Baden-Württemberg

New wine and old fortresses

Where the German Wine Road ends and the tourist Fortress Road begins, one moves from the Germany states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse to the state of Baden-Württemberg. We are now standing before the gates of Heidelberg on the Neckar where once the Swedish queen Sylvia also lost her heart as so many others have. The entire Fortress Road, which begins here, lives from its historic sites and charming natural images. The glory of past times certainly has a big effect upon the places located there even today. Heidelberg is a prime example as are the riverscape of the Neckar Valley or the Hohenlohe Plain where “Gigantic Wines” grow and are harvested.

One doesn’t just lose his heart in Heidelberg. Near the beautiful city along the Neckar, one can also play fantastic golf at the Heidelberg-Lobenfeld Golf Club.

Travelling past the Rheintal Golf Club, we go south upon the Autobahn and stumble upon one of the great pearls of German golf – St. Leon-Rot. The Deutsche Bank/SAP-Masters was and is held upon these courses. It was here that Tiger Woods displayed clear signs of his greatness at the European Championships. One can gladly emulate the best golfers of all times – St. Leon-Rot and the neighbouring hotels always gladly welcome guests.

From there, we move on to the Neckar Valley where one soon reaches Eberbach with its cloister and comes via Bad Rappenau, the Rappenau Golf Club to Bad Wimpfen. Here stands the Palatinate which, like the Nuremberg fortress reminds one of the German emperors. Not far away stands the Hornberg Fortress high above the Neckar where Götz von Berlichingen once lived whose famous quote “Kiss my a . . .” is often repeated upon many a golf course.

In Heilbronn, we have then reached the Hohenloh Plain where not only famous asparagus dishes are served, but rather also the broad wine grape fields extend where the good Baden wine grows. That also brings the appetite for some good golf at the Heilbronn-Hohenlohe Golf Club. Travelling further east in the Jagst Valley – we have already long since left the Neckar – we stumble upon Schwäbisch Hall and upon the Schwäbisch Hall Golf Club in the Dörn district.

Stuttgart always is in season

The vibrant Schwabian metropolis of Stuttgart, which is known to most people are merely the headquarters of the automobile manufacturers Mercedes and Porsche, the electrical systems of Bosch and the electronics of IBM brings excitement to visitors from throughout the world. In this regard, the Baden-Württemberg state capital city is not only characterised by its splendid panorama, magnificent castles and buildings in quite varied architectural styles, beautiful gardens and parks, but rather also through its cultural diversity and top-class gastronomy. The selection of Schwabian wine bars is fantastic and also the Haute Cuisine is represented here with numerous gourmet restaurants.

Stuttgart is among the most beautiful situated large cities in Europe – surrounded by gentle hills, forests and vineyards which extend into the inner city. Where the horses of Duke Luitolf of Sweden once grazed – the city name and coat of arms is derived from “stuotgarten” (stud farm) – the Old Castle from the 16th century still stands. With its magnificent three-floored arcade inner courtyard, it reflects the glory of the residence city and communicates the influence of the Italian Renaissance. With 30-metre-high anniversary columns in its middle, the large castle square is the heart of the city and popular meeting place for young and old.

Health and golf

Whoever appreciates healing mineral water can relax in one of the mineral baths in the Stuttgart city district of Bad Cannstatt. Daily, 22 million sparkling mineral water bubbles spring forth from 19 springs. A natural treasure which is unique in these dimensions in western Europe. Twelve mineral springs are considered to be healing springs – the benevolent effect of which has already been appreciated by illustrious guests. 150 years ago, the city on the Neckar flourished as an international spa and bath destination and was the meeting place for emperors and kings. Three mineral baths are available to spa guests today, including two open-air mineral baths.

Whoever values health can and also must think golf in Stuttgart and its surrounding areas.

Here is a good selection:

It begins with the Neckar Valley Golf Club, continues with the famous Stuttgart-Solitüde Golf Club, the Domäne Niederreutin Golf Club and the Monrepos Castle Golf Club. The Nippenburg Castle Golf Club has a quite unique atmosphere. From here, one travels into the surrounding areas where the Hohenstaufen Golf Club, the Kirchheim-Wendlingen Golf Club, the Überkingen Golf Club and the Hochstatt H-Ries Golf Club await you. In Stuttgart, it’s always the right season for everyone and everything – golf is a focal point!

Baden wine grapes

South of Karlsruhe, it now really begins, the Baden Wine Road. Between the Upper Rhine lowland plain and the ascent into the Black Forest, the hilly country in which fiery wines are grown. In the protection of the Black Forest and Vogesen, there rules the ideal climate in the Rhine Valley for viniculture which is still supported by warm air currents coming up from the Mediterranean. The Baden Wine Road snakes through beautiful wine-grower villages and old cities in which the joie de vivre is perceptible even for those just passing through. The Wine Road goes down from Karlsruhe to Gaggenau (west of Baden-Baden), then again past Offenburg to Freiburg. West of this, there is the Kaiserstuhl [Emperor’s Throne], geologically and biologically interesting highlands which rise up in the middle of the Rhine plain and where the best wines are produced.

Travelling along this Wine Road, one can play magnificent golf – one can just feel it, feel it quite certainly. They aren’t so abundant, the golf courses, because one needs the ground for viniculture, but the few courses are good. Among them would be the Scheibenhardt Golf Club lying south of Karlsruhe. Along the Autobahn between Rheinmünster and Sinzheim, there are the golf courses of the Baden-Baden, Bruchsal, Dreihof Southern Wine Road Country and Baden Hills Golf and Country Clubs.

In the “Land of Health - Baden-Württemberg”, there are also many opportunities to combine golf with health. In the foothills of the Black Forest, Baden-Baden is known worldwide as a spa, vacation destination and international festival play city – a city with flair and an exclusive lifestyle in a dreamily beautiful landscape.

South of Baden-Baden, which also likes to be referred to as the “Gate to the Black Forest”, we then travel to Offenburg and into one of the most beautiful Germany highland areas which rises east of the Rhine above the valley and wine. Already at the base of the hills – where the Breisgau begins – golf awaits you between Appenweier and Oberkirch.

The magnificent golf courses of the Urloffen Golf Club (18 holes, a rather flat course with some water hazards), Gröbernhof (18 holes, Black Forest Panorama) can provide one with initial impressions of the Rhine Valley and the Black Forest.

In addition, between Biberach and Lahr in the middle of the Black Forest, in the Gereuter Valley, the Ortenau Golf Club course awaits with its 18 holes – a golf course in which the originality of the landscape could be preserved without resorting to measures which would destroy the landscape. The fairways are not extremely long, but are challenging conditions owing to slopes and steep ascents – a golf jewel in the Black Forest. And then we approach Freiburg where the lights of the tower of the Münster greet us from afar: An experience which may possibly only be trumped by the golf quite nearby, namely in the Freiburg Golf Club and in the Tuniberg Golf Club in the Rhein meadows.

Green from the Black Forest to Lake Constance

East of Freiburg, still in the Rhine Valley, there begins the Black-Forest-Lake Constance Green Road. Travelling through Himmelreich and Höllental – those are magnificent regions for holidays, charming landscapes with paradise-like gorges and mountain plateaus, the Green Road leads via the airy elevations of the Black Forest down to Lake Constance, the “Schwabian Lake”. The Green Road is not only an El Dorado for hikers and – with so many lakes – for water sport enthusiasts, but rather also boasts numerous cultural treasures. At the beginning of the route, there lies Breisach in the Breisgau with its mighty minster high above the Rhine and, in front of the tradition-rich University City of Freiburg, one brushes up against the Tuniberg, a long loess crest south of the Kaiserstuhl. Going further south, almost along the French border near Kandern, golfers find one of the most beautiful courses in the southwest, the Markgräfler Country Club, but above all the Drei Thermen [Three Thermal Springs] Golf Resort in Bad Bellingen which makes for quite impressive golfing in the southwest with its 36 holes. From here, one has a splendid panoramic view of Vogesen, the Black Forest and the Alps.

Then across to the east, through the Black Forest where Titisee and Schluchsee are always glad to welcome the many visitors, then past Hinterzarten where the German ski jumpers are housed, to Donaueschingen where the Danube springs forth in a princely castle garden in order to begin its more than 3000-kilometre-long route to the Black Sea. Not very far from there, there is a golfing oases with the Öschberghof Country and Golf Club where it’s worthwhile to play golf and to also live. A few kilometres to the south, one stumbles across the fairways of the Obere Alp Golf Club which is however a Swiss club.

But now across to Lake Constance, the “Schwabian Lake”, as one also calls the large lake at the foot of the Alps which is surrounded by a lovely moraine landscape with wide marshes. Lake Constance, perhaps the best area right in the middle of the heart of Europe, lures above seven million tourists per year. So many people can’t be wrong, one would think.

Before one reaches Lake Constance with its natural and cultural treasures, one crosses through the Hegau, the volcanic crest of which is adorned by formidable fortresses. The most well-known among them is the Hohentwiel near Singen. From here, one can already see Lake Constance and look down upon Constance. At this point in time, one has already passed the Langenstein Castle Country Club which is absolutely worth a visit as is the Steisslingen Golf Club right in front of Lake Constance. Near Radolfzell, one reaches the “Schwabian Lake”, can either visit the oldest buildings of the Reichanau cloister island (UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site), a Romanesque basilica, the old Benedictine abbey from the Carolingian period or immediately play some golf upon the magnificent course of the Constance Golf Club and/or do everything one after the other.

Bogeys, birdies and Baroque

One should drive down into Constance, this medieval city, which was the centre point of all of Europe from 1414 to 1418 as the meeting place of the famous 16th Council and is always worth a visit. Thereafter, one can make the return trip via the Reichenau Island or go by ship across the lake to Überlingen, one of the larger cities on Lake Constance. Great culture is located here in the Late Gothic St. Nikolaus Minster (Mannerist Altar) or in the Salem Cloister (Emperor’s Room with Feichtmayr’s figures). The Birnau Pilgrimage Church represents true magnificence as its layout and internal decor document highpoints of the Rococo. Baroque, bogeys and birdies can be combined best of all at the golf course of the Owingen-Überlingen Golf Club.

Travelling along the lake, we reach Meersburg, an old fortress from the Merowingian Period, from the Lampertsturm [name of tower] of which Annette von Droste-Hülshoff wrote. From here, there are again direct connections by boat to Staad upon the facing lake side with Constance, but also a fast connection to the Mainau Flower Island. As before, it is among the biggest attractions on Lake Constance with its tropical vegetation. Art and music lovers know that, in addition to a vibrantly colourful lake, there are also top-class exhibitions and concerts. Romantic views of the lake, sequoias and the exotic rising of the moon under the palms, banana trees and golden oranges und the terrace of the veritable duke’s castle. And there are shadowy paths and many thousands of flowers and blossoms. Thus, Mainau Island is undoubtedly worth a visit. 1.6 million visitors from throughout the world visit the island of flowers each year.

Then Friedrichshafen approaches, the Schwabian metropolis, industrial and trade fair city where Count Zeppelin once built his airships, the “Flying Cigars”, one of which experienced a fiery and exploding end in Lakehurst, New Jersey which ended a great era.

In the hinterlands of Überlingen and Meersburg, one shouldn’t pass up the golf course of the Ravensburg Golf Club.

This excursion into the Oberschwaben region is worth making in any case. The landscape is characterised by gentle, often long stretches of hills which alternate with wide plains mostly used for agriculture. Nowhere else are there so many Baroque artworks. One finds the most glorious work in the Weingarten Cloister with the largest Baroque church north of the Alps. The Feather Museum in Bad Buchau is also worth a visit. And in this magnificent corner of Germany, one can also play some magnificent golf. In the Bad Waldsee Prince’s Golf Club, there are likewise 27 magnificent holes. One can confidently speak of Bad Waldsee as a golf mecca because the neighbouring Oberschwaben-Bad Waldsee Golf Club has another 18 splendid holes.

The end of the Green Road is Lindau, the old city of which lies upon a 69-hectar-large island in Lake Constance. The German Alpine Road begins here to which we will return in a later chapter. Lindau is the southwesternmost city of Bavaria and is situated in Lake Constance’s three countries’ corner of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The symbol of the city is the famous harbour entrance with the lighthouse and the Bavarian Lion. One may ascend the lighthouse. From there, one can have a beautiful view of the city, the lake and the mountains.

Albert Einstein and golf

The route is not long from Lindau to Ulm. Here the circle closes for whoever would like to go back to Stuttgart or continue on to discover Bavaria. The city is known for its Gothic minster, the church tower of which is the highest in the world at over 161 metres. Moreover, worth noting is the Ulm’s long bourgeois tradition with the oldest constitution of a German city and a city theatre, the beginnings of which reach back to the year 1641. In the past, Ulm was the point of debarkation for hiking through Donauschwaben which leads down the Danube with so-called Ulm gorges into its new mother countries in southeast Europe.

Albert Einstein, who was born here in 1879, was the most famous son of the university city of Ulm. Who knows whether he would not play golf today because the quite varied golf course of the Ulm Golf Club lies in the landscape-rich Illertal and offers a magnificent old grove of trees and numerous water hazards.