the weekend.
And if you want to combine golf and spa, Germany is the right country. Many golf resorts are owned by hotels with their own spas. An excellent combination if your spouse or partner doesn’t play golf. Or for the frustrated golfer who needs to unwind after a dozen balls in the water…
Hamburg and surroundings
Schloss Lüdersburg. 45 minutes south of Hamburg, on the Lüneburg Heath, lies Schloss Lüdersburg, one of Germany’s many castle hotels. Right next to the hotel are two 18-hole courses, The Old Course and The Lakes Course, both excellent. But don’t be fooled by the names: since there is a “Lakes Course,” you might think there is less water on the Old Course, but that is only partly true. Seventeen of the holes on the Old Course have some kind of water hazard, as your correspondent learned the hard way.
Golfanlage Schloss Lüdersburg offers very good-value three-day packages with hotel and green fees included. There are several excellent restaurants around the hotel and the course.
Castanea Resort in Adendorf, just south of Hamburg, is a newly built resort that combines golf with a modern spa of the highest class. The course is still quite young, without many trees, but hilly and challenging to play. It is well planned and will in time become a top-class course.
But the spa is probably the real reason to visit Castanea. Ultramodern, with rooms in different themes, it is a real experience for anyone who wants a stress-free weekend. Or perhaps a little decompression after the golf…
South of Hanover
Schlosshotel Münchhausen (yes, the Baron who rode on cannonballs) lies just south of Hanover, right outside Hameln, of Pied Piper and rats fame. A lot of history all at once. The hotel itself is a wonderful combination of history and luxurious modern comforts, all preserved very tastefully. Many of the rooms have unique floor plans. Try to get a room on the top floor: plenty of surprises await!
Right next to the hotel is a modern spa, complete with a lap pool. Everything of the very highest quality. Well worth a visit, even if you are not interested in golf.
Next door to Schlosshotel Münchhausen is Hamelner Golf Club. There are two 18-hole courses, a full-length course and a short course. The full-length course starts on the flat land beside the hotel, then winds up into the hills, with many interesting holes and some panoramic views. Unfortunately it is a bit too shady in places, and the course is not of the very highest standard; above all, the greens in the hilly section are not that good. A pity, because otherwise the course is beautiful and challenging. Spare your legs: definitely rent a golf cart, which you can even have parked in the garage under the hotel. Take the elevator straight to your cart.
Hardenberg BurgHotel. A little farther south lies Hardenberg BurgHotel and GolfResort. Here the highlight is not the spa but the schnapps tasting. The castle makes its own schnapps and serves a number of varieties, eight if I remember correctly…
Hardenberg GolfResort is a short distance from the hotel, about five minutes by shuttle bus. There are two superb 18-hole courses, the Göttingen course and the Niedersachsen course. The Göttingen course is the older one, very up and down over varied terrain. Exciting holes, but not too difficult.
The Niedersachsen course is another story. Built as recently as 2001, it is a true championship course with many difficult holes. A very good course for low handicappers, at times a bit frustrating for the rest of us. It is hard to get a grip on it in just one round, but it is well worth playing several times.
This article by Bo Sjosten was originally published in Swedish on our sister site Golfjournalen.se. It has been translated by AI.
